The Washington Redskins know what they have in the passing game: talented receivers, a quarterback who understands their offense and where the ball must go and a line that protects well. It adds up to what should be productive seasons for Washington's receivers.
ESPN Fantasy projection: 980.7 yards, 4.5 touchdowns
Over or under: Over on both. I know there are durability questions about Jackson and he’ll turn 30 this season. But Jackson did something unusual this summer: He didn’t sit out one practice, the first time that’s happened in three camps with Washington. And he looked good, too, going against corner Josh Norman. Jackson’s presence made a tremendous difference in the Redskins’ lineup last season; in the eight games in which he was healthy last season, Jackson caught 30 passes for 528 yards and four touchdowns. And in his two previous seasons with Washington he easily surpassed 1,000 yards. The Redskins have greater ability to run play-action on any down this season with a healthy and deeper tight end group, which will help Jackson down the field. He’s a slight risk because of health, but he’s off to a strong start this summer.
ESPN Fantasy projection: 540.7 yards, 4.1 touchdowns
Over or under: Under. We don’t even know when Doctson will be healthy let alone what he’ll do when he is. Doctson hasn’t practiced since hurting his Achilles on May 25 and he’s at least a week or two away, according to multiple sources. So this means he not only has to work his way back into football shape, but he then has to learn to play against NFL defenses. Doctson certainly has ability, but it’s not as if the Redskins’ passing attack will rely on his availability. He’ll help, but with Jackson and Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder, the Redskins are in good shape. The injury plus the other talent will bite into Doctson’s productivity this season.
Pierre Garcon
ESPN Fantasy projection: 579.1 yards, 4.4 touchdowns
Over or under: This is a hard one because Garcon can still play, but will he get the chances. I’ll take a deep breath and say over on the yards, but under on touchdowns. Garcon has had an excellent camp. He has surpassed this projected yardage total in all but his rookie season. So this shouldn’t be difficult for Garcon to do. There is no sign that he’s slowed down. But a lot of it will be dictated on other factors: If Jackson is healthy all season -- and with the continued emergence of Reed -- how much will that cut Garcon’s production? Last season, Garcon was a big presence on third down -- 29 receptions, fifth most in the NFL -- and someone they relied upon to get tough yards after the catch. Garcon, like Jackson, is in a contract year and will want good numbers. He’s not just a possession receiver, though that’s often how the Redskins feel he’s best used.
Jamison Crowder
ESPN Fantasy projection: 467.7 yards, 3 touchdowns
Over or under: Over. The Redskins were as pleased with Crowder as anyone after the offseason. Crowder had a strong rookie year with 59 catches, but the red flag here is that in the final eight games he was targeted only 27 times compared to 51 in the first eight. Why? Because Jackson was healthy. Some of it, too, was Crowder slowing down after a long rookie season. Like Garcon, this is a tough one to fully anticipate because of all the variables. The Redskins have a lot of weapons and someone will not match their projections. Garcon might be the odd man out in that regard more so than Crowder. Before camp, one team source said Crowder absolutely would remain on the field in their three-receiver sets -- even with the addition of Doctson (when healthy). If that’s the case, then Crowder has a chance to at least match last season’s productivity -- and it could be that he’s the guy with favorable matchups because of the talent around him. In those last eight games last season, he had 189 yards. I think he’ll be more productive than that, even with the surrounding talent. The hard part is that if I had to guess on if both Crowder and Garcon would hit the over on yards, I’d say no. But I can see either doing so; the question is which one won’t.
