The Redskins beat the Giants at home Sunday 28-14 surprising many people who thought the Skins were going to stink this year. If you read Doc Brown’s season preview, you knew we thought more of the Redskins than most analysts. Privately, I had also told friends I thought the Redskins quarterback position would have fantasy value all season long, regardless of who won the starting job between Rex Grossman and John Beck. Grossman won the job and played well in week one, and now it’s time to examine whether he’s worth a look for fantasy purposes.
Grossman’s final stats were 21-34 for 305 yards with two touchdowns. The Giants were without defensive lineman Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora who were both inactive, but they still managed four sacks and seven hits on the quarterback. Rex played well no matter how you look at it. He’s not a guy I would bet on leading a team to the playoffs, but he’s good enough to rack up yards and touchdowns on the right day. The turnovers generally will be high, but in the Shanahans’ offense, his numbers should be good. You may recall that he threw for over 300 yards in two of his starts at the end of last season too. He has pretty strong upside as a second quarterback on your roster, and the same can be said for John Beck if he gets the job.
Tight end Fred Davis was Grossman’s top target Sunday. The USC product caught five passes for 105 yards after being targeted six times. We’ve been big Fred Davis fans since seeing him play very well the second half of 2009 when he filled in for Chris Cooley who got hurt that year. In the 10 games he played after Cooley got hurt, Davis racked up 41 catches for 464 yards and six touchdowns. Fred is sure-handed, runs good routes, and he has good athleticism after the catch. Even though Chris Cooley is still around, Fred looks like the featured tight end in their passing game. He should be solid all year long and is a recommended tight end pickup.
