Finding the rookie running back that’s going to break loose is usually what leads to fantasy football championships. And that doesn’t mean first-round picks like Todd Gurley or Ezekiel Elliott.
David Johnson is one that comes to mind, while others like Ameer Abdullah and Jeremy Langford also had moments in the sun. But the situation was similar for all of them. The Cardinals didn’t have one standout guy that they wanted to give carries to. The Lions had a jumble of Joique Bell and small receiving backs. The Bears had an aging Matt Forte who had logged a ridiculous amount of touches.
Those backs weren’t first-round picks, yet they found a way to produce and become fantasy relevant.
DeAndre Washington could find himself in a similar situation. Yes, Latavius Murray is a big, talented running back that defenders are afraid of, but the Raiders don’t want to give him 300 touches this season. Murray was just over that mark in 2015 and it was by far the most he’s had in the NFL. For a big guy like him, staying healthy isn’t an easy thing to do.
That’s why the Raiders were constantly talking about adding another back to the mix the past few months. They thought Rey Helu could’ve been a decent plug-in, but that didn’t really work out and he got surgery on both of his hips in the offseason.
As of now, the Raiders have Murray, Washington, Helu and undrafted George Atkinson III out of Notre Dame.
The first word out of Oakland after the draft came from GM Reggie McKenzie, who said Washington is “more than a third-down back; he’s a complete back.”
Obviously, McKenzie is touting his draft pick up as much as possible. But there’s some truth to that. Washington wasn’t drafted higher because he’s only 5’8”. However, he is a little thicker at 200 pounds, similar to Maurice Jones-Drew and a human bowling ball.
Washington did it all at Texas Tech, and played three full seasons after injuring his knee in 2012. In his senior season, Washington carried the ball 233 times for 1,492 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was also great as a receiver and finished his career with 124 receptions through four years.
Murray should be in for a great season, there’s no doubting that. The Raiders bulked up greatly along the offensive line with Kelechi Osemele added to an already solid group that has Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson.
Throw in an improving passing game with third-year quarterback Derek Carr and stud wide out Amari Cooper and this Raiders attack is legit.
There will be points to be had and Murray can’t get them all out of the backfield.
Of course, Washington is still back up to a guy that’s going to see 250-plus touches, and his overall effectiveness will be limited unless Murray gets hurt. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Washington start to see 8-10 touches over the second half of the season.
It also can’t be overlooked that Murray only reached 20 carries five different times last year. Washington isn’t going to be fantasy gold by any means, but he’s stepping into a situation that is favorable for a rookie getting his feet wet.
As it stands, Washington will also be the hands down No. 2 RB on a good offense and that can’t be ignored. Whether as a handcuff or simply as a late-round flier, DeAndre Washington is a running back that shouldn’t be overlooked just because he was drafted in the fifth round.
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