Fantasy Football 2018: One underrated rookie at each position
By Donnie Druin
James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
A rookie receiver in Pittsburgh? Poised for success. The breakout year we saw last season from James Washington’s new teammate, JuJu Smith-Schuster, has created a pathway for the former to follow on his very own journey. Smith-Schuster has already played his way into a comfortable number two spot behind Antonio Brown thanks in-part to his play in 2017. The scary part? Washington could perform even better.
The rookie will likely see a lot of work in the slot with Brown and Smith-Schuster working the outside, giving him the opportunity to use his pristine agility and burst out of routes against favorable match-ups inside.
In terms of slot production, it’s unlikely Washington will be able to establish himself in the likes of a Julian Edelman or Jarvis Landry in his rookie season alone, yet Washington finds himself in the middle-tier of fantasy rookies thanks to his landing spot and a quarterback who knows how to find open receivers.
The emergence of new offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner sees the Steelers offense going into 2018 with a bit of mystery to them. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, however, spreads the favorably well among his receiving corps. Washington is no Calvin Ridley or Courtland Sutton, yet should he find himself working man coverage in the middle of the field, we’ll take our chances with the talent that’s there.