Washington Redskins: Ryan Kerrigan’s play makes defense fantasy relevant

The Washington Redskins defense has been solid this year, but the pass rush was missing — that is, until Ryan Kerrigan has brought it back of late.

The Washington Redskins have been a surprisingly strong team defensively this season. They’ve been one of the best against the run (second in total yards and seventh in yards per carry allowed) thanks partly to the young duo of Da’Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen. Meanwhile, they’re sixth in passing yards allowed and fifth in total yards per game (first in total yards overall).

None of those stats matter too much in fantasy though. What does matter is that the Redskins are seventh in points allowed per game (20.2) but are only middle-of-the-pack when it comes to takeaways (11). Washington is also 24th in sacks (14) and have one defensive touchdown on the year.

Basically, they’ve been a great defense — but not so much when it comes to fantasy football. Things are trending up, however, and that’s thanks to the resurgence of Ryan Kerrigan.

Don’t get me wrong, the Redskins defense boasts quite a few big names. When Kerrigan’s going well, though, none are bigger than him. Through the first three games of the season, the outside linebackers stats were two tackles — and that’s it.

Washington was blown out in their next game, but Kerrigan registered his first sack. The next week, he picked up his first tackle for a loss. Then, last week, he added five tackles and two more sacks, as well as his first forced fumble (which led to the Redskins’ only defensive touchdown this year) and pass deflection of the year.

This led the Washington defense to it’s best performance of the year. The two turnovers are the second-most they had in a game (three in week six) and the 17 points allowed were the second-least they’d given up. Meanwhile, the four sacks and one touchdown were season-bests.

It’s hard to not link the dominant performance to Ryan Kerrigan breaking out. This shouldn’t just be a one-week performance either. They were great the week prior and have a 1-6 New York Giants team this Sunday.

This should help build momentum for a Washington Redskins defense that’s been strong all year. Now with a returned-to-form Ryan Kerrigan the pass rush should be relevant again. This will help add up sacks, as well as turnovers – and could make the Redskins defense one of the hottest fantasy items for the rest of the year.