Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: TB 17, WAS 30 (Line: WAS by 7)

The 1-8 Buccaneers bring their five game losing streak to Washington where the 3-6 Redskins are 2-2 and fresh coming off their bye. This is absolutely as good as it will get for the Redskins.

Depth chart changes abound but in the end the results were identical to every other week. The Bucs reverted back to Josh McCown who replicated Mike Glennon and the much anticipated debut by Charles Sims merely added a new jersey number to the offensive folly. The rest of the schedule is brutal with the toughest matchups at home and the lesser games in their stadiums. But the Bucs haven’t thrown in the towel and are trying new things. These next two road games will be the best shot at a win for the rest of the year and no doubt produce the best fantasy stats as well.

QUARTERBACK : Josh McCown was one of the most productive quarterbacks last week when he passed for 301 yards and two scores with 39 yards gained on five runs. But he threw two interceptions and most of that production did not happen until the game was already out of hand. McCown makes them look like they are trying to find what works best but he’s been no different than Glennon.

RUNNING BACK : Charles Sims was much anticipated by fantasy team owners looking for the next big thing but the rookie back made his 2014 debut to a resounding thud. He only ran for 23 yards on eight carries and caught two passes for 17 yards. Bobby Rainey ran for 14 yards on six runs and added four catches for 42 yards. Doug Martin remains out with a bad ankle but may make his return as early as this week or next depending on how practice goes. But there won’t be any telling what the rotation would be with Martin around and may just keep him on the sideline anyway. This is already one of the least productive running back units in the NFL and not just from a lack of personnel.

WIDE RECEIVER : The Bucs were going against the Falcons, so some success was expected. But it was nice to see Mike Evans rack up two scores and 124 yards in week nine and then turn in 125 yards and a touchdown in week ten with a new quarterback. Evans scored in four of the last five games and has become a big part of the offense. Vincent Jackson hasn’t scored since week two but at least McCown connected with him for eight receptions and 75 yards. Louis Murphy started the year with three scores in four weeks but has done very little since.

TIGHT END : No fantasy value but the rookie Austin Seferian-Jenkins scored last week on his five catches for 30 yards and had a score in week eight as well. He’s too inconsistent to merit any current fantasy attention but is progressing and becoming the red zone factor they envisioned when the 6-5 tight end was drafted in May.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Redskins are weak against the pass and most opponents end up with two to four passing touchdowns. That should fold well into McCown’s nice showing of last week. The weaker rushing offense of the Bucs will be on the road against a defense that has been very good against the run when at home and only allowed two runners to score all year. The split workload and blocking issues don’t spawn much optimism this week for either Sims or Rainey. McCown is a lower end play but with upside this week and both Jackson and Evans are solid picks since the Bucs are likely to play from behind and throw.

The win over the Cowboys was short-lived when the Skins lost in Minnesota before the bye. At 3-6 the season is already over even in the NFC East but Robert Griffin III is only now back and the offense can be installed with the preferred quarterback. This is the lightest remaining game on the schedule – after this week it gets tough immediately with road trips to San Francisco and Indianapolis.

QUARTERBACK : Robert Griffin III threw for 251 yards and one score in Minnesota. He was intercepted once and sacked five times. Griffin has only two full games in Gruden’s offense which puts the Redskins at a disadvantage here in week 11. Griffin needs to take advantage of facing the weak Buccaneers at home this week before he faces even bigger challenges than his first two starts.

RUNNING BACK : Alfred Morris still hasn’t topped 100 rushing yards but at least he scored in each of the last two games and even ran in two touchdowns against the Vikings. He has no role as a receiver so he’s only as good as an average back will do against any given defense. He’s been consistently getting 18 carries or more in recent weeks. Roy Helu is the receive ring back but rarely tops 50 total yards in any game and scored just once this year.

WIDE RECEIVER : The return of Robert Griffin made no difference to Pierre Garcon who was held to only three catches for 15 yards in Minnesota. Garcon has been little used by any of the three starting quarterbacks this year despite ending with 113 catches in 2013. DeSean Jackson not only is the best receiver, but he’s seen success with all three quarterbacks. Even with Griffin back, Jackson had 120 yards and one score. Andre Roberts languishes every week with one or two catches. But Jackson came up big in four of the last five games..

TIGHT END : Jordan Reed’s been back since week six and while he had 92 yards in Arizona, he’s declined each week and only managed once catch for 17 yards against the Vikes with Griffin back. Reed still has yet to score this year.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: Nice time to own RGIII. He faces a defense that has allowed at least two touchdowns and 300 yards for every road opponent. They rate worst against wide receivers who have scored 15 times on them and allowed four wideouts to break 100 yards on them. The rushing is decent but the Skins remain susceptible against the pass going to wide receivers. Morris and RGIII are moderate starts but both Jackson and even Garcon should roll up at least decent fantasy stats with a shot at a big game for either..

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