Week 14 of the 2020 fantasy football season sees an opportunity for DeAndre Washington to be a surprise hero for fantasy teams. With Myles Gaskin, Matt Breida, and Salvon Ahmed absent in Week 14, can DeAndre Washington help teams progress in the fantasy playoffs?
DeAndre Washington has had limited opportunities in 2020
In his fifth season out of Texas Tech, DeAndre Washington has had extremely few opportunities so far in 2020. Across two teams, he has 18 carries and six targets, while seeing action in just three games. His biggest opportunity came in Week 12 when he led the Dolphins RBs in touches with 15.
Opportunities have been limited throughout DeAndre Washington’s career
DeAndre Washington will be used to seeing limited opportunities. In his five-year career, he has carried the ball a total of 300 times and has 116 targets. Part of the issue is that Washington has never forced open the door when given opportunities. In his career, he averages just 3.9 yards per attempt and 6.9 yards per reception. In 58 career games, he has just eight touchdowns.
Using our Fantasy Points Differential (FPD) metric, we can examine how effectively Washington has turned opportunities into fantasy points. The answer is quite simply that he has not done it well. In the three seasons, DeAndre Washington has had enough touches to qualify; he has FPD scores of -1%, -17%, and -12%.
Even with Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, and Matt Breida, the Dolphins run game has been lacking
A lack of fantasy success for DeAndre Washington in Week 14 may not be all his fault. Through 12 games, the Dolphins have the seventh-fewest rushing yards and are tied for last in yards per attempt (3.7). On top of that, only four teams have scored fewer rushing touchdowns. Quite simply, the run game has been a mess.
Myles Gaskin provided solid contributions before he got hurt
However, through the first seven games of the season. Myles Gaskin did a solid job for fantasy managers. During that timeframe, Gaskin scored less than 10 fantasy points just once. Even after he returned from injury in Week 13, he scored 14.1 fantasy points.
Over the course of the season, Myles Gaskin is averaging 14.1 fantasy points per game. That makes him the RB16 on the season in terms of per-game results. He has also been very consistent, ranking sixth at the position in Pro Football Network’s Consistency Score.
Salvon Ahmed also had success as the starter for the Dolphins
Much like DeAndre Washington in Week 14, Salvon Ahmed was thrust into the starter role due to injury. Across his two games as a starter, Ahmed averaged 14.2 fantasy points per game in PPR formats. Ahmed saw over 15 touches in each game he started and performed well for any fantasy managers who took a risk on him.
Is DeAndre Washington an option to consider a start or a sit in Week 14?
The two main Miami running backs in 2020 have performed well for fantasy managers, despite the lack of success in terms of overall rushing stats for the team. They have averaged 14.1 fantasy points per game, which is firmly in the RB2 category. If that is where DeAndre Washington manages to sit this week, any fantasy manager that starts him will be happy.
Can DeAndre Washington impress against the Kansas City Chiefs defense?
Somewhat surprisingly, running backs have fared better against the Chiefs in standard as opposed to PPR formats. In Pro Football Network’s Defensive Points Allowed Consistency Score, the Chiefs rank as the 16th-best matchup for the position in standard and 21st-best in PPR.
Where the Chiefs have been very good against running backs is in the red zone. Here, the Chiefs run game allows just 4.2 fantasy points per game to backs (3rd).
However, on the ground, the Chiefs can be vulnerable. They are allowing 104.5 rushing yards per game at an average of 4.7 yards per carry. In the passing game, they also allow 4.8 receptions and 42.8 yards per game to the running back position. The issue for the RB position has been getting in the end zone, with the Chiefs allowing just eight touchdowns to the position so far this season.
Heading into the game, the concern for DeAndre Washington will revolve around the game script. Can the Miami Dolphins remain in the game long enough to make their run game relevant? If they can, then Washington can certainly provide fantasy value. However, they need their defense to step up big.
Starting DeAndre Washington in Week 14 certainly comes with some risks. If he can perform like Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed have, then he could be a valuable RB2 or flex option in the first week of the fantasy playoffs.
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