Once thought as the lock to be the second running back selected in the NFL Draft, Derrius Guice fell all the way to pick No. 59 to the Washington Redskins. Luckily for fantasy football owners, Guice landed in a very positive situation, as he will have a high usage score in the Redskins backfield.
Have you ever bombed a job interview? Have you ever bombed 31 job interviews? That must have been the case with expected first-round running back, Derrius Guice. The latest uber-talented rusher from LSU was widely expected to be chosen within the first 32 picks. Unspecified concerns regarding his character prevented a team from committing to him until Washington pulled the trigger with pick 59.
How good is Guice? According to Pro Football Focus, Guice was brought down on first contact only 60% of the time, which is top five in the PFF era amongst backs with 300 or more carries. When healthy in 2016, Guice averaged 7.6 yards per carry while filling in for Leonard Fournette, including 3.97 yards after contact. The man has been compared to Marshawn Lynch, running violently and bringing loads of attitude. The 20 year-old possess plenty of breakaway speed as well, running a 4.49 40 yard dash while weighing 224 lbs at the combine.
So how will he fit in Washington’s offense? Guice figures to be Jay Gruden’s lead back, dominating touches on first and second down while relinquishing third-down duties to electric veteran, Chris Thompson. Samajae Perine (3.4 YPC) and Rob Kelley (3.1 YPC) proved extremely ineffective in 2017, combining for 237 carries in total. As long as he can stay out of trouble, Guice should easily win the starting job, and will be inline for over 200 carries as a rookie. What’s more exciting is the former Tiger projects as the goal line back in a Washington offense that is expected to be solid at worst.
Guice should already be considered a mid-round fantasy pick given his skill-set and situation. By the time August rolls around, you might have to burn a third or second-rounder in order to land the rookie.
Fantasy Name: Guice Guice Baby
