Fact: Chris Thompson remains owned in under 50% of fantasy leagues. This is criminal, especially after the explosive back led the Redskins in Week One targets (10) and receptions (7), and Derrius Guice was moved to the IR.
Thompson will be a vital “comeback cog” for a Redskins team that will trail all year, and needs to be closer to 100% owned.
Guice’s removal shouldn’t be overlooked. He was hyped as a potential three-down back, and presented a much greater long-term threat to Thompson’s heavy receiving role than Adrian Peterson. In fact, Thompson’s rushing load may even increase after the team healthy-scratched AP last week.
Regardless, Thompson isn’t far removed from an explosive 2017 in which he became an offensive centerpiece. Before going down in Week 10, Thompson racked up 80.4 total yards and scored 6 TDs — good for a 1286 yard, 10 TD, 62 reception pace. He was fantasy’s RB10 while active, and is now in line for a similar role in 2019. Thompson is dangerous in space, with fantastic explosion and acceleration especially in the screen game. Whenever used, he performs well.
Considering how often the Redskins will trail, Thompson is the early-favorite to pace this team in snaps. Just in Week One, with Guice available, Thompson played 41 total snaps (32 backfield, 9 moved all over), good for 64%. He will remain fixture in this offense, and needs to be added in nearly every fantasy league out there.
