Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions – Wide Receiver Edition

Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions – Wide Receiver Edition

3. James Washington will be a top-30 fantasy wideout.

How This is Bold:

Last season in his rookie year, Steelers’ WR James Washington‘s 43.7 PPR fantasy points ranked just 120th at the position. The Steelers’ first official depth chart of the year has Washington behind both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Donte Moncrief. Fantasy Football Calculator states Washington is being taken as the current WR44 (round 9.10).

Why This Will Come True:

With Antonio Brown now out of the picture, there are some pretty big shoes that are going to need to be filled in Pittsburgh’s offense this season. A whopping 226 targets are now up for grabs, and sophomore wideout James Washington should see plenty of opportunities to live up to his second-round price tag from the 2018 NFL Draft.

Washington was anything but impressive in his rookie season, where he was forced to undergo a steep learning curve. As I pointed out above, Washington finished the season as fantasy’s WR120, not exactly what the Steelers pictured when spending some of their top draft capital on him. Luckily for them, Washington looks like a new player this season ready to step up to the challenge.

The second-year receiver admitted he let himself fall out of shape in 2018, ballooning up to 225 pounds. This offseason, he made it a point of emphasis to get himself back into prime football shape, cutting his weight back down to around 210 pounds. Back in July, teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster noticed the difference, stating that he thinks Washington will “sneak up on people this year.”

Although he’s still slotted-in at Pittsburgh’s no. 3 wideout on the depth chart behind Smith-Schuster and newcomer Donte Moncrief, Washington has looked explosive this preseason, likely earning himself more snaps in the season opener. Through three preseason games thus far, Washington has secured 9-12 passes for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns, flashing his big-play upside.

If he can carry his performance into the regular season, he may very well exceed all expectations, launching himself into the top-30 at the position by season’s end.