Fantasy Football Advice: Where Washington Redskins Players Stand After Eight Weeks

The Washington Redskins have been up and down this season, and so have many of their players. I don't know about you, but when I'm drafting for my fantasy football team and when I'm setting my lineup each week, I'm usually looking for consistency. It's okay to have one or two all-or-nothing type players on your roster, but it's generally best to stack your squad with players who will earn a steady amount of points each week.

How many Redskins players does that describe? Maybe a few.

There's no better time than the Redskins' bye week, which happens to come at the mid-point of the 2010 season, to review the status of each player in terms of fantasy productivity. We'll be using the scoring settings in Yahoo! Fantasy Football public leagues so you can get a general sense for where each player stands.

Quarterback:

Donovan McNabb ranks a surprising eighth among all NFL quarterbacks in fantasy points. Bet you didn't see that coming. He's currently the No. 1 quarterback in the NFC East, and has more points to date than players who would have been drafted much higher, like Tom Brady and Matt Schaub. McNabb isn't necessarily going to win you many games on his own, but he is consistent, typically earning between 11 and 18 points each week. Just don't count on him in the final two minutes.

Running Backs:

Ryan Torain is quickly becoming a quality fantasy back. If you were quick enough to snatch him as a free agent when he became Washington's starting running back in Week 4, you know that he's worth a start every week. He's scored four touchdowns in his five games as a starter, and doesn't appear to be slowing down.

Clinton Portis could be a player to watch in the second half of the season. With Torain's history of long-term injuries, don't be surprised if Portis gets another chance to be the feature back. He's currently a free agent in 73 percent of leagues, and that's probably where he belongs for now, but be sure to keep your eye on Portis and grab him if the Redskins' running back situation changes in the coming weeks.

Wide Receivers:

The Redskins have only two wide receivers worthy of fantasy consideration, and neither has been very consistent in 2010. Santana Moss has only two touchdowns this season. He followed up his best game of the year, a 124-yard performance with a touchdown in St. Louis, with a game without a catch the following week in Philadelphia. As the 18th rated receiver to date, Moss remains a decent play as your second or third starting wide receiver.

Meanwhile, if you've got a receiver out with an injury or a bye and need an emergency replacement, Anthony Aermstrong might be the guy for you. With three receptions of 48-yards or more, Armstrong has been a hit more often than a miss in recent weeks.

After Moss and Armstrong though, the Redskins receiving corps get pretty darn thin. If you've got Joey Galloway on your fantasy team, you should probably consider withdrawing.

Tight Ends:

As the eighth rated tight end in Yahoo! public leagues, Chris Cooley has perhaps been the most consistent offensive player for the Redskins this year. He's had fewer than four catches in just two games in 2010, and he managed to catch a touchdown pass in each of those.

As for Fred Davis, who was supposedly going to be on the field a lot this year after finishing out the 2009 season with some very strong numbers (he scored four touchdowns in three games at one point), drop him immediately.

Kicker:

Looking for a sleeper kicker to fill on a bye? Graham Gano is your guy! He's the seventh rated kicker in points, and yet he's only owned in 9 percent of leagues. Gano had some misses earlier in the season, but he's actually leading the league in field goals from 20-29 yards with seven. I guess the Redskins' inept red zone offense is good for something after all.

Defense:

While the Redskins defense currently ranks 31st in the league in terms of yards allowed, they rank second in the legaue where it really matters: fantasy points! They are tied for the league lead with 19 takeaways and two blocked kicks. And those two defensive touchdowns don't hurt either. Thanks DeAngelo Hall!