Injuries continue to wreak havoc on fantasy football lineups. With Chase Claypool out this week due to a toe injury, the Steelers have an opening at WR2 opposite Diontae Johnson. Will James Washington takeover that role, and is he a viable spot starter in Week 10 fantasy lineups?
James Washington has been a starter before
The Steelers and Washington have a bit of a tumultuous relationship. This is Washington’s fourth year with the team. Although he’s never been a superstar for Pittsburgh, he’s been reliable when called upon. In 2019, Washington spent the second half of the season as a starter.
During the back half of the 2019 campaign, Washington was very much fantasy-viable. He posted five games with over double-digit PPR fantasy points.
James Washington should start this week
While 2019 showed us Washington can produce, it doesn’t provide any insight into whether he is startable in 2021. To get that information, we look to Weeks 3 and 4 of this season, where Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool each missed a game.
Johnson missed Week 3, and Claypool missed Week 4. In those games, Washington reached an 80% snap share. Those two games were also before JuJu Smith-Schuster’s season-ending shoulder injury. Washington was the Steelers’ WR3 and basically an every-down player. With Smith-Schuster done for the season and Claypool out this week, Washington likely becomes the team’s WR2.
What type of production can fantasy managers expect from Washington?
This is where things get a little tricky. Washington hasn’t exactly produced despite clearly being a starter in games where one of Johnson or Claypool sits. In Weeks 3 and 4, Washington saw his highest target totals of the year with 5 in each game. In Week 3, he caught 3 passes for 20 yards, and then in Week 4, he had 4 receptions for 69 yards. He’s yet to find the end zone.
This week, the Steelers have a home date against the Detroit Lions. While the Lions allow the 12th-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers, that doesn’t concern me. The bigger issue is the Lions’ deplorable run defense.
The Steelers want to run the ball as much as possible
Detroit has allowed over 100 yards rushing in all but two games this season, and in one of them, they allowed 96. Najee Harris has carried the ball at least 22 times in each of his last four games. If the Lions cannot stop the run, the Steelers aren’t going to bother throwing the ball.
Additionally, Pittsburgh is favored by a touchdown at home. They are expected to win this game handily. If that happens, there may not be enough volume to go around. With Johnson an alpha target hog and Pat Freiermuth’s role expanding, Washington may be capped at about 4-6 targets.
Should fantasy managers start Washington this week?
Hopefully, it doesn’t come to this. Washington is nothing more than a desperation WR4. With that being said, he’s certainly a viable Hail Mary play. We’ve seen him produce before, and he has a penchant for making downfield grabs. If Washington can post a 4-80 line, fantasy managers would gladly take that.
Do not go out of your way to force Washington into your lineup. Ben Roethlisberger’s arm may be completely shot, but there’s no way Mason Rudolph is an upgrade. There’s also the possibility Ray-Ray McCloud plays some in two-receiver sets as well. If you need a desperation start, you could certainly do worse than Washington, but he is a low-floor/modest-ceiling option this week.