Antonio Gibson stirred some fantasy football panic when he finished third among Redskins RBs in Week 1 snaps (33% share). Behind *gulps* Peyton Barber and JD McKissic, no less.
Thankfully, mercifully, in Week 2, the load flipped in dramatic fashion. Gibson dominated snaps with a workhorse-ian 66.7% share. His 18 snaps rose to 43. Eight routes became 22, and nine carries spiked to 14.
Needless to say, Gibson’s fantasy football outlook rises rapidly.
Granted, Gibson didn’t light the world on fire. He amassed 55 yards and a TD plus a reception for -1 yard. A solid, but unspectacular, 12.5 PPR FPs.
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Still, the increased field time is massive, as it gives Gibson more chances to do things like this:
@AntonioGibson14 with electric COD and footwork, then carries the pile. Sheesh. pic.twitter.com/s5BplA2mxx
— Spencer N. Schultz (@ravens4dummies) September 22, 2020
In fact, Gibson leads the NFL in most forced tackles per touch among RBs with at least 20 combined carries and receptions. Sheesh. Undoubtedly, his insane tackle-breaking skills — 33 broken on 71 touches — are translating.
Best of all? Barber, who sunk 17 carries into 29 yards during Week 1’s fiasco, saw just one measly snap. One! Gibson also logged the Red Zone snaps above Barber.
This type of workload will be necessary fo Gibson to live up to my lofty “Round 4/5 League-Winner” claim.
Remember, when released, Adrian Peterson suggested he was without a role as the team groomed Gibson for a “Pony Style” role:
"Look Antonio Gibson is a hell of a talent…This system really fits him. I feel like I can do that pony style too, more as a receiving back. We were all working on it, but they really want one main guy to do it & they drafted Gibson for it." – AP
Pony Style FTMFW
— Wolf of Roto Street (@RotoStreetWolf) September 4, 2020
Week 2 was a major step towards this materializing.
While the tantalizing rushing skills have been on display, Gibson’s receiving ceiling as yet to be tapped. This makes him a definite Buy Low. Under Norv Turner, Washington OC Scott Turner‘s dad, RBs averaed 134.9 targets per season (8.43 per game) & over 32% target share.
Although McKissick remains the third-down guy for now, Gibson seems likely to force him to the pine, just as he did to Barber. It wasn’t long ago the QBs “practically had Gibson on speed dial” the way he was getting pepper in camp. Once those touches spike along with the carries? Look out.
Plus, as predicted, the Washington offense has taken a major step forward in overall volume. They’ve added +10 plays per game, leaping from a dead-last 55 plays to 65, while leaping to 8th in pace after ranking 31st in 2019.
Ultimately, Gibson rises to 57 overall on my 2020 Rest of Season Fantasy Football Big Board. He hasn’t quite reached the 45 overall ranking of my preseason board, but Week 2 provided a huge step in the right direction. Tougher matchups await the next two weeks, but the schedule softens considerably from Week 5 onward.
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