2020 Fantasy Outlook
Peterson did an interview with 106.7 The Fan after his release, and he sang Gibson’s praises.
Via host Grant Paulsen:
He’ll make an easy transition to the NFL because he’s a big guy. I know he took 95% of his snaps at the WR position in college but he’s going to be able to run between the tackles. I love what I see from him.”
It’s easy to profile Gibson as a scat-back, Tarik Cohen type. But he comes in at 6-foot and 228 pounds, and it appears the Washington coaching staff is pleased with his progress as a pass blocker. Early in camp, he was practicing with the receivers and the running backs. With no Guice and now no Peterson to take away work, the floor for Gibson’s snap share is higher.
Love automatically becomes more interesting in fantasy, and he’s on the waiver wire radar in deeper leagues heading toward Week 1. Barber and McKissic are wait-and-sees now, which is a step up from irrelevant after just knowing they were on the depth chart. This backfield is lined up to be the Gibson show until further notice.
Antonio Gibson Fantasy Projections
Pro Football Focus has a fresh fantasy projection for Gibson:
1,087 total yards
37 receptions
8 TD
RB20 (PPR)
That’s an aggressive projected fantasy finish, even in the context of PPR. RotoWire’s projection puts Gibson at 1,100 total yards, 48 receptions and seven total touchdowns. His ADP in full PPR, via Fantasy Football Calculator, is RB33 (pick 7.04; 12 teams). In standard scoring, he’s sitting as RB42 (pick 8.10). His ADP widely rose two rounds in August, and seems sure to get a bump now.
Washington is not expected to be good this year, so it makes sense to go younger at running back. In particular, to see what Gibson can do is a good plan. But with that comes a new spike in the hype around him, and the real chance he becomes overvalued in late drafts. A jump to anywhere near RB2 range in PPR, and into the early sixth round range or higher, is a step too far.
Antonio Gibson 2020 Projection: 145 carries for 625 yards, 5 TD; 37 receptions for 300 yards, 1 TD
