Who would have known the Washington Redskins’ 2012 sixth round draft pick, Alfred Morris would finish his rookie season fifth among running backs? Morris, who was named the Redskins’ starter by capricious head coach Mike Shanahan, just one day before the 2012 season opener was impressively, the second rookie to finish in the top five running backs. Rookie, Doug Martin was the other running back ranking at number two.
In his 2012 debut against the New Orleans’ Saints, Morris rushed for 96 yards, carried the ball 28 times and scored two touchdowns. This suddenly turned Morris into the hottest commodity to attempt to acquire from the waiver wires. If you were fortunate enough to obtain Morris after his smashing first week performance, he ended up making an awesome addition to your fantasy team.
Rush Yards Rush TD’s Rec. Yards Rec. TD’s RB Rank
1613 13 77 0 5
2013 Outlook
The Washington Redskins will likely remain a run-heavy team in 2013, which means the 24-year-old Morris should continue to be a huge part of the rushing attack during his sophomore year. Morris, who averaged 4.8 yards per carry, didn’t miss a single game last year and if he stays healthy, he should dominate the Redskins rushing game once again this year.
Hopefully Redskins’ coach Shanahan, who has been known to make roster changes on a whim, will not throw a monkey wrench into the Redskins’ offensive game plan, ensuring that Morris will remain the number one running back for the team. Morris had a fabulous year and some might say he over-achieved in 2012 as a rookie running back, so Morris fans should remain optimistic that he will not fall victim to the famous “sophomore slump” and continue to produce RB1 numbers.
Dynasty Outlook
Morris, who likely went undrafted by fantasy owners last year, was soon finding himself on rosters everywhere after his breakthrough, the first couple of weeks in 2012. This definitely will not be the case this year. Morris is being selected in mock drafts by mid to late first round. He currently ranks in the top ten for running backs for 2013 and should continue to deliver strong RB1 fantasy points to your team each week.
Redskins’ quarterback, Robert Griffin III is still rehabilitating from postseason surgery and in order for him to increase the chances of staying healthy for 2013, coaches will likely reduce his rushing attempts leaving the bulk of the running to Morris and the secondary backs. Providing there are no roster changes in store for the Redskins’ offense, Morris, who is young and possesses incredible running back talent should have another productive year in 2013.
2013 Projection: 1590 Rush Yards, 14 Rush TD’s, 120 Rec. Yards, 1 Rec. TD