In many ways, we already know the answer to this question. While Griffin hasn't missed a season, his brutal knee injury in the 2012 playoffs set him off course in 2013. The result was an offense that struggled with consistency and led to a rift between head coach Mike Shanahan and Griffin; a rift that ended with Shanahan's departure and the hiring of Jay Gruden. A player of Griffin's caliber is literally irreplaceable, but Cousins has adjusted well to Gruden's system and should be effective enough to sustain the fantasy value of most of Washington's skill players.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE IS A LOOK AT THE REDSKINS IF RGIII WAS SERIOUSLY RE-INJURED...
BUY
QB Kirk Cousins -- Will the real Kirk Cousins please stand up? Cousins played well as a rookie completing 69% of his passes while throwing 4 TDs in only 48 attempts. Unfortunately his play last year paled in comparison (52% completion and 4 TDs and 7 INTs in 155 attempts). The truth is neither season provided a large enough sample size to get a firm read on Cousins' ultimate outlook. The good news for Washington is that Cousins has looked impressive in the first weeks of the preseason, and seems well suited to Jay Gruden's system. An injury to Griffin wouldn't make Cousins a must add, but he would certainly be a high-end flier for QB-starved teams given the strong supporting cast and QB-friendly system.
RB Roy Helu -- Helu is an adept receiver and will be the team's 3rd down back with or without Griffin, but if he could be in line for 40-50 receptions PLUS another 125-150 rushes, in Griffin's absence, Helu becomes a flex/bye week play of import.
HOLD
RB Alfred Morris -- Morris is already a key cog in fantasy circles and is being taken as a high end RB2. It's difficult to expect a Griffin injury means more work for Morris, since he is already in line for significant touches. An increased focus on the ground game likely comes from getting some of the other RBs on the roster more work.
WR Pierre Garcon -- Garcon led the NFL with 113 receptions last year and was oft targeted by both Griffin and Cousins. In spite of Cousins' struggles, he had a rapport with Garcon. In the final three games (all Cousins' starts), Garcon was targeted 38 times and caught 24 receptions for 329 yards and 2 TDs.
TE Jordan Reed -- Reed and Cousins have no history together, as Reed missed the final weeks of the 2013 season (concussion). While there's no reason to think Reed would be less targeted with Cousins, it does raise the risk profile of the talented young tight end.
SELL
WR DeSean Jackson -- Jackson stands to benefit from his new surroundings and Griffin throws a pinpoint deep ball -- two great tastes that taste great together. It's fair to worry that Jackson's upside would be capped with Cousins under center, but this will still be a passing team and Cousins will find Jackson on short- and intermediate crossing routes. Jackson becomes a WR3 without Griffin, and it might behoove a Jackson owner to deal him to an unsuspecting owner before everyone realizes the drop off.
ADD
WR Andre Roberts -- Roberts was signed early in free agency and appeared set to compete for the #2 role until the team acquired DeSean Jackson a few weeks later. Roberts is now fighting for the slot role and it's unclear how the targets will be distributed between Roberts and Jordan Reed and the running backs. Since Cousins is unlikely to test opposing defenses downfield, there could be more opportunities for Roberts, and might make him a marginal flex play in PPR formats.
DROP
None
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