Jamison Crowder was supposed to have a breakout season last year. In 2016, he caught 67 passes for 847 yards and seven touchdowns on 99 targets. The departure of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon seemed to be favorable for the Redskins wide receiver, but he didn’t take a step to the next level.
Any time this happens, the value goes down the next season and that’s what is happening with Crowder. Is it worth capitalizing on the value?
Crowder finished 33rd in PPR formats last season among wide receivers, so he wasn’t awful but he fell short of expectations. The year before he was WR31. Basically, he had a similar season since he missed one game with a hamstring injury. The dip in touchdowns from seven to three played a part, but he averaged 12.6 yards per catch in 2016 and 12 last season.
Part of the reason for the dip in touchdowns was the Redskins’ offense not being as good. They had a lot of injuries on the offensive line, Jordan Reed and Chris Thompson missed time with injuries, Josh Doctson disappointed and Terrelle Pryor wasn’t good and was injured.
Crowder has shown he has a high floor and is capable of more. He had 66 catches for 789 yards and three touchdowns on 99 targets last season. Crowder has a new quarterback this season with Alex Smith and it should benefit him.
Smith was one of the most accurate deep passers last season. He led the NFL in completion percentage for passes more than 20 yards, but he’s more likely to make the safe throw and avoid throws into tight windows. Crowder was ranked eighth in separation yards last season, according to Next Gen Stats. This will make Crowder a favorite for Smith, who had a completion percentage of 67.5 percent last season. Smith had a career-high 7.9 yards per attempt last season, but his career average is 7.4.
Crowder got off to a very slow start in 2017. From Weeks 8-16, Crowder averaged more than five receptions and almost 77 yards per game. Crowder isn’t a big receiver at 5-foot-9 and 179 pounds, but he has seen at least 20 percent of the red zone looks over the last two seasons.
Volume is key in Fantasy Football and it will be there for Crowder again with a possible increase in targets since he seems to be a good complement to Smith. In savvy leagues, Crowder won’t be as cheap. In early FFWC drafts, Crowder has an ADP of 73 and that could be a WR3. In your home leagues, he will be cheaper and be an excellent value in PPR formats.
