The 7 Riskiest Players in Fantasy Football
5. Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington
Since Kirk Cousins took over as the starting quarterback for Washington two years ago, he has been a fantasy football stud.
| Year | Passing Yards | Touchdowns | Fantasy Points | Overall Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4,917 | 25 | 300.28 | 6th |
| 2015 | 4,166 | 29 | 291.44 | 8th |
He has also been very efficient in real-life, according to our metrics. Among all quarterbacks with at least 100 drop backs, Cousins has ranked inside the top seven in Passing NEP per drop back in each of his two seasons as the full-time starter. According to our CI projections, his ceiling is QB5, which would match where he ranked last season. That would make him quite a bargain at his current ADP of the 10th quarterback off the board.
So where's the risk?
Cousins remains the same guy, but a lot has changed around him since last season. Starting with the coaching staff, he has a new offensive coordinator in Matt Cavanaugh, as Sean McVay took over as the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams. And on the field, he will be playing without both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, who were on the receiving end of a combined 35.58% of the the team's targets in 2016, as each of them racked up over 1,000 receiving yards before leaving in the offseason.
Filling some of the void left by their departure will be Terrelle Pryor, who has just one full season as a wide receiver under his belt, and Josh Doctson, who was healthy enough to play just 31 snaps last season and is currently dealing with a hamstring injury.
Jordan Reed, Washington's leading pass catcher in 2015, is still with the team, but he carries serious durability issues of his own. He has already missed 18 games over his four-year career, and Reed is now battling a toe injury.
If that group cannot remain healthy and fill the void of the departed receivers, Cousins could fall all the way to his floor projection as the QB18, making him no more than a weekly streamer in one-quarterback leagues.
