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You more than likely used a high draft choice to land Robert Griffin III as your fantasy starting quarterback. Recently named the starter for the Washington Redskins at quarterback for Week 1, is it possible that Griffin is a bust this Monday night?
The top tier players work all summer. It seems that as soon as the season ends, Peyton Manning is already working with his receivers for next season. There are the offseason workouts, OTAs, training camps, and preseason. Those things wouldn’t exist if they were not needed. They are there to get the players acclimated to game situations, get the muscle memory engrained in to where the players don’t think, they just react. Griffin has not played a single snap in the preseason. He has not seen real life game action since his surgery. By all accounts Griffin is ready to go, but how will he react to the time off?
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Is it unfathomable to think that Griffin might struggle this Monday when the Redskins host the Philadelphia Eagles? Sure, Griffin has been working with the first team in practices recently, but any professional athlete will tell you that practice speed and real game speed are two totally different things. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes Griffin a few drives, or even a quarter or two to get used to real game speed.
In all fairness, the Eagles’ defense is terrible, and with weapons like Alfred Morris and Pierre Garcon, Griffin should post a very solid statistical line this weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if Griffin eclipses 250 total yards and two touchdowns. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he gets sacked more than a few times and throws an interception or looks hesitant out of the gate.
If you got Griffin late in your draft, that is good news for you. He should finish 2013 among the league leaders in quarterback fantasy scoring. However, with no preseason reps owners need to be aware it might be a rocky start for the second year quarterback. Either way, the Eagles’ defense has more holes than Swiss cheese, and once Griffin gets used to real life game speed again, he will carve up the Philadelphia defense. Start him.
As always, I welcome your comments. If you think I’m wrong, I’m willing to listen. Just back it up with some facts and solid evidence. Thanks for reading and good luck this season.
Dustin Manko is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinManko, ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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