5 positives for Washington Football Team vs Falcons

2. Curtis Samuel debuts with a positive impact

When the Washington Football Team opened training camp in Richmond this summer, wide receiver Curtis Samuel was sidelined with a nagging injury.  Most analysts and fans reasoned that he would be ready for opening day, but he saw no action in the preseason and doubts started creeping in.  Could Samuel miss his first season in a Washington uniform?  It was a legitimate question when opening day arrived.  Washington decided to take a careful, but measured approach with the injury and the patience was rewarded on Sunday.

The numbers are not overly impressive in his first outing with the team, but his overall impact was very positive.  Four catches for 19 yards (on four targets) seems inconsequential, but three of those receptions produced key first downs.  It was a solid first game back for the former Ohio State star.

Curtis Samuel is ready for the next step

While fantasy owners are currently deciding whether to start Curtis Samuel this week or not, the Washington Football Team is likely to increase his workload in the coming weeks and his numbers are likely to rise.  Look for Curtis to see some action at running back on occasion (mostly jet sweeps and screen passes), but the team will probably be slow to add that feature to his bag of tricks.  Curtis Samuel is our second positive for this week.

3. Terry McLaurin is a top-five receiver in the NFL

The Washington Football Team was able to find a somewhat hidden gem in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.  Terry McLaurin is now arguably a top-five receiver in the league and the evidence continues to mount with each game.  If he is in a matchup in single coverage, he will catch the ball nine times out of ten.  Forget the quality of the throw – one on one, he wins that battle.

Don’t overthink it.  You want number 17 on your team.  Fantasy owners want him on their teams.  Opposing defenses and coordinators respect him.  Washington fans love Terry.  He may not command respect from some members of the media, but that is their mistake.

He was able to produce six catches on Sunday for 123 yards and two very impressive touchdowns.  He has 25 catches after four games for 354 yards and three touchdowns.  That could average out to 106 receptions for 1,505 yards and 13 touchdowns by the end of this season.  Terry McLaurin is our third positive of the week.  Are you excited about the McLaurin-Samuel pairing?