Antonio Gibson Rookie Season Review
Derrius Guice was the odds on favorite to take over and dominate the backfield for the Washington Football Team in 2020, despite the organization selecting Antonio Gibson, the hybrid RB/WR from Memphis with the 66th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Guice experienced some legal issues and incumbent Adrian Peterson was cut, opening the door for Gibson to take a grip on the lead back role in Washington. Is Gibson the future? Did Gibson show enough in 2020 for fantasy managers to comfortable trusting him going forward?
2020 SEASON RECAP
Without Guice or Peterson, Gibson was primed to take on a huge role with the Football Team in 2020. Peterson, an all-time great and likely first ballot Hall of Fame talent saying Gibson was bound for stardom, Gibson found success. Despite his limited rushing work in college, this 6’2” 221lbs RB made magic happen for the Football Team in 2020.
Gibson finished as the RB13 overall in PPR formats, and started the season strong, posting no lower than double digit efforts in 10 of his first 12 games. He was able to utilize his receiving ability to the tune of 44 targets for 36 receptions for 247 yards to aid in his fantast efforts.
Gibson announced himself to the world on the national stage on Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys in a pivotal NFC East matchup. He posted a stat line of 20 attempts for 115 yards rushing and three TDs to go with his 5 receptions for 21 yards in a key win for the Football Team.
Gibson then missed weeks 14 and 15 to the chagrin of fantasy managers and finished the year below double digits fantasy points. We saw flashes of elite talent out of the young back in 2020, with only 4 of his 15 appearances scoring less than double digit points (he left the PIT game early with an injury, so that game is excluded). Overall, Gibson averaged over 4.6 yards per carry in 2020 and found the end zone 11 times. This was good enough for Gibson to finish as a fringe RB1 at RB13.
Gibson missed two games with injury in 2020 and only saw 176 touches. His status as a workhorse back is still up in the air with J.D. McKissic taking some valuable receiving work away.
| Attempts | Yards | Rush TDs | YPC | Targets | Rec | Yards | Rec TDs | PPR Total | RB Finish |
| 170 | 795 | 11 | 4.68 | 44 | 36 | 247 | 0 | 202.2 | RB13 |
THE WAY FORWARD
Full steam ahead for Antonio Gibson in 2021! Gibson has the requisite receiving skills to be a dominate PPR back and outside of WR Terry McLaurin, the Football Team lacks any true receiving threat. Had Gibson played a full slate of 16 games in 2020 I have no doubt this third round NFL Draft pick would have finished as a RB1 for 2020. The Football Team is trying to find a QB that is not as check down dependent as Alex Smith, but Gibson was able to produce despite having average receiving numbers. With a full season as a RB in the books, I look forward to Gibson taking a leap in 2021. I fully expect Gibson to be in the RB7-15 range for 2021 and is an absolute buy for dynasty managers everywhere. The sky is the limit for Gibson in 2021.
