The former Memphis playmaker had a fantastic start to his NFL career, asserting himself as a key component in the Washington Offense. Whilst some of the other RB’s drafted in 2020 seem to be getting lots of love from the Dynasty community, Antonio Gibson is flying a little under the radar.
College Career
Antonio Gibson was used predominantly as a receiving threat during his Memphis career, posting only 33 rushing attempts in 19 games for the Tigers. During his final season at college, Antonio Gibson posted 12 TDs in 14 games showing a natural ability to get into the endzone. Gibson averaged 11.2 yards per carry (YPC) on those 33 rush attempts and scored a TD once every 8.25 carries as a runner, proving his ability as a playmaker.
2020 NFL Draft
Gibson impressed during the 2020 NFL Combine running a 4.39 40-yard dash whilst measuring in at 6ft, 228lbs. This blend of size, speed, and receiving ability led to the Washington Football Team selecting Gibson 66th overall at the top of the 3rd round.
Rookie Year
There were initially question marks over who would lead the Washington backfield heading into the season with multiple options on the roster, including future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. Gibson’s potential usage in the offense took an upward turn when Peterson was released by Washington. There was a lot of buzz around Gibson as a receiving back playing under Ron Rivera, with people speculating he could see similar usage to that of Christian McCaffrey in Carolina who Rivera had drafted 8th overall in 2017. That wasn’t to be as Rivera ultimately trusted J.D. McKissic to be his receiving back whilst Gibson took on most of the carries. As a rookie, Gibson played in 14 games and finished the year with 795 yards & 11 TDs on only 170 carries, which was good enough for an RB12 finish in FanDuel total points. He was the only fantasy RB1 (RBs 1-12) to have under 190 carries. His 13.2 FPTS/G bettered top 10 scoring RB, Kareem Hunt, so it’s easy to see how a full 16 games could’ve pushed Antonio Gibson inside the top 10.
2021 Situation
Washington upgraded their offense during Free Agency. They added former Panther Curtis Samuel to take some pressure off Terry McLaurin in the receiving core whilst also bringing in veteran passer Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick offers Washington an upgrade at the position for 2021, but little after that, and whilst Washington has been heavily linked with a trade up in the Draft for Trey Lance, it’s possible they’re entering the 2022 NFL Draft looking for yet another starting QB. All in all, the Washington offense projects to be an improved unit in 2021, which bodes well for Antonio Gibson’s fantasy outlook.
Conclusion
Antonio Gibson finished as the 3rd highest scoring rookie RB in 2020, behind only Jonathan Taylor and James Robinson. Yet his name is very rarely mentioned with other to-be sophomore backs such as D’Andre Swift, Cam Akers, J.K. Dobbins & Clyde Edwards-Helaire despite outscoring them all in their respective rookie years. Even after a successful first season and what looks to be an improved roster for his second year, Gibson is still seemingly being slept on. Another RB1 finish in 2021 will push his price, so whilst Gibson is certainly not a “buy-low” candidate, I think he’s a “buy-now before his price skyrockets” candidate.