What to do with Chris Thompson in Week 3 fantasy football

When Chris Thompson is healthy Chris Thompson catches passes. Its really that simple. The Florida State product averaged 5.5 targets the 10 times he was able to suit up for Washington last season and, in 2019, no running back has more opportunities in the passing game through two weeks than Thompson with 18. Actually, no one on Washington can claim to have more targets or catches than the former fifth-round pick. Even with Wendell Smallwood slightly cutting in on Thompson’s role in Week 2, the 28-year-old was the lone Washington running back to play at least 30 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. While he’s not technically the starter, in PPR settings, Thompson is the RB1 for his squad.

Really, the only sticking point with his viability this weekend is the fact he and Washington are going up against the vaunted Bears defense. Although, that could almost work in Thompson’s favor. The blueprint for success was laid out by Joe Flacco last Sunday. With the Broncos’ receivers seemingly overmatched by the talented Chicago secondary, a whopping 14 targets were funnelled towards Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay combined. Considering Washington is already targeting their backfield on an NFC-leading 31 percent of their pass attempts this season, I don’t see why Case Keenum won’t be content to follow a similar strategy.

Fantasy Impact: Thompson is an obvious FLEX option in full-point PPR leagues. Though Washington has one of the slate’s lower implied team totals, Thompson should be able to take advantage of his QB’s willingness to consistently check-down. The fact that a negative game-script should benefit Thompson instead of Adrian Peterson doesn’t hurt, either.

Recommendation: Start