The Cleveland Browns are apparently taking a long look at Robert Griffin III. They're currently slated to start Josh McCown in 2016, pending the draft (when they'll likely select a quarterback at No. 2 overall). Certainly possible, though, that RGIII is their starter at some point this season.
New Browns coach Hue Jackson had some positive things to say about the former Washington quarterback. Fantasy owners typically keep tabs on RGIII because as a runner, he can have a significant fantasy impact.
Or can he? The dual-threat RGIII of 2012-2013 seems to be long gone.
Back in his first two seasons, Griffin rushed for 1,304 yards and 7 TDs in 28 games, which works out to 47 yards and a rushing score every four games. That's like getting an extra 100 passing yards per week.
But in 2014, when he appeared in nine games, he wasn't nearly that productive. He averaged only 19.5 rushing yards per game and scored 1 TD. Just twice in those nine games did he reach even 25 rushing yards.
There will be some national interest in the former star if the Browns sign him, but it doesn't look like much to get worked up about in fantasy terms. The dual-threat quarterback of his first two seasons doesn't seem to live there anymore.
Griffin's game by game numbers from his 2014 season are presented below. (He didn't play at all last season.) He took nearly as many sacks (33) as he had rushing attempts (38) in those contests.
| RGIII, 2014 GAME LOG | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | PaYds | PaTD | Sks | RuAtt | RuYds | RuTD |
| @ HOU | 267 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| JAC | 38 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
| @ MIN | 251 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 0 |
| TB | 207 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 41 | 0 |
| @ SF | 106 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| STL | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| @ NYG | 236 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 0 |
| PHI | 220 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| DAL | 336 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 1 |
| Total | 1694 | 4 | 33 | 38 | 176 | 1 |
--Andy Richardson
