Santana Moss

What a difference a quarterback makes. With Robert Griffin under center, Moss bounced back from an anemic 6.1 YPT in 2011 to a robust 9.2 in 2012. Of course, Moss saw only 62 targets and lost his status as the team’s No. 1 wideout to Pierre Garcon. This year, Garcon is still rehabbing a toe injury, and the Redskins did little to bolster their receiving corps this offseason. That means the 34-year-old Moss is likely to be relevant once again. At 5-10, 190, Moss is small and not quite as shifty as he once was, but still fast and able to get downfield. Expect Moss to be the No. 2 or No. 3 wideout this year (possibly behind Josh Morgan), though his value – like that of the others – is tied to Griffin’s health after the quarterback suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs.

A broken hand cost Moss four games last year, but even when healthy, he was neither productive, nor efficient. Moss averaged a meager 6.1 YPT, down from 7.7 in 2010 and had just one catch of more than 40 yards. Perhaps having added weight slowed him down as Moss played at around 200 pounds, a lot for his 5-10 frame. He’s reportedly back down to 185 this season in the hope of retaining his trademark quickness and long speed at age 33. Moss finally has some competition for targets this year as the team signed Pierre Garcon to a five-year $42.5 million deal with $21.5 million guaranteed and also Josh Morgan. And last year’s third-round pick, Leonard Hankerson, is expected to be healthy following hip surgery. To complicate matters further, Robert Griffin III will be taking over the quarterback job as a rookie. While there’s little question about his upside – and his rushing ability – it remains to be seen whether he’s ready to be even an average pocket passer at the NFL level out of the gate.

Very quietly, Moss was the No. 18 fantasy receiver in the league last year, and he was better than that in PPR formats, thanks to his 93 catches. At 5-10, 185, Moss has typically been known for his shiftiness and deep speed, but with the even smaller and speedier Anthony Armstrong (175 pounds) playing opposite him, Moss became the team's possession receiver and even it's top red-zone threat (22 targets, tied for 5th). As a result, Moss set a career-high in catches, but had uncharacteristically low per-play numbers (12.0 YPC, 7.7 YPT) and only 10 catches of 20 yards or more. It's hard to blame that on Moss, however, as he led the NFL in yards after the catch with 505. At 32, Moss re-signed with the Redskins with a three-year, $15 million deal that will guarantee him $6 million. The only problem is that John Beck, Rex Grossman and Kellen Clemens are competing for the starting quarterback job in Washington, which likely menas Moss's days of being a top-20 receiver are behind him.

Once one of the more explosive receivers in the NFL, Moss has settled in as a reliable veteran target with limited upside. Moss managed 70 catches on his 119 targets, but a pedestrian 12.9 yards per catch and 7.6 yards per target were among the lowest marks in his career. Moreover, besides a 10-catch, 178-yard explosion against the hapless Lions, Moss failed to break 100 yards all year. Of course, some of his struggles can be blamed on the team’s poor offensive line and quarterback play, but Moss has been stuck in this gear since 2006. On the bright side, Donovan McNabb should be a major upgrade at quarterback, and Moss is still just 31 years old — far from ancient for a receiver. But given his 5-10, 185-pound frame, Moss will need to do his damage from deep as the team’s tight ends and young wideouts are more suited to work near the goal line. Moss did have four receptions of 40-yards or more, and McNabb helped another small, speedy receiver (DeSean Jackson) become a superstar last year, but Moss’ days of peak quickness and burst are likely past. It’s also worth noting that Moss has been linked to Dr. Anthony Galea, who was arrested for supplying growth hormones to professional athletes. If this link is substantiated, there’s a chance Moss could face a league-imposed suspension.

Moss came out of the gate quickly last year with three games of 140-plus receiving yards and five touchdowns in the first half of the season. But he battled a hamstring injury in the season’s final eight games, failed to top 72 yards in a single contest and had just one touchdown. In some ways, last year was a microcosm of Moss’s career – huge, explosive games tempered with large stretches of inconsistency usually due to nagging injuries. In fact, though Moss is considered injury-prone, he’s only missed six games since 2002 and never more than two in a single season since his rookie year. The 30-year old Moss still has explosive speed and when healthy is as quick in and out of breaks as any receiver in the league. At 5-10, 185, Moss won’t typically see much work in the red zone (last year was an exception as he saw 20 targets, tied for 10th) but we’d be surprised if that continued given that he converted just four into touchdowns, and that one of the team’s big second-year receivers (Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly) should have a bigger role. Quarterback Jason Campbell has the arm to get Moss the ball down the field, but Campbell hasn’t developed as quickly as the Redskins hoped, and there’s some question whether he’ll ever emerge as an above-average passer. Nonetheless, Moss is still the team’s undisputed No. 1 wideout, put up big numbers with Campbell in the first half of last season and had the best year of his career in 2005 when paired with an over-the-hill Mark Brunell. In other words, Moss still has upside when 100 percent healthy even if Campbell doesn’t take the next step.

The 2005 yards-per-target champion has slipped a lot the last two seasons, perhaps due to injury and perhaps due to the change in quarterbacks. But assuming Moss can ever return to full health, there's still some upside for the 29- year-old. Moss suffered hamstring and groin strains in training camp, which were aggravated early in the regular season, costing him two games and sapping his effectiveness. He also battled a heel injury later in the year. As a result, he averaged just 7.0 yards per target and 13.3 yards per catch, both unusually low for a game-breaking deep threat. Moss saw just 13 red-zone looks, and given his 5-10, 190-pound frame, and his historical usage pattern, that’s not likely to change in 2008. He'll have to make his money from long distance, and to do so, he'll need healthy legs under him. The maturation of quarterback Jason Campbell wouldn't hurt, either.

The top per-play receiver in the entire NFL in 2005, Moss battled a hamstring injury and ineffective quarterbacking from a washed-up Mark Brunell and an unpolished Jason Campbell in 2006, catching just 54 percent of the 102 targets thrown his way. On the bright side, Moss still managed four catches of 40-yards plus, (down from a league-leading 10 in 2005), and he scored six touchdowns in 14 games despite seeing just seven red-zone targets. At 5-10, 190, Moss isn’t going to run over or outjump opposing defensive backs, but he’s got tremendous quickness, changes directions with ease and gets up to full speed in an instant. As a result, he’s going to have to make his money from long distance, something he should have no problem doing as long as Campbell develops in his second season as a starter. Keep in mind that Moss’s huge season in 2005 came with Brunell under center, and his very efficient 2004 came with the help of a weak-armed Chad Pennington and Quincy Carter, so it’s not like Campbell has to develop into Johnny Unitas for Moss to bounce back.

How many people realize that the younger, smaller Moss was the most productive per play receiver in the NFL last year? When the Redskins called Moss’ number, the team averaged 11.1 yards per play. Only Steve Smith (10.4) and Eddie Kennison (10.2) were in double-digits, and both were a long way off. Moss not only hauled in 63 percent of the passes thrown his way, but when he caught the ball, he averaged a whopping 17.7 yards per catch. While Terry Glenn averaged 18.3, he only came down with 53 percent of his targets. Put another way, Moss was second in the NFL in receiving yards, despite being 13th in targets. Oddly enough, this wasn’t entirely out of the blue. Moss’ per play numbers from 2004 – 18.6 yards per catch, 10.1 yards per pass – were also outstanding. And considering that he played in the 2004 Jets’ and 2005 Redskins’ modest passing offenses, we believe he succeeded in spite of his surroundings and not because of them. For that reason, we’re not especially worried about the additions of Brandon Lloyd or Antwaan Randle El cutting significantly into Moss’s production. At 5-10, 190, Moss isn’t going to overpower or outleap defensive backs, but he’s got tremendous quickness, changes directions with ease and gets up to full speed in an instant. As a result, Moss led the NFL with 10 catches of 40 yards or more and got into the end zone nine times. Given his lack of size, he’s not much of a red-zone target, however, with just 10 attempts from inside the 20. If Moss is going to score, he’ll more often than not do it from long range, so be sure to bump him up in leagues that count distance scoring.

If the Redskins passing attack (31st) is as bad is it was last season, cross Moss off your list and don’t worry about him. But because the Mark Brunell experiment is finished, and Patrick Ramsey has another season to absorb Joe Gibbs’ offense, we’re going to withhold judgment and give Moss a longer look. Moss is an ultra-crisp route-runner with outstanding quickness, change of direction skills and raw speed. He’s got good hands, is dangerous in the open field and isn’t afraid to go over the middle despite his diminutive frame (5-10, 185 pounds). Because Moss is small, he’s susceptible to getting pushed around at the line by bigger defensive backs if he can’t avoid them with his quickness. Moss battled a hamstring issue, the loss of quarterback Chad Pennington for several weeks and offensive coordinator Paul Hackett’s heavy reliance on the run last season with the Jets, so we’ll give him a free pass on last season’s disappointing totals. And Moss’ per play numbers – 18.6 yards per catch, 10.1 yards per pass – were actually outstanding. The key for Moss in Washington is the improvement of Ramsey and the Redskins passing offense, though with Rod Gardner likely gone, and either James Thrash or David Patten starting on the opposite side, Moss could see a lot of double-teams.

Is the fragile Moss now a true No. 1? He was targeted just 117 times last year (very low for a supposed go-to receiver) with a 63 percent success rate. It’s very likely that the bigger Justin McCareins will see more passes thrown his way than Moss in ’04. Wayne Chrebet (with whom Chad Pennington connected for a team-leading eight TDs in ’02) is reportedly recovered from his concussion woes as well. Some owners will punish Moss for his poor second half (just three TDs), but that can be attributed to the Jets’ lack of any other receiving weapons after Chrebet’s season ended. Expect Moss to generate a lot of big plays between the 20s, making the most out of his opportunities as a 1A-type of receiver.

Moss finished 2002 with just 30 catches for 433 yards and four touchdowns, but the speedster teased the fantasy world with flashes of electricity and elusiveness. If he can manage to stay healthy, which is something that he needs to prove he can do, he stands to gain the most from Laveranues Coles' departure.