What It Means:

Washington too often chased the big play instead of taking what the defense gave him in his first NFL year, but Walker has seen a noticeable change in Washington's mindset. "He’s made nice strides," said Walker. "He’s mastering the offense much better than what he was a year ago." Washington is still working behind lead rusher Ameer Abdullah and receiving back Theo Riddick but could threaten goal-line back Zach Zenner's position in Detroit's backfield hierarchy.

Our models project Washington as the fifth-most fantasy-relevant Detroit running back in 2017, with just 7 attempts for 23 rushing yards and 0.12 touchdowns, adding 3 catches for 22 receiving yards and 0.12 air scores.