Is Hightower still the goal line back in Washington? (1 Viewer)

[Thumper]

Any Redskins homers know if Hightower is still the goal line bk even if Helu takes a bigger role in the offense?

 

[Thumper]

Any Redskins homers know if Hightower is still the goal line bk even if Helu takes a bigger role in the offense?

Bump

 

[Louisville Slugger]

Any Redskins homers know if Hightower is still the goal line bk even if Helu takes a bigger role in the offense?

Bump

Hightower's days are numbered as being the go to guy in Washington. The fact that he wasn't in the game last week with everything on the line speaks volumes to me.

 

[Louisville Slugger]

From Rotoworld

The Redskins' carry distribution is just too murky for fantasy comfort. Coach Mike Shanahan rode the hot hand in Week 2, giving big-play rookie Roy Helu 13 touches en route to 112 yards (8.69 average). Through two games, starter Tim Hightower has 49 touches for 203 yards (4.14). Shanahan is a big fan of per-play production stats, often citing them in pressers with the media. Owners with depth may want to give this backfield a week to play out, before targeting the Skins' Week 4 game against the Rams for a fantasy start. It's perhaps notable that ESPN's Adam Schefter drafted Helu in his fantasy league on September 1. (Click here for proof.) Schefter wrote a book with Shanahan when he was on the Denver Post Broncos beat

Not feeling good about THT at all.

 

[Yenrub]

I didn’t watch the whole game last night so I am not sure how many plays each guy was in the game but it still looks like Hightower is getting the majority of the touches.

Hightower had 14 carries for 41 yards and 5recptions for 39 yards with a 1 yard TD reception

Helu had 5 carries for 15 yards and 2 receptions for 17 yards

 

[saintfool]

I didn’t watch the whole game last night so I am not sure how many plays each guy was in the game but it still looks like Hightower is getting the majority of the touches.Hightower had 14 carries for 41 yards and 5recptions for 39 yards with a 1 yard TD receptionHelu had 5 carries for 15 yards and 2 receptions for 17 yards

to me, it looked like the skins line was focused on pass protection over run blocking.

 

[Teef]

One thing that seems telling is that the Skins aren't keeping Helu in to block.

Anytime he's in the game it's either PA, a handoff or he's running a pattern. This tells me Helu's pass blocking isn't there yet and he isn't taking over until he improves or Hightower goes down.

 

[TheNext0]

One thing that seems telling is that the Skins aren't keeping Helu in to block.Anytime he's in the game it's either PA, a handoff or he's running a pattern. This tells me Helu's pass blocking isn't there yet and he isn't taking over until he improves or Hightower goes down.

Hightower is a solid pass blocker and was singled out for good pickups a few times last night. Announcers were talking about how much he "loves" to pick up blitzers.Back on topic, obviously Hightower was the goal line back on the TD last night. He was visibly pumped after putting together a few good runs, so it made sense that Shanny wanted him to keep rolling.I'm a THT owner, and I am a little nervous about Helu (especially when I look at Hightower's YPC), but I'm not in panic mode yet. Now would be a good time to try to move him if you think he's going to be phased out...I think I'll hold for another week.

 

[Ping Pong]

I don't think you have clearly defined roles such as "goal line back" and "change of pace" back. If you watched the game last night, it wasn't one guy coming in for certain plays/packages. Shanahan basically gave each guy a couple of possessions. Hightower started the game and got the first few series, then it seemed like Helu got a lot of 2nd quarter possessions. It was the same in the second half, with Hightower getting the whole 3rd quarter possession, where they finished with a score. Then, Helu got all the snaps/carries in the 4th quarter until the very last drive, when Hightower came back.

I don't know what this means for the future, but it's looking to me like a full blown RBBC.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I know FF is not NFL especially to those who coach the game however THT is #12RB in most of my PPR leagues with 18, 11, and 19 last night...are owners worried? Helu owners trying to make something out of what isn't there?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

One thing that seems telling is that the Skins aren't keeping Helu in to block.Anytime he's in the game it's either PA, a handoff or he's running a pattern. This tells me Helu's pass blocking isn't there yet and he isn't taking over until he improves or Hightower goes down.

this

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Hightower, 1st drive, sustained drive, they come away with points. 2nd drive they hand it to him twice to set up 3rd and 1 and then a poorly designed play where they hand it to Cooley which made no sense, they end up punting. 3rd drive THT again on a short field, settle for a FG.

Interception on the 4th drive, 1st play, I have no idea who the RB was in there on that play and for some reason NFLR is not letting me pull it up.

Helu is on the field for the next drive which is 3 and out, next drive he is in there and they do move the ball but it isn't really anything he did and the FG is blocked, again no reflection of him.

But before the half when they likely know they have to throw and are in a 2 minute offense THT was on the field. They end up kicking a FG and it's 9-9 at the half.

Hightower again to start the 3rd Q and they end up going on a 5:30 drive with plenty of Hightower touches and catches and they end up scoring a TD to take the lead 16-9.

Helu in at the start of the 4th, drive is 3 and out.

Helu in agin on the next drive and they pick up 1 first down and then punt. Helu didn't get a lot of touches even when he was in the game.

Hightower in on the last drive when they were trying to win the game, also the 2 minute offense.

I think obviously Hightower is the main RB for now and Helu will get an opp and maybe even some back to back drives in the 2nd and 4th Q because they want to keep Hightower from burning out. IMO it's Hightower for about 2/3 of all RB production even if he is splitting the snaps. They don't dial up Helu as often as Hightower when he is in the game.

 

[Funkley]

I know FF is not NFL especially to those who coach the game however THT is #12RB in most of my PPR leagues with 18, 11, and 19 last night...are owners worried? Helu owners trying to make something out of what isn't there?

Agreed. Hightower's role seems pretty solid.

 

[solwoldjr]

THT played the first and third quarter and the two minute offense at the end of both halves. Helu played the second and fourth quarters. I'm not sure if this is the Shanahan plan moving forward, but it seemed apparent last night.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

THT was on the field 19 minutes out of the 28 that Washington had the ball. If as some say Helu was getting on the field for almost half the game, it would indicate more sustained drives when Hightower is out there.

 

[Teef]

THT was on the field 19 minutes out of the 28 that Washington had the ball. If as some say Helu was getting on the field for almost half the game, it would indicate more sustained drives when Hightower is out there.

Tim Hightower's getting the Addai treatment from a lot of fantasy outlets on the net. Hightower, like Addai, has the ordinary tag so it's fun to imagine a rookie easily taking over his position. Helu isn't as special and Hightower isn't as bad as some are making them out to be. Hightower will continue to get the 20 touches a game and do the things that help the Redskins stay competitive.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

<br>

<br>THT was on the field 19 minutes out of the 28 that Washington had the ball.  If as some say Helu was getting on the field for almost half the game, it would indicate more sustained drives when Hightower is out there.<br>

<br>Tim Hightower's getting the Addai treatment from a lot of fantasy outlets on the net.  <br><br>Hightower, like Addai, has the ordinary tag so it's fun to imagine a rookie easily taking over his position.  Helu isn't as special and Hightower isn't as bad as some are making them out to be.  Hightower will continue to get the 20 touches a game and do the things that help the Redskins stay competitive.<br>

<br><br>He had 24 TD, starting only 33 games in AZ the last 3 yrs, he also has 63 receptions on his resume form 2009, this is still not a bad time to trade for him in dynasty or redraft as I think it gets better.  He hasn't really busted one but we know he can not just from the preseason but he did it a few times in AZ as well. He has 2 TD in 3 games already, he should easily have 10 for the season, likely collect 50+ receptions, and he is avg almost 100 total yds a game which puts him in the 1,500 total yards range.<div>1,500 total yds, 10 TD, 50 receptions, those are solid RB1 numbers high end RB2 numbers for most folks.</div>

 

[Bayhawks]

One thing that seems telling is that the Skins aren't keeping Helu in to block.Anytime he's in the game it's either PA, a handoff or he's running a pattern. This tells me Helu's pass blocking isn't there yet and he isn't taking over until he improves or Hightower goes down.

While this was the case the majority of the time, I saw at least 2 plays where Helu stayed in to block. I was watching to see what kind of blocking job he did. I wasn't overly impressed. He looked to slow the defender down, rather than stoning him. That being said, the defender didn't get to Grossman, so I guess he got the job done.

 

[solwoldjr]

I think the running back situation here is a quarter-by-quarter split rather than a 3rd down back or goal line back situation. Both will play entire quarters unless they need a breather. Given that THT is in on the two minute offense his value is higher, expecially in PPR.

 

[Wally Cleaver]

I have both so all I am hoping for is that one emerges as "the guy". But to me there is a lot of writing on the wall here.

1. Shanahan has already talked about Helu being special.

2. Helu is getting snaps in critical situations and got most of the carries in the second half of their week 2 game, including the most important drive of the game.

3. Talk of continuing to evaluate Helu, well he is seeing alot of time now, so when they are comfortable with his ability to pick up the blitz and do all the little things that make a good back I would expect to see more of him.

Hightower held him off last night and was in there on the crucial drive. All the talk in the preseason was how excited Hightower was to be in the offense and how he was dying to be a workhorse back, they didnt rest him in week 2 because he was losing pop in my opinion, I think they felt that there was bigger plays to be had with a more explosive back on the field.

The bottom line, I think the staff feels that Helu is the more explosive player and once they are confident in him in other areas he is going to play more and more...

 

[FF Newbie]

This is bizarro world in here. I thought this was a thread about Hightower, but I must've stumbled into the Helu owners' lounge. The only "handwriting on the wall" is that Hightower is the workhorse back for the Redskins and Helu looks to be a fine backup who gives Hightower an occasional breather. Hightower has 68 touches to Helu's 21. This week the split was 19-to-7. Hightower is the better pass protector and receiving back, plus the short yardage and goal line back. Through 3 games, Hightower has received almost 4 times as many carries as Helu. Even over just the past 2 games, Hightower has received more than twice the carries of Helu. Every starting RB in the league gets spelled here and there. As a Hightower owner, I'm perfectly content for Helu to get 8-10 touches as long as Hightower continues to average 23 touches per game and get the TD love.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

This is bizarro world in here. I thought this was a thread about Hightower, but I must've stumbled into the Helu owners' lounge. The only "handwriting on the wall" is that Hightower is the workhorse back for the Redskins and Helu looks to be a fine backup who gives Hightower an occasional breather. Hightower has 68 touches to Helu's 21. This week the split was 19-to-7. Hightower is the better pass protector and receiving back, plus the short yardage and goal line back. Through 3 games, Hightower has received almost 4 times as many carries as Helu. Even over just the past 2 games, Hightower has received more than twice the carries of Helu. Every starting RB in the league gets spelled here and there. As a Hightower owner, I'm perfectly content for Helu to get 8-10 touches as long as Hightower continues to average 23 touches per game and get the TD love.

All good points

 

[bill bates hits hard]

Its clear and simple. Wash was worried about Rob Ryan's D schemes. Ryan has blitz packages coming from everywhere so Wash wanted Hightower out there for pass protection.

Simple.

 

[Blick]

This is bizarro world in here. I thought this was a thread about Hightower, but I must've stumbled into the Helu owners' lounge. The only "handwriting on the wall" is that Hightower is the workhorse back for the Redskins and Helu looks to be a fine backup who gives Hightower an occasional breather. Hightower has 68 touches to Helu's 21. This week the split was 19-to-7. Hightower is the better pass protector and receiving back, plus the short yardage and goal line back. Through 3 games, Hightower has received almost 4 times as many carries as Helu. Even over just the past 2 games, Hightower has received more than twice the carries of Helu. Every starting RB in the league gets spelled here and there. As a Hightower owner, I'm perfectly content for Helu to get 8-10 touches as long as Hightower continues to average 23 touches per game and get the TD love.

This is a smart guy.

 

[Bayhawks]

I have both so all I am hoping for is that one emerges as "the guy". But to me there is a lot of writing on the wall here.

1. Shanahan has already talked about Helu being special.

Good point-Shanahan has NEVER been prone to hyperbole. "Best running back in the draft"

2. Helu is getting snaps in critical situations and got most of the carries in the second half of their week 2 game, including the most important drive of the game.

Good point-Let's ignore the fact that Hightower is getting snaps in critical situations, and got most of the carries in the 2nd half of their most recent game, including the 2 most important drives of that game.

3. Talk of continuing to evaluate Helu, well he is seeing alot of time now, so when they are comfortable with his ability to pick up the blitz and do all the little things that make a good back I would expect to see more of him.

Yet another good point-Let's ignore the fact that he's not really seeing "a lot" of time (less than 1/2 the plays Hightower is getting), and that those "little things" like pass blocking are usually the toughest adjustments for RBs to make in the NFL.

Hightower held him off last night and was in there on the crucial drive. All the talk in the preseason was how excited Hightower was to be in the offense and how he was dying to be a workhorse back, they didnt rest him in week 2 because he was losing pop in my opinion, I think they felt that there was bigger plays to be had with a more explosive back on the field.

Sorry, I can't call this a good point, there really isn't a coherent point made. What does Hightower's excitement about the offense have to do with his "rest" in week 2, and how does your completely unsubstantiated opinion fit in?

The bottom line, I think the staff feels that Helu is the more explosive player and once they are confident in him in other areas he is going to play more and more...

Agree with you on the first part, Helu is more explosive, I don't think you'll find many people who'll say otherwise. However, more explosive doesn't mean "better fit." Beck has a stronger arm than Grossman, so one could argue that he is a "more explosive" QB, but he wasn't the better fit, and Shanahan went with Grossman. Just because you think Helu is more explosive (and own him on your FF team, I'm guessing) doesn't mean he will supplant Hightower.

 

[Wally Cleaver]

This is bizarro world in here. I thought this was a thread about Hightower, but I must've stumbled into the Helu owners' lounge. The only "handwriting on the wall" is that Hightower is the workhorse back for the Redskins and Helu looks to be a fine backup who gives Hightower an occasional breather. Hightower has 68 touches to Helu's 21. This week the split was 19-to-7. Hightower is the better pass protector and receiving back, plus the short yardage and goal line back. Through 3 games, Hightower has received almost 4 times as many carries as Helu. Even over just the past 2 games, Hightower has received more than twice the carries of Helu. Every starting RB in the league gets spelled here and there. As a Hightower owner, I'm perfectly content for Helu to get 8-10 touches as long as Hightower continues to average 23 touches per game and get the TD love.

A lot of rookies you know of get 8-10 touches right out of the gate and play the whole second half of a close game when the so called workhorse back is completely healthy and chomping to get in? If you dont think that the coaching staff thinks a lot of Helu you are kidding yourself.

 

[Wally Cleaver]

I have both so all I am hoping for is that one emerges as "the guy". But to me there is a lot of writing on the wall here.

1. Shanahan has already talked about Helu being special.

Good point-Shanahan has NEVER been prone to hyperbole. "Best running back in the draft"

2. Helu is getting snaps in critical situations and got most of the carries in the second half of their week 2 game, including the most important drive of the game.

Good point-Let's ignore the fact that Hightower is getting snaps in critical situations, and got most of the carries in the 2nd half of their most recent game, including the 2 most important drives of that game.

3. Talk of continuing to evaluate Helu, well he is seeing alot of time now, so when they are comfortable with his ability to pick up the blitz and do all the little things that make a good back I would expect to see more of him.

Yet another good point-Let's ignore the fact that he's not really seeing "a lot" of time (less than 1/2 the plays Hightower is getting), and that those "little things" like pass blocking are usually the toughest adjustments for RBs to make in the NFL.

Hightower held him off last night and was in there on the crucial drive. All the talk in the preseason was how excited Hightower was to be in the offense and how he was dying to be a workhorse back, they didnt rest him in week 2 because he was losing pop in my opinion, I think they felt that there was bigger plays to be had with a more explosive back on the field.

Sorry, I can't call this a good point, there really isn't a coherent point made. What does Hightower's excitement about the offense have to do with his "rest" in week 2, and how does your completely unsubstantiated opinion fit in?

The bottom line, I think the staff feels that Helu is the more explosive player and once they are confident in him in other areas he is going to play more and more...

Agree with you on the first part, Helu is more explosive, I don't think you'll find many people who'll say otherwise. However, more explosive doesn't mean "better fit." Beck has a stronger arm than Grossman, so one could argue that he is a "more explosive" QB, but he wasn't the better fit, and Shanahan went with Grossman. Just because you think Helu is more explosive (and own him on your FF team, I'm guessing) doesn't mean he will supplant Hightower.

Yes, you are guessing... I clearly stated I own both. Just dont see a lot of rookie runningbacks getting most of the meaningful snaps in their second NFL game when the starter is 100% healthy. If you think that is not a sign of things to come then my guess would be you don't win very often at fantasy football.I dont care about what the carries have been through 3 games, most rookies dont come in and just take over, even Ingram is being worked in slowly... For you to state that Hightower is a better fit for the offense after watching 3 games is ridiculous..

 

[Wally Cleaver]

This is bizarro world in here. I thought this was a thread about Hightower, but I must've stumbled into the Helu owners' lounge. The only "handwriting on the wall" is that Hightower is the workhorse back for the Redskins and Helu looks to be a fine backup who gives Hightower an occasional breather. Hightower has 68 touches to Helu's 21. This week the split was 19-to-7. Hightower is the better pass protector and receiving back, plus the short yardage and goal line back. Through 3 games, Hightower has received almost 4 times as many carries as Helu. Even over just the past 2 games, Hightower has received more than twice the carries of Helu. Every starting RB in the league gets spelled here and there. As a Hightower owner, I'm perfectly content for Helu to get 8-10 touches as long as Hightower continues to average 23 touches per game and get the TD love.

This is a smart guy.

Ya, this is a smart guy The topic clearly talks about Hightower vs. Helu but we are only supposed to talk about Hightower in here. ok.

 

[One]

Like it was said earlier, this is Joseph Addai/Donald Brown all over again.

 

[Bayhawks]

I have both so all I am hoping for is that one emerges as "the guy". But to me there is a lot of writing on the wall here.

1. Shanahan has already talked about Helu being special.

Good point-Shanahan has NEVER been prone to hyperbole. "Best running back in the draft"

2. Helu is getting snaps in critical situations and got most of the carries in the second half of their week 2 game, including the most important drive of the game.

Good point-Let's ignore the fact that Hightower is getting snaps in critical situations, and got most of the carries in the 2nd half of their most recent game, including the 2 most important drives of that game.

3. Talk of continuing to evaluate Helu, well he is seeing alot of time now, so when they are comfortable with his ability to pick up the blitz and do all the little things that make a good back I would expect to see more of him.

Yet another good point-Let's ignore the fact that he's not really seeing "a lot" of time (less than 1/2 the plays Hightower is getting), and that those "little things" like pass blocking are usually the toughest adjustments for RBs to make in the NFL.

Hightower held him off last night and was in there on the crucial drive. All the talk in the preseason was how excited Hightower was to be in the offense and how he was dying to be a workhorse back, they didnt rest him in week 2 because he was losing pop in my opinion, I think they felt that there was bigger plays to be had with a more explosive back on the field.

Sorry, I can't call this a good point, there really isn't a coherent point made. What does Hightower's excitement about the offense have to do with his "rest" in week 2, and how does your completely unsubstantiated opinion fit in?

The bottom line, I think the staff feels that Helu is the more explosive player and once they are confident in him in other areas he is going to play more and more...

Agree with you on the first part, Helu is more explosive, I don't think you'll find many people who'll say otherwise. However, more explosive doesn't mean "better fit." Beck has a stronger arm than Grossman, so one could argue that he is a "more explosive" QB, but he wasn't the better fit, and Shanahan went with Grossman. Just because you think Helu is more explosive (and own him on your FF team, I'm guessing) doesn't mean he will supplant Hightower.

Yes, you are guessing... I clearly stated I own both. Just dont see a lot of rookie runningbacks getting most of the meaningful snaps in their second NFL game when the starter is 100% healthy. If you think that is not a sign of things to come then my guess would be you don't win very often at fantasy football.I dont care about what the carries have been through 3 games, most rookies dont come in and just take over, even Ingram is being worked in slowly... For you to state that Hightower is a better fit for the offense after watching 3 games is ridiculous..

It has nothing to do with watching 3 games. Hightower is the type of RB who fits in the ZBS offense. Plus, he is a very good blocker and pass catcher, so he fits in with the play action pass game and screen game that Shanahan likes. In the ZBS scheme, you don't have to be explosive to be successful (Terrel Davis wasn't explosive, nor was Olandis Gary or Mike Anderson, yet they all had great success in this scheme). You THINK Helu is going to take over. That's your opinion, and you're entitled to it. It's an opinion based on nothing but speculation on your part, but you're entitled to it.

 

[Blick]

This is bizarro world in here. I thought this was a thread about Hightower, but I must've stumbled into the Helu owners' lounge. The only "handwriting on the wall" is that Hightower is the workhorse back for the Redskins and Helu looks to be a fine backup who gives Hightower an occasional breather. Hightower has 68 touches to Helu's 21. This week the split was 19-to-7. Hightower is the better pass protector and receiving back, plus the short yardage and goal line back. Through 3 games, Hightower has received almost 4 times as many carries as Helu. Even over just the past 2 games, Hightower has received more than twice the carries of Helu. Every starting RB in the league gets spelled here and there. As a Hightower owner, I'm perfectly content for Helu to get 8-10 touches as long as Hightower continues to average 23 touches per game and get the TD love.

This is a smart guy.

Ya, this is a smart guy The topic clearly talks about Hightower vs. Helu but we are only supposed to talk about Hightower in here. ok.

Ok. Back to the topic.YTD - Helu has gotten 2 redzone carries and 2 redzone targets (1 rec) for 0 TDs.Hightower has 10 redzone carries and 4 redzone targets (3 rec) and 2 TDs.At least for the time being, I think Hightower is still Washington's goal line back.

 

[FF Newbie]

This is bizarro world in here. I thought this was a thread about Hightower, but I must've stumbled into the Helu owners' lounge. The only "handwriting on the wall" is that Hightower is the workhorse back for the Redskins and Helu looks to be a fine backup who gives Hightower an occasional breather. Hightower has 68 touches to Helu's 21. This week the split was 19-to-7. Hightower is the better pass protector and receiving back, plus the short yardage and goal line back. Through 3 games, Hightower has received almost 4 times as many carries as Helu. Even over just the past 2 games, Hightower has received more than twice the carries of Helu. Every starting RB in the league gets spelled here and there. As a Hightower owner, I'm perfectly content for Helu to get 8-10 touches as long as Hightower continues to average 23 touches per game and get the TD love.

A lot of rookies you know of get 8-10 touches right out of the gate and play the whole second half of a close game when the so called workhorse back is completely healthy and chomping to get in? If you dont think that the coaching staff thinks a lot of Helu you are kidding yourself.

How many carries/touches exactly do you expect Hightower to get? He's averaging almost 23 touches per game. The Redskins are running the ball a lot. Of course they're going to spell him some. If you're looking for another rookie RB who is the primary backup for his team and getting around 8 touches per game, look no farther than Delone Carter. That isn't preventing Addai from being by far the lead back there. Do the Redskins' coaches like Helu? Sure they do. They seem to like Hightower a good deal more, though, since they've given Hightower 59 carries to just 16 for Helu. If you can't see that, you're just deluding yourself. It's like you Helu owners only saw the regionally televised game in week 2 against Arizona and completely missed the nationally televised game against Dallas last night. Amazing.

 

[Daywalker]

I'm stacked at RB in my main league. Been trying to move Hightower to upgrade at other positions. Not a lot of interest. Almost wish someone else had him so I could trade for him as a value play.