- The Washington Redskins have announced via Twitter that running back Chris Thompson has been diagnosed with a broken right fibula and requires season-ending surgery. Going forward, the Redskins will be without their biggest threat on offense, who has been responsible for a staggering 21.9 percent of the team’s total yardage this season.
- With starting running back Rob Kelley struggling with injury throughout the 2017 campaign, Thompson saw an increased load in the running game this year and carried the ball 64 times for 294 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Through 10 games, Thompson has arguably been the Redskins biggest breakaway threat on the ground and accumulated 108 of his rushing yards on four runs of 15-plus yards while forcing 13 missed tackles, all of which are tops among his teammates.
- However, the Redskins will almost certainly miss his presence in the passing game the most. In his 10 games, Thompson has racked up a team-high four receiving scores and 510 receiving yards, with a staggering 479 of those yards coming after the catch. Through 11 weeks of the season, his average of 2.34 yards per route run ranks fifth among 47 running backs with at least 20 targets, his receiver rating (passer rating generated when targeted) of 125.4 ranks fourth and his PFF receiving grade of 87.2 ranks third among 58 qualifying players at the position.
- Going forward, running back Samaje Perine could see an increased role in passing situations, but it would be hard for the rookie to emulate Thompson’s level of production. Through 11 weeks of the season, Perine has caught seven out of eight catchable targets for 64 receiving yards at an average of 1.31 yards per route run, which falls just above the NFL average of 1.28.
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