The Washington Redskins are hoping to have DeSean Jackson back for Week 9 following the bye, as the wide receiver has not been able to play since Week 1 of the season. Jackson is returning to practice and could be a fantasy option this weekend for Kirk Cousins and this comes as a Robert Griffin III trade at the NFL trading deadline is unlikely.
The Redskins are coming out of the bye following a late win over the Buccaneers and they have the New England Patriots next on the schedule. The team is 3-4 this season and now they have a very tough test on the road with Tom Brady and the Pats, who are 7-0. Having Jackson back on the field will give the Redskins a better chance to win and according to CSN Mid-Atlantic, there is a chance Jackson can return this Sunday.
According to Tarik El-Bashir, Jackson was at practice for the Redskins on Monday and he likely will be a limited participant in the session. The Redskins will be putting out an injury report on Wednesday leading into the Week 9 slate and that should give a clear idea of whether Jackson has a true chance to play on Sunday. The Redskins offense has lacked a deep threat with Jackson out and he has yet to register a catch this season.
Jackson previously tried to practice with the team last month, but he re-aggravated his hamstring injury and that kept him out for Week 7 before the bye. Jackson's future remains in flux heading into the back stretch of the season, as CSN Washington reports that the team could consider cutting Jackson this offseason. The website writes that Jackson could be out since he could save the team over $6 million in cap space, was not signed by the current GM and because he has missed more time than expected with his injury.
The Redskins offense comes in after having one of their best games of the season and now they will try and keep that going against the Patriots. Kirk Cousins had a strong performance and it will be tough to follow that up against the Pats defense. Cousins had three passing touchdowns and one rushing score as he brought the Redskins back from a double digit deficit against the Buccaneers and he completed 82 percent of his passes for a season high 317 yards. Jordan Reed has been a consistent target for the Redskins this season and he comes in after making 11 catches and scoring two touchdowns in Week 7 and he is worth starting against the Pats despite the tough matchup.
Griffin has been mentioned in trade chatter this season, but reports have the Redskins unlikely to make a move at the deadline. According to Jason La Canfora at CBS Sports, the Redskins are likely not going to trade Robert Griffin at the deadline despite the fact that he is probably not going to start for the team barring injuries this season. La Canfora reports that the team has not been making calls to try and shop Griffin at the deadline.
