WR Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins

HT: 5-11, WT: 210, Born: 8-8-1985, College: Mount Union, Drafted: Round 6

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 6th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: D Bowe (54), E Decker (55), Pierre Garcon (56), M Wallace (57), M Stafford (58)
Position: D Bowe (54-WR20), E Decker (55-WR21), Pierre Garcon (56 - WR22), M Wallace (57-WR23), T Smith (60-WR24)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 6th. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: D Bowe (54), M Stafford (55), Pierre Garcon (56), D Amendola (57), L Miller (58)
Position: E Decker (52-WR20), D Bowe (54-WR21), Pierre Garcon (56 - WR22), D Amendola (57-WR23), M Wallace (61-WR24)
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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Brought in to Washington to give Robert Griffin III a deep threat, Garcon joined the Redskins to the tune of forty-two and a half million dollars this offseason. Immediately involved in the passing game, Garcon caught three successive bubble screens in the opening drive for the Redskins, turning one into a nine-yard gain for a first down. In the second half of the first quarter, Garcon made a leaping grab on an in route. Shaking off some pressure from Saints safety Roman Harper, Garcon torched the New Orleans secondary to give the Redskins an eighty-eight yard touchdown and an early lead. While Garcon left the game after that play – reports revealed he sustained a foot injury – he appeared on the Washington sideline in the third quarter, and the injury was reportedly not serious. In one quarter of action, Garcon led all Washington receivers with one hundred and nine receiving yards.

Week 4 - Garcon had an unusual day at Raymond James Stadium against the Buccaneers. He caught his only target on a crossing route from Griffin, taking it for a twenty-yard gain. The former Colt seemed to not show any ill effects from the foot issue that kept him out for three quarters against the Saints and totally out of the Redskins’ games against the Rams and Bengals. He did draw a thirty-two yard pass interference call on Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber on a deep go route downfield. Garcon also drew an unsavory offensive pass interference call in the third quarter, and followed it up with an unnecessary roughness flag a few plays later. Fantasy owners are certainly happy Garcon recovered a Robert Griffin III end zone fumbled for a Redskins touchdown, but in truth, Garcon showed little against the Buccaneers, aside from the fact that he was able to play in the game. 


Week 5 - Garcon had something of a putrid day in his first home game as a Redskin. Leading all Redskins receivers in targets with seven, Garcon converted those opportunities into three receptions for twenty-four yards. One of those receptions was a twenty-yard pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins, if presents any indication to how Garcon’s day played out. He did catch a ball after making a motion that looked like a volleyball setter – while on his back – but that was his most impressive feat of the day. The former Colt looked good on the field – his speed and willingness to catch the ball in traffic were evident – which is a good sign for future games. Garcon was quarterback Kirk Cousins’ primary read when Cousins entered the game, so in the event that Robert Griffin III sits out due to a concussion in Week 6, Garcon should be heavily targeted against the Vikings.

Week 11 - Returning to the field for the first time since Washington’s home loss to Atlanta, Garcon caught three passes – two wide receiver screens and a cross-field desperation lateral from Robert Griffin III – for five yards. He ran the most pass routes of any Redskins receiver, and did not seem inhibited by the foot injury that plagued him for weeks on end, both of which are good signs. However, this was not a stellar day for Garcon. He did lead the Redskins in targets, which is also encouraging, as it appears Washington is ready to get him heavily involved in the offense once again.


Week 12 - The Redskins signed Garcon to be their number-one wide receiver in the offseason, and save the first quarter of the 2012 season, the former Colt has not done much to earn his keep. Seemingly recovered from a foot injury, Garcon went to work against a stingy Cowboys defense in Dallas. The fifth-year receiver led all Redskins in receiving yards with ninety-three and targets with seven as he worked over the Dallas secondary. Garcon made the highlight reel on a second-and-twelve catch at the Washington forty-one yard line, running a deep middle-crossing pattern. Doing just enough to outrun coverage, Garcon leapt into the air to catch a bullet of a pass from Robert Griffin III, landed on his feet, and smoked members of the Cowboys’ secondary on his way to the end zone. The play actually looked strikingly similar to Garcon’s touchdown catch against the Saints during Week One. A healthy – or at least serviceable – Garcon is a tremendous upgrade to the Washington receiver corps and the Redskins should lean on Garcon fairly heavily as they keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive in 2012.

Week 13 - By far the Redskins’ busiest receiver, Garcon totaled eight catches on eleven targets, more than every other Redskins receiver combined. With the Redskins’ pistol formation and play action fakes producing a great deal of single coverage by the New York secondary, Griffin often hit his first read, Garcon, in stride. This pitch-and-catch relationship resulted in one hundred and eight receiving yards for Garcon, including a touchdown on a shallow crossing route in the end zone. Garcon proved unquestionably dominant after the catch, especially on slants and deep crossing routes, reeling in passes of twenty-five and thirty-five yards, respectively. The free agent acquisition from Indianapolis had no problem weaving in and out of coverage and finding holes in the Giants’ secondary. Garcon is unquestionably the Redskins’ most dominant weapon in their unique passing attack, and while he will likely not be one hundred percent healthy this season, he is getting hot at the right time.

Week 14 - Once again, Garcon dominated all Redskins receivers in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, and still managed to find the end zone in Week Fourteen against the Ravens. While the fifth-year receiver did not produce a highlight-reel scoring play like he is wont to do – his long reception of the day came on a twenty-two yard post-in route – he proved instrumental in the Redskins’ overtime victory against the Ravens. With Washington facing a third-and-six at their own forty-yard line and backup quarterback Kirk Cousins in for Robert Griffin III, Garcon drew a critical defensive pass interference flag on Ravens cornerback Chris Johnson. Griffin would return to the game, hit Garcon with a twenty-two yard pass, then exit the game again, unable to stand. Three snaps later, with mere seconds on the clock and Washington in the Baltimore red zone, Garcon caught an eleven-yard pass from Cousins in the back of the end zone to put the Redskins within two of the Ravens. Garcon is an uncanny playmaker with the ball in his hands, but his production is obviously contingent on both his health and the Redskins’ situation at quarterback.

Week 15 - Kirk Cousins’ presence did not change Washington’s game script for its star wideout, as Garcon received the lion’s share of targets in the passing game once again. Cousins targeted Garcon on a staggering twelve pass attempts, and the two hooked up for six catches and sixty-five yards through the air. Cousins looked Garcon’s way in nearly all passing situations – short, intermediate, and deep down the field, which bodes well for Garcon’s production if Griffin continues to be sidelined. Garcon continues to put the foot injury that kept him off the field for many weeks, running with speed, physicality, and determination. The fifth-year man from Mount Union did draw a tough assignment in Browns cover corner Joe Haden, which explains Garcon’s modest production given his target volume. Garcon did get an end zone pass from Cousins thrown his way, but coverage from Haden preventing Garcon from completing the catch.

Week 16 - The focal point of the Redskins’ conservative passing attack caught seven passes for eighty-nine yards on nine targets, nearly twice as many as the next Washington receiver. The fiery Garcon manhandled the Eagles’ secondary at Lincoln Financial Field, catching all manner of bubble screens and crossing route passes for extra yards after receptions. Griffin’s effective use of play action continued to benefit Garcon, as the two hooked up for gains of twenty-seven and twenty-nine yards, respectively. Garcon’s leap on Griffin’s slight overthrow on the latter pass was an All-Pro move by the wide receiver. While Garcon was unable to get to the end zone for the second time in as many games, he did spring fellow wideout Joshua Morgan on a key block in the second quarter, which set up a touchdown and gave Washington the lead.

Week 17 - 
The focal point of the Redskins’ fairly limited passing attack, Garcon caught three passes for forty-six yards on five targets. Like previous weeks, Garcon had the most success on passes off play action fakes while he ran routes that allowed him to generate yards after the catch. Robert Griffin III’s trust in Garcon is something to behold – the rookie quarterback exhibited no fear in rifling the ball into traffic for Garcon to grab. Garcon did not reach the end zone and, in truth, had his worse game, statistically, since fully returning to game action, but the Redskins opted to run rather than pass against the Cowboys. Garcon put up a key block on Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne on Robert Griffin’s ten-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It stands to reason that Garcon will be plenty busy against the visiting Seahawks with Washington playing in its first home playoff game since 1999.

Week 18 - When he wasn’t getting in shoving matches with Seahawks’ secondary, Garcon was the Redskins’ leading receiver in the team’s Wild Card weekend matchup. Garcon paced all Redskins receivers with fifty yards through the air, though thirty yards came on a hook/out route in which Garcon piled up significant yards after the catch. The bruising, physical wideout had a tough evening all around, given Griffin’s weakened state and Seattle’s defensive backs mixing it up with him on practically every snap. Garcon’s three other catches were short gains set up by play-action fakes, as the Redskins sought to get their weapon in space to generate yards after the catch. The first-year Redskin did get a target in the end zone on first-and-four in Seattle’s red zone, but Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner batted Robert Griffin III’s pass away. Garcon was the intended receiver on Griffin’s first and only interception against the Seahawks. While Garcon ran a go route down the left side of the field, Seahawks safety Earl Thomas read Griffin the entire play. Watching Griffin eye Garcon – who was already covered – Thomas followed Griffin’s pass and got over top of Garcon to intercept the ball. Garcon had no shot of catching the underthrown pass.