NFL betting preview: No. 27, Washington Redskins

This is the sixth in a series of 32 NFL team betting previews in 32 days leading up to the league’s Sept. 5 season opener. We’ll count down the teams from the lowest season win total to the highest.

It’s telling that the only Redskins player in the top 125 of Yahoo’s fantasy football rankings has yet to appear in a regular-season game for Washington.

Running back Derrius Guice, the team’s 2018 second-round draft pick out of Louisiana State, is the highest-rated Redskins player, at No. 96, after missing last season with a torn ACL suffered during Washington’s first preseason game.

The ranking is a clear indication of the lack of playmakers on the Redskins, who have a season win total of 6½ following back-to-back 7-9 seasons.

Washington started last season 6-3 but lost six of its final seven games after quarterback Alex Smith suffered a broken leg in gruesome fashion.

Only three teams scored fewer points last season than Washington, which averaged 17.6 points per game and hasn’t done anything to inspire confidence that its offense will be better this year.

The Redskins hope first-round pick Dwayne Haskins will develop into their quarterback of the future after the Maryland native threw 50 touchdown passes last season at Ohio State. Washington also signed veteran QB Case Keenum, playing on his fourth team in the past four seasons.

Professional sports bettor Jeff Whitelaw bet on the Redskins to go under 6½ wins at minus 110. More money on the under has pushed the price to minus 140. Whitelaw said he went under on Washington because it plays in the same division as the Philadelphia Eagles (10) and Dallas Cowboys (9) and rookie quarterbacks have struggled historically in the NFL.

“Their schedule is sort of tough, and I don’t think that team is a great team,” he said. “Asking them to win seven games is a lot.”

Besides six games against the NFC East, the Redskins will play the Patriots, four games against the deep NFC North (Vikings, Bears, Packers, Lions) and road games against Carolina and Buffalo.

Deserved or not, this probably will be a make-or-break season for coach Jay Gruden, who is 35-45-1 and has two winning records in five years in Washington.

Picks

Under 6½ (-140)

Make playoffs? No (-700)

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.