Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson produces fantasy points no matter what. Since entering the league in 2012, Wilson has only failed to finish the season as a top 10 fantasy football QB twice. Five out of his seven seasons he’s finished in the top 10 and the twice that he didn’t? He finished 11th. This is all despite having the worst offensive line in the NFL, his top weapons getting injured, his own injuries and bringing in an offensive coordinator obsessed with running the ball.
Wilson had the fewest rushing attempts of his career in 2018 and it makes sense that the coaching staff would like to eliminate the number of hits that their diminutive franchise quarterback takes now that he’s 30. Maybe he won’t be the QB1 again like he was in 2017, but with Wilson, you won’t have to worry about the position. He’s as close to a “set and forget” as they come.
Chris Carson
Heads were turned when the Seattle Seahawks spent a first-round draft pick on Rashaad Penny in 2018. Chris Carson impressed as a rookie despite limited opportunities. A broken ankle ended his season prematurely, but there was optimism surrounding his second year. Expectations were tempered given Penny’s arrival, but Carson earned the starting job and never looked back. Despite missing two games, Carson finished the year with the seventh-most rushing attempts, fifth-most rushing yards, and seventh-most rushing touchdowns. He’s earned the bulk of the carries and should continue to see them in 2019.
Tyler Lockett
Tyler Lockett made a strong case last year that he was the Seahawk’s best receiver. The retirement of Doug Baldwin, who had been struggling with injuries, should remove any doubt. Lockett was targeted 70 times in 2018. Baldwin’s 73 targets have to go somewhere and, while they will be split, Lockett will be high on the list to receive them. He finished last season with 965 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. While he may not find the end zone as often, fantasy football owners should expect him to register his first 1,000-yard season.
Sleepers
Rashaad Penny had a relatively quiet rookie season, but the departure of Mike Davis, who had 112 rushing attempts and 34 receptions, should give him plenty more opportunities. Chris Carson missed time in his first two seasons in the league, and if it happens again, Penny will be in line to handle a feature role.
D.K. Metcalf was a polarizing prospect when he was drafted. An athletic marvel, he’ll be expected to refine his route running in the NFL. That said, we’ve seen that Russell Wilson has no hesitation in throwing deep and Metcalf is the prototype vertical receiver. He’ll have big weeks, but pinning down when those will be is the challenge. Instead of hoping to rely on him from week-to-week in your fantasy football rosters, Metcalf has more upside in Best Ball platforms.
When Will Dissly entered his first game as a rookie, most assumed that he was there to block. However, 105 yards and a touchdown later, there was suddenly a scramble to claim him on the waiver wire. Dissly didn’t reach those heights again and faded to anonymity over the following three games, but when you’re on the field with Russell Wilson, there’s always the opportunity to score points.
He looks to have recovered from the torn patella tendon that cut his debut season short and will hope to become a more regular target. Expectations for Dissly are not high, but he’s worth a late-round flier in fantasy football drafts.
Andy Gallagher is a fantasy football writer for PFN. Follow him on twitter @AndySGallagher
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