I’m analyzing every one of the 32 NFL teams and all of their redraft-relevant fantasy assets in this article series. It’s a long project, but I want to make sure that you, the reader, have something you can refer to for every team. For each article, I’ll split up the fantasy assets into three categories: high-end assets, usable contributors, and dart throws. I’ll reference my PPR redraft rankings at the time of writing. If you want to read my previous work in this series, the full list with links is at the bottom of the article. Let’s jump into the Seahawks.
High-End Assets
The Seahawks don’t have anybody that quite makes it into the high-end tier. While I might place Chris Carson in this group later on in the offseason, I still have a few question marks surrounding his health that just keeps him in the next section. The Seahawks are a solid offense, but their volume doesn’t go enough to any single player since Russell Wilson likes to spread the ball around.
Usable Contributors
Chris Carson
Even though I don’t see Carson as a high-end asset, I think he’ll be a reliable running back for fantasy owners. After the Seahawks drafted him in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Carson flashed in his rookie year, becoming the starter early in the season. Unfortunately, he broke his ankle in Week 4 and missed the rest of the 2017 season.
Before 2018, the Seahawks drafted Rashaad Penny in the first round to become their new starting running back ahead of Carson. However, head coach Pete Carroll has a reputation for playing the better player no matter what, with little regard for draft capital. Carson won the starting job in camp, holding off both Penny and Mike Davis and dominated the backfield. Carson had 247 carries for 1,151 yards and nine touchdowns and also caught 20 passes for 163 yards. In 14 games, those numbers made him the RB15 and 16th among running backs in fantasy PPG with 14.4.
Going into 2019, many expected Penny to take the starting job once again, as Carson struggled through offseason injuries. Despite all the noise, Carson had another stellar season with 278 carries for 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns and 37 receptions for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Carson was the RB12 and 12th in fantasy PPG with 15.5. He even managed to hold his job despite a major fumbling problem and some improved play from Penny.
Near the end of 2019, Carson suffered a broken hip that forced him to miss Week 17 and the playoffs. Luckily, he won’t need surgery on the hip and should return in time for Week 1. On the other hand, Penny will begin the season on the PUP list recovering from his ACL injury. Therefore, Carson is the locked-in starter at running back on a run-first team. As we move closer to the season, I’ll move Carson up my rankings if he’s ultimately cleared and participates fully in training camp. For now, though, he’s my RB20 and 43rd overall player.
D.K. Metcalf
The most significant debate on the Seahawks is between D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett as the top receiver for the team. I believe it’s close, but I prefer the upside of Metcalf. The Seahawks selected Metcalf in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the 64th overall pick. Metcalf represented the big outside weapon to complement the smaller, shiftier slot receiver in Lockett.
Metcalf performed well as a rookie, catching 58 of 100 targets for 900 yards and seven touchdowns, finishing as the WR33. Even though he struggled with an injury in the preseason, Metcalf overcame that obstacle, played all 16 games, and exceeded expectations as a rookie. While Lockett still outperformed Metcalf in all receiving categories, Metcalf was the clear second weapon for all of 2019. Metcalf showed out in the Seahawks’ first playoff game, torching the Eagles for seven catches, 160 yards, and a touchdown.
Going into 2020, the Seahawks added little to their group of pass-catchers, only signing veteran tight end Greg Olsen in free agency to replace the injured Will Dissly. Therefore, I expect Metcalf and Lockett to continue as the top two receivers in Seattle. Unfortunately for the duo, the Seahawks are a run-first team and ranked only 23rd in pass attempts. As I predict Metcalf takes a big second-year leap, I’m projecting him as a high-end WR3 as my WR26. I think he’s a top talent but will be a bit inconsistent in redraft in 2020 due to the low passing volume and presence of Lockett.
Tyler Lockett
You can copy everything I said for Metcalf and apply it directly to Lockett. Since becoming a definite starter for the Seahawks, Lockett finished as the WR16 in 2018 and WR13 in 2019. In 2019, he excelled with 82 receptions on 110 targets for 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns.
Based on his past performance, my ranking of WR29 for Lockett looks a bit silly. However, I genuinely believe that Metcalf is the more talented player and will see a significant shift in volume in his direction for 2020. Therefore, I’ll fade Lockett in 2020 even though I’ve faded him both of the last two seasons and been wrong both times.
Russell Wilson
In 2019, Wilson finished as the QB3 with 20.4 fantasy points per game. He performed excellently as a real-life quarterback with 4,110 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and five interceptions with a 66.1% completion rate. He also continued to add value with his legs, with 75 carries for 342 yards and three touchdowns.
Wilson also brings a long history of fantasy stardom. He’s finished as the QB9 in 2018, QB1 in 2017, QB12 in 2016, QB3 in 2015, QB3 in 2014, QB8 in 2013, and QB9 in 2012. Therefore, he’s been a QB1 every season of his career, providing the ultimate level of consistency for his fantasy owners. Most notably, Wilson has never missed a single game in his eight seasons in the league.
Even though Wilson provides a high fantasy floor and will be a QB1 once again, he doesn’t have the upside to make him worth his draft price. His name value will vault him up draft boards, especially compared to other positions. Wilson comes in as my QB6 but only my 82nd overall player. I always recommend a late-round quarterback approach, so there’s zero chance I’ll have Wilson on any of my fantasy teams. There’s just too much late value to waste a sixth or seventh-round pick on Wilson.
Dart Throws
Greg Olsen
The Seahawks signed Olsen to a 1-year, $7 million contract in free agency to be their starting tight end. In 2019, that role was quite valuable, with Will Dissly averaging 14.8 PPR points from Weeks 1-5 as the starting tight end, fifth among tight ends. Then, after Dissly went out for the year, Jacob Hollister stepped into the same role from Weeks 7-17. He wasn’t as good as Dissly but averaged 9.4 PPR points, 15th among tight ends.
If Olsen is the sole receiving tight end, he should be a low-end TE1. He finished as the TE13 and 13th in fantasy PPG in 2019 despite playing on the Panthers’ terrible offense. However, the Seahawks seem to expect Dissly to return for Week 1 and also retained Hollister in restricted free agency. While I’m not sure about Dissly, I do think Olsen won’t have the receiving role all to himself in 2020. Since Olsen is also 35 years old and clearly on the back end of his career, he comes in as my TE22. I probably won’t draft him in any leagues at that price, but I’m sure he’ll come up as a streamer if he gets off to a hot start.
Backup Running Backs
The Seahawks have four backup running backs behind Carson. As I discussed before, Penny will start the season on the PUP list, which will cost him the first six games. While Penny flashed a couple of times in his first two seasons, there’s no reason to draft a player in redraft that will miss six games. I would suggest keeping an eye on Penny when he comes back, though. Right before he went down in 2019, Penny started to break out with 14 and 15 carries in the two previous games.
Outside of Penny, the Seahawks have Carlos Hyde, DeeJay Dallas, and Travis Homer on the roster. I liked Dallas as a redraft sleeper before they signed Hyde in free agency to a 1-year, $4 million contract. However, now their backfield situation is too muddy to invest in any of these players.
In the past, the Seahawks have often used three backs at once. When everyone is healthy, I expect Carson to carry the majority of the load, with Hyde giving him a break on early downs, and Dallas or Homer mixing in on third downs. Dallas and Homer were college teammates at Miami, where Homer ran ahead of Dallas, but the Seahawks spent more draft equity on Dallas than Homer. Even if Carson goes down, I think there will be a messy committee with all three backs involved, not to mention Penny when he comes back. Don’t waste your time on a Seahawks handcuff.
Receiving Fliers
Like the running backs, I’m not interested in the Seahawks’ depth options at tight end or wide receiver. While both Dissly and Hollister found success in 2019 at tight end, they’re both stuck behind Olsen on the depth chart and will compete with each other for snaps. If Olsen goes down and one of them consolidates the receiving role, they could find relevance, but I wouldn’t count on it.
As for the wide receivers, the Seahawks have David Moore, Phillip Dorsett, John Ursua, and Freddie Swain as their backup receivers. Moore flashed in 2018 but fell out of favor in 2019 behind Metcalf. Dorsett has shown promise at times for the Colts and Patriots but has never been fantasy relevant. Ursua and Swain have never shown anything on an NFL field. Unless there’s an injury to Metcalf or Lockett, I’d ignore this group altogether, and even then, they probably still won’t hit.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
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