Seattle Seahawks

With high-stakes fantasy football legend Shawn Childs anchoring Sports Illustrated's fantasy coverage, we decided to give our take on Shawn's Team Outlooks. While we won't always agree, Shawn's pedigree speaks for itself. Shawn has been a high-stakes Fantasy Football legend since 2004 when he had success in his first season (three titles and $25,000 in winnings). Childs has competed and won six-figures in all different formats – auctions, draft championships, main events, and high-dollar leagues. We dare you to find an expert who knows the NFL player pool better than Shawn Childs -- it can't be done!

The new era for the Seattle Seahawks started in the offseason after trading away QB Russell Wilson and having their first losing season (7-10) since 2011. The new beginning starts with QB Drew Lock and TE Noah Fant, blended with their two star wideouts (DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett). The Seahawks' defense struggled to get offenses off the field last year, leaving Seattle with many questions to answer before moving back up their division rankings. In addition, the running back position has a chance to be improved with the addition of Kenneth Walker and a late-season by Rashaad Penny.

Offense

Seattle ran the least amount of plays (908) in 2021. They ranked poorly in rushing and passing attempts. The Seahawks want to run the ball despite having impact talent in the passing game. The most significant difference this season will be the late-game wins by the quarterback position.

QB Geno Smith - Deep-league Only

When asked to start last year with Russell Wilson injured, Smith passed 702 yards with five touchdowns and one interception over four games. His completion rate (68.4) was the best of his career while gaining 7.4 yards per pass attempt. He added nine rushes for 42 yards and one score.

Smith has a 13-21 record over his eight years in the NFL after getting drafted in the second round in 2013. He has more interceptions (37) than touchdowns (34). Over his first two seasons, Smith chipped in on the ground (72/366/6 and 59/238/1).

Fantasy outlook: Smith has a slight lead on the starting QB job in Seattle but has proven over his career that he is little more than a short-term answer. He showed solid chemistry last season with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in a 4-game substitute role, but he's little more than a mediocre QB2 in a Superflex format even if he beats out Drew Lock.

QB Drew Lock - Deep-league Only

Over three seasons with Denver, Lock went 8-13 with 30 combined touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Teddy Bridgewater beat him out for the starting job last year. He battled a shoulder issue late in the season.

In his short career, his completion rate (59.3) and yards per pass attempt (6.7) ranked poorly with some help in the run game (72/285/5). Lock gained over 300 passing yards three times in his 21 career starts.

When at his best in 2017 at Missouri, he passed for 3,964 yards over 13 starts with 44 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Fantasy outlook: The starting job for Seattle is up for grabs, so Lock has a lot to prove over the summer. His game may play better in an offense with a strong running game and the ability to attack deep. In the National Fantasy Football Championship, he ranks 60th at quarterback. At best, Lock will be a one-game fill-in for a fantasy drafter swimming on the waiver wire during a bye week.

RB Rashaad Penny - Gamble (high risk)

Penny blew out his ACL in his left knee early in December of 2019, leading to a slow recovery and empty stats (11/34) the following season. Over his first 24 games in the league, Penny gained 947 combined yards with six touchdowns and 17 catches while gaining 5.3 yards per rush.

Last year, calf and hamstring issues led to minimal chances (17/43) and seven missed games over the first 12 weeks. Penny finished with four explosive showings (16/137/2, 17/135/1, 25/170/2, and 23/190/1) in the run game over the final five weeks. Seattle gave him only eight targets all year (six catches for 48 yards). He gained 20 yards or more on 11 of his 119 rushes, leading to 6.3 yards per carry.

Fantasy outlook: With 27 missed games over his first four seasons in the NFL, Penny has low mileage while bringing an explosive style in the run game of the Seahawks. A fantasy drafter must snub their nose at his career path and understand his potential with an entire season of touches. He has an ADP of 91 in the NFFC in early July. I expect him to win the starting job with a chance to touch the ball 275 times (1,400 combined yards with 8-10 scores and 25 catches.

RB Kenneth Walker III - Quality Backup

After two quiet seasons at Wake Forest (217/1,158/17 with six catches for 47 yards), Walker pushed his game higher after transferring to Michigan State. He gained 1,725 combined yards with 19 touchdowns and 13 catches. His best success came in three matchups (23/264/4, 29/233/1, and 23/197/5).

Walker did an excellent job mixing up his run cadence last season. When asked to fire up the middle, he had the vision and speed to create big plays. At the same time, he would delay his forward motion to help his blockers and possibly create running lanes. Walker has the quickness and burst to get himself out of jail in tight quarters on some runs. His willingness to retreat on a lost play and reverse direction led to some success at Michigan State, but this thought process could kill some drives in the NFL if Walker takes significant losses. He's had limited chances in the passing game, but his game may improve in this area over time. Walker did get a negative grade in his pass protection skill, pointing to an early-down role early in his career.

Fantasy outlook: Walker has a tweener feel in the fantasy market due to his expected role in his rookie season. His ADP (78) in the NFFC priced him as the 27th running back drafted. Early down runners have much less value in PPR leagues, so I would be careful targeting Walker ahead of his draft value. The Seahawks have two running back questions on their roster, giving Walker a chance to quickly jump up their depth chart.

RB DeeJay Dallas - Deep-league Only

Dallas is a player looking to find his identity in the game of football. In high school, he played quarterback with the idea of becoming a wide receiver in college. Miami moved him to running back, where his game did show some upside and explosiveness (5.8 yards per rush and 11.3 yards per catch).

Over his final two seasons in college, Dallas gained 1,535 combined yards with 14 touchdowns and 24 catches while gaining 5.8 yards per rush.

Seattle gave him 51 touches in his rookie season, leading to 219 combined yards with three touchdowns and 17 catches. His role and opportunity barely changed last year (271 combined yards with two touchdowns and 21 catches).

Other Options: Travis Homer, Josh Johnson, Darwin Thompson

WR Freddie Swain - Deep-league Only

Swain owns an edge in speed (4.46 in the 40-yard dash) with enough strength to hold off defenders. His issues come with route running and movements when trying to create separation. He does protect well in the open field with reliable hands. For now, Swain needs to develop his plan and technique while showing he can handle top NFL cornerback in press coverage.

Seattle looked his way 21 times in his rookie season, leading to 13 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Swain finished last year with almost doubled his opportunity (25/343/4 on 40 targets). His best output came in Week 2 (5/95/1).

Over his final two seasons in Florida, he caught 52 of his 84 targets for 782 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Fantasy outlook: In 2022, Swain projects as the early leader to win the WR3 for the Seahawks. Seattle improved the tight position in the offseason, pointing to a minimal role for their third wideout.

WR DK Metcalf - Solid/Safe Pick

Metcalf finished last season with the same number of targets (129), but he caught eight fewer passes with a sharp decline in receiving yards (1,303 – 967). Over his first two years, he gained 30 yards or more on 30 of his 141 catches (21.3%), with nine of those plays reaching the 40-yards mark. He has 29 career touchdowns in his 49 games played.

His only game with over 100 yards receiving came in Week 3 (6/107/1). Metcalf failed to gain over 65 yards in any of his final 10 starts with a six-game swoon without a score.

A lingering foot issue over the final three months of last season led to Metcalf having surgery in mid-February to remove a screw.

Fantasy outlook: The change in quarterback in 2022 for Seattle led to Metcalf slipping to the 16th wide receiver drafted in the NFFC in July with an ADP of 43. Talent-wise, he appears to be a value. Metcalf is in a contract year with the tools and explosiveness to catch five balls per game. He looks to be on a path to gain at least 1,100 yards with a step back in scoring.

WR Tyler Lockett - Solid/Safe Pick

Despite dropping 25 targets from 2020 (137), Lockett gained over 1,000 yards for the third straight season. Seattle used him more in the deep passing game, with DK Metcalf battling a foot injury, leading to a spike in his yards per catch (16.1 – 10.9 in 2020). He finished with a career-high in yards (1,175), 20+ yard catches (22), and 40+ yard catches (7). Lockett crossed the end zone 36 times over the past four years, covering 64 games. His catch rate (74.4) has been elite over this span.

Last year he posted five impact games (4/100/2, 8/178/1, 12/142, 5/142/1, and 5/98/2) while adding help in two other contests (4/115) and 7/68/1). On his down days, Lockett scored fewer than 8.00 fantasy points in six games, giving him a boom or bust ride for fantasy teams.

Over the past three seasons, he ranked 13th (236.30), 8th (265.40), and 16th (241.40) in fantasy scoring in PPR formats

Fantasy outlook: The loss of Russell Wilson invites regression in Lockett's production. In July, he comes off the board as the 38th wide receiver in the NFFC. With 80 catches for 1,050 yards and five scores, Lockett projects to be a mid-tier WR2 in PPR formats. I expect him to outperform his ADP in 2022.

WR D'Wayne Eskridge - Low Potential

Over his final four seasons at Western Michigan, Eskridge caught 105 passes for 2,139 yards and 14 touchdowns on 195 targets. He gained 20.4 yards per catch while pushing his game forward in 2020 (34/784/8 over six games).

With defenses focusing on shutting down WR DK Metcalf, Seattle wanted to add another deep threat in the second round in 2021 to take advantage of single coverage on the outside. Eskridge brings speed to burn while creating an edge with his open-field ability. His route running needs plenty of work, pointing to a minimal role out of the gate. Seattle should get some early success out of him in the return game.

In his rookie season, Eskridge finished with 10 catches for 64 yards and one touchdown on 20 targets.

Fantasy outlook: His ceiling is high enough to win the WR3 job in his sophomore year. Eskridge is only a player to follow over the summer while being found in the free-agent pool in all formats. He missed time in June with a hamstring issue.

Other Options: Bo Melton, Marquise Goodwin, Penny Hart

TE Noah Fant - Quality Backup

After delivering TE2 stats (40/562/3 on 65 targets), Fant improved to 8th and 12th in tight end scoring the following seasons with almost identical stats (62/673/3 and 68/670/4). He averaged 5.9 targets over his last 31 starts.

His only two impact games came in Week 6 (9/97/1) and Week 17 (6/92/1) in 2021, but Fant had eight games with 8.00 fantasy points or fewer. He gained over 100 yards twice in his rookie season (3/115/1 and 4/113/1).

Fantasy outlook: At the very least, Fant should have a baseline and chemistry with Drew Lock. To deliver a top 10 fantasy tight end season, he needs the Seahawks to throw a few more balls to the position. Fant had an ADP of 149 in the early draft season in the NFFC while ranking 17th. The early training camp reports out of Seattle suggest he is ready to take a step forward. His next step should be 75 catches for 850 yards and five to seven scores. Fant should be a target as a TE2 while understanding he offers much higher value.

Other Options: Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson, Tyler Mabry

PK Jason Myers - Not Draft Worthy

From 2018 to 2020, Myers made 80 of his 88 field goals (90.9) with success from 50 yards or more (10-for-13). Unfortunately, he lost his way last season, leading to six missed field goals in his 23 attempts. His fade invites job loss risk. In his career, Myers was far from a lock when kicking extra points (239-for-265 – 90.2%).

Fantasy outlook: No one will fight for Myers in fantasy drafts over the summers. He also needs Seattle to create more scoring chances to draw more attention as a matchup play in 2022.

Seattle - Not Draft Worthy

Seattle plummeted to 17th in rushing yards allowed (1,932 yards) with 16 touchdowns and eight runs over 20 yards. Rusher gained 3.8 yards per carry with 29.9 attempts per game. Their failure against the run was more of a volume issue due to their defense struggling to get offenses off the field.

The Seahawks repeated their 31st ranking in passing yards allowed (4,513) with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Their defenses finished with 34 sacks.

Their secondary has two above-average players at safety, but the cornerback position looks to be in full rebuild mode. LB Jordyn Brooks posted an incredible season in tackles (184), but receivers dusted him for many scores and yards with a high completion rate. Seattle must develop two other linebackers in 2022. No other player stands out on the defensive line.

Seattle has the coaching staff to put their defenders in good positions, but they can't plug all those weaknesses in one offseason. As a result, I have no fantasy interest in the Seahawks' defense in 2022.