Fantasy Football Stock Watch: NFC West risers and fallers

Fantasy Football Stock Watch: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks made tangible changes of note this offseason to their skill position units, with the uninspiring Phillip Dorsett joining past-his-prime Greg Olsen as the only notable additions. Dorsett will battle David Moore for the largely ignored WR3 role in this offense.

Meanwhile, the 35 year-old Olsen joins a crowded, talented tight end room that features younger, talented options such as Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister, and rookie Colby Parkinson, a promising Round 4 pick out of Stanford.

Parkinson was the first skill position player selected by the Seahawks in the 2020 NFL Draft, followed closely behind by the University of Miami’s Deejay Dallas, who attempts to make a name for himself in camp while Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny continue to rehab from a fractured hip and a major knee injury, respectively.

The Seahawks kicked the tires on Devonta Freeman, among others, before ultimately signing Carlos Hyde to a 1 year, $2,750,000 contract. With Penny expected to start the season on the PUP list, expect Hyde, fresh off a 1,000 yard rushing season, to minimally enjoy a larger-than-expected role spelling Carson, with upside for more as Dallas learns the ropes.

Such expected turbulence at the running back and tight end position might faze some quarterbacks, but Russell Wilson surely sees unliiiiimited potential for this offense in 2020. Wilson is too pedestrian for some, but his steady rushing production makes him a strong, set-it-and-forget-it, high floor starting quarterback in any fantasy football league.

Even though he captains an offense that runs the ball more often than just about any team in the league, Wilson can put up numbers through the air thanks to a pair of talented receivers: Tyler Lockett and the famously buff DK Metcalf. Fantasy football analysts continue to argue who is the better dynasty option, and while you can’t go wrong with either, I lean towards Lockett.

Lockett’s catch rate ranked among the NFL’s best for the second straight season, and his passer rating of 124.7 when targeted in 2019 ranked fifth among all NFL wide receivers. While Lockett caught more passes, racked up more yards, and snagged more touchdowns, Metcalf silenced critics who hailed him as a “one-trick pony” by snagging 58 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie season.

The sky’s the limit for both receivers in an offense that may not be able to run the football as well as they hope to. The Seahawks will either fly or nosedive this season, based on how well (and how often) Wilson is able to connect with his two budding superstar receivers.