The 2016 season for Seattle taught us a lot about several players on the team. And hopefully it helps our approach for the Seahawks in Fantasy leagues this year.
Russell Wilson was a failure as a Fantasy quarterback for the first time in his career as he battled through injuries to his knee and ankle. But don't let that ruin your opinion of him, and he should rebound as a standout Fantasy option in 2017.
Doug Baldwin showed that his outstanding performance in 2015 wasn't a fluke with another big year in 2016, and he should be considered among the top-tier Fantasy receivers in all leagues. He's worth drafting as early as Round 3.
Jimmy Graham bounced back from a devastating knee injury in 2015 to play like an elite Fantasy tight end again. And he's once again one of the best players at his position for this season.
And the Seahawks realized they missed Marshawn Lynch, as well as a competent offensive line, when the combination of Thomas Rawls, Christine Michael and C.J. Prosise was underwhelming as a group. But that problem is hopefully solved with the addition of free agent Eddie Lacy.
Lacy is the biggest difference for the Seahawks offense this season, and the backfield in Seattle will be a hot-button topic for Fantasy owners to follow throughout training camp. Will Lacy show up in shape? Can he outperform Rawls and Prosise? And is Lacy worth trusting this year?
Pete Carroll is excited about Lacy having a bounce-back season, and Fantasy owners should follow suit. And you should also expect Wilson to play better as well.
He set a career-high in passing yards with 4,219 to go with 21 touchdowns, but he also had a career-worst 11 interceptions and 259 rushing yards, along with only one rushing touchdown. Still, his track record should give you reason for optimism, as well as his return to health, and he's worth a mid-round pick in all leagues.
Carroll also expects the offensive line to improve with the additions of free agents Luke Joeckel and Oday Aboushi. The Seahawks offensive line was ranked last in the NFL last season by Pro Football Focus, so any improvement will be a positive one. And that should lead to better things on offense in Seattle.
You already knew a lot about the prominent players for the Seahawks because Wilson, Baldwin and Graham have been around for a while. And Lacy isn't a stranger to Fantasy owners either.
Our expectation is this should be a good offensive year in Seattle, and the Seahawks have plenty of players that Fantasy owners should gravitate toward this season.
Bounce-back candidate: Eddie Lacy
Lacy had a rough year with the Packers in 2016. Or did he? Sure, he was limited to just five games because of an ankle injury, but those five games were actually better than you think even though he failed to score a touchdown and had just one outing with more than 100 rushing yards. Lacy had 71 carries for 360 yards last year, which was 5.07 yards per carry. Of running backs with at least 70 carries, only seven were better. And if you project Lacy's stats over 16 games, he would have finished with 227 carries for 1,152 yards. Only eight running backs were better than that rushing total. Now, as for the touchdowns, it's doubtful he would have gone all season without scoring, and he averaged eight rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns over the first three years of his career. He also averaged 32 catches and 291 receiving yards over that span. If you give him those averages, along with his projected rushing stats, you're talking about a player who could have finished with about 1,400 total yards and 10 touchdowns. "He started out really well last year," Carroll said in an interview with CBS Sports. "He was on it pretty good. I'm hoping we can recapture where he was at that time last year. I love the player that he brings to us. He's physical, aggressive, tough, huge, well-rounded, versatile. ... He can do all that stuff. His attitude that he brings really complements our style of play. I think he's a really good fit." Lacy should prove to be better than Rawls and Prosise, and he's worth drafting in Round 5 in standard leagues and Round 7 in PPR. If he stays healthy then Lacy should be a rebound candidate in all leagues.
Proven star: Doug Baldwin
Baldwin is never going to be mentioned among the elite Fantasy receivers like Antonio Brown, Julio Jones or Odell Beckham. But he's earned the right to be in the next tier of Fantasy receivers, and he should be considered a No. 1 Fantasy option this year worth drafting by Round 3 in the majority of leagues. There were some who thought his performance in 2015 was a fluke when he had 78 catches for 1,069 yards and 14 touchdowns on 104 targets. But he followed that up with 94 catches for 1,128 yards and seven touchdowns on 125 targets last year. Wilson continues to improve as a passer, and Baldwin is his No. 1 weapon. We do hope Baldwin is more consistent this season since he scored double digits in Fantasy points in a standard league in only five games and at least eight points in just two others, and he scored six points or less in nine games. It's that kind of inconsistent production that lowers his value, but only slightly. Baldwin is in the same tier of receivers with Amari Cooper, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Demaryius Thomas, Alshon Jeffery, Terrelle Pryor and Allen Robinson. And based on his production the past two years, as well as what he's capable of doing this season, Baldwin could be the best of that bunch.
Late-round flier: Tyler Lockett
Carroll said Lockett will be ready for training camp coming off his broken leg in Week 16 last year. We just hope he's ready for Week 1. And if that's the case then he's worth drafting in all leagues with a late-round pick because Lockett could be a third-year breakout receiver this season. Lockett played well as a rookie in 2015 with 51 catches for 664 yards and six touchdowns on 68 targets, and he added 33 kickoff returns for 852 yards and a touchdown and 40 punt returns for 379 yards and a touchdown. But he regressed in 2016 with 41 catches for 597 yards and one touchdown on 67 targets, and he managed just 23 kickoff returns for 606 yards and no touchdowns and 29 punt returns for 243 yards and no scores before breaking his leg. Baldwin and Graham are the top two receiving targets for Wilson, but Lockett should be the third option. Even though Paul Richardson came on strong when Lockett was out, he's not the difference maker Lockett can be when he's healthy. We might not get the Lockett we saw when he was a rookie because of the injury, or just a general inability to return to that level. But it's worth the risk to find out, especially since the cost is just a late-round selection.
