2022 Team Previews: Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks Fantasy Preview 2022

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Top 120

**D.K. Metcalf, WR (ADP: 47): Metcalf has dropped in ADP due to the Seahawks trading away his Pro Bowl QB, Russell Wilson, and replacing him with either Drew Lock or Geno Smith. That makes sense. But WR16 seems like too steep a drop for him, and that means he’ll be a value on draft day if this ADP holds. Metcalf is a beast of a human, who has scored 22 touchdowns in the last two seasons despite playing in one of the NFL’s most run-heavy offenses. He ranked inside PFF’s Top 15 WRs last season, and averaged 65.7 yards and a touchdown per game in the three games Wilson missed due to injury. Of course, over the course of a season, it is not good to downgrade so severely at QB, but Metcalf’s game can survive and remain highly relevant for fantasy. He is going to dominate target share, be the primary receiving threat in the red zone, and score touchdowns. Perhaps his ceiling has been lowered because of the diminished quality of his targets, but he’s still as safe as they come.

Tyler Lockett, WR (ADP: 87): Lockett’s ADP has dropped as well, coming off a career-high 1,175 yards in 2021, but unlike Metcalf, Lockett’s game isn’t QB-proof. Lockett was seventh in the NFL in yards per reception, and fifth in yards per target, while sharing incredible chemistry with Wilson. Lockett did have one blowup game with Geno Smith in Week 8, but endured a two-game stretch before that in which he totaled four receptions for 47 yards COMBINED. He’s about to go a whole season sans Wilson, so those deep shots are going to be a lot more erratic than he’s used to. Lockett isn’t a traditional red zone target, with five of his eight scores coming from beyond the 20. Lockett will need major volume to make up for the shakier deep shots, and in this offense he's unlikely to get them. This ADP builds in that decline, but even at this reduced price he may not return a ton of value. No. 86 overall is about right, so I’m neither excited nor down on him here. Just don’t expect many touchdowns or as many week-winning performances.

**Rashaad Penny, RB (ADP: 83): Penny is tricky, because he could be a league-winner at this ADP. Penny finally got a crack at the starting role and stayed reasonably healthy, and he averaged 6.3 yards per carry with 749 yards and six touchdowns in only 10 games. Penny won people titles in 2021, running for 130+ yards in four of Seattle’s final five games and scoring all six of his touchdowns in that span. It’s no stretch to believe he can produce at a high level consistently moving forward either, as that’s what he’s always done, just in very limited samples. Now he’s entering a season as the starter and the only reason to not buy in is injury risk. Penny’s injury history is truly awful. His 119 carries in 2021 were a career-high, and he’s never played in more than 14 games before. He also has a highly drafted rookie behind him who could assume control of the backfield if Penny misses time. Still, his potential at RB33 is unheard of and taking a chance on him here is a no-brainer.

Kenneth Walker III, RB (ADP: 90): Walker is a second round pick, and him going merely seven picks after Penny shows what fantasy managers think will happen in this backfield by and large. There’s no doubt about Walker’s talent; he ran rampant at Michigan State in 2021, amassing 1,725 yards from scrimmage and scoring 19 total touchdowns. That level of production, plus his draft capital, usually means he’s about to dominate touches for his new team. But this is the Seahawks, and we’ve seen this movie before with a guy named Rashaad Penny. He was drafted in the first round, but got hurt, allowed Chris Carson to perform, and didn’t get a chance to be the lead dog for nearly four years. Now Penny’s ahead of him, and without an injury, Pete Carroll’s not going to hand Walker the gig until he’s earned it. Walker could be a borderline RB1 if he gets the lead role, but he doesn’t have it now, making this ADP too rich for my blood. I’d prefer to draft Penny, who has equal, if not greater upside.

Fantasy Relevant (121-200 ADP)

Noah Fant, TE (ADP: 150): Poor Noah Fant, finally traded from the Broncos’ crowded receiving corps only to still be stuck with Drew Lock. Fant is a talented pass-catcher, but he’s gone from a run-heavy offense to an even run-heavier offense, with the same QB…or Geno Smith. There simply are not enough passes thrown or talent at QB for Fant to be reliable on a weekly basis. His ceiling is low, and he also has a low floor. This ADP is probably low for his talent level, but his role is so unappealing that he’ll be little more than a streamer.

Sleeper Class (200 & later)

Drew Lock, QB (ADP: 258): Lock probably has more upside than Geno Smith does, but that’s not saying a ton. Arm strength is there for Lock, and he’s been capable of supporting WR2-level receivers in Denver, but on his own he’s not a fantasy option outside of two-QB leagues. He simply throws too many interceptions to guarantee he’ll remain a starter, and he won’t throw enough passes to offset his mistakes through yardage.

Geno Smith, QB (ADP: 353): Smith is a sneaky option to beat out Lock for this job, as he performed decently in Wilson’s stead last year, but that doesn’t mean he can be started by fantasy managers. He was efficient, throwing five touchdowns against one interception, and he ran a bit, scoring a touchdown on the ground, but his 195.5 passing yards per game tell you all you need to know.