Fantasy Impact: What Russell Wilson's Return Would Mean for the Seahawks Offense
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll nipped the Russell Wilson rumors in the bud in an interview with the media at the NFL Combine on Tuesday. When asked if the Seahawks were open to trading the star signal-caller, Carroll said the team had “no intention” of trading Wilson.
Though they have heard from multiple teams, Carroll said GM John Schneider fields calls on Wilson with the same response every time: "We're not shopping the quarterback."
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Wilson himself told NBC’s Craig Melvin on Monday, “I got people hitting me up every day, all my friends and all that from the East Coast but Seattle’s the place I’m at right now and I love it.”
So, assuming Wilson remains put, what can fantasy managers expect in 2022?
Well, for one thing, it looks like Seattle will do what they can to make sure Rashaad Penny stays put, too. Carroll raved about the running back at his media session, saying “his confidence just soared” down the stretch, and “hopefully we can get him back.” Penny is an impending free agent.
Fantasy managers remember Penny as the waiver wire pickup that likely won them their fantasy championships last season. Across the last five games of the season, Penny rushed for 671 yards and six rushing touchdowns. He averaged 6.29 yards per attempt on the season (best in the league among running backs with at least 100 attempts), and rushed for 135-plus yards in four of the last five games of the season.
Chris Carson is entering the second year of a $10.4 million contract, but with his latest injury concerns, Seattle could choose to move on – they could save $4.9 million against the cap with a dead cap hit of just $1.5 million. Penny, as long as he can remain healthy, could get the chance to continue his late-season breakout with the Seahawks in 2022.
At wideout, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will remain top picks with Wilson under center.
Metcalf had a disappointing 2021 season based on his draft-day capital, with only 967 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, but with a full season of Wilson (who missed three starts due to injury), those numbers should be much improved in 2022. Across the last three games of the season, with Wilson’s thumb mostly healed, Metcalf had 162 yards and caught four touchdown passes. Metcalf finished the season as the WR14 in PPR leagues.
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Lockett was the ultimate boom-or-bust receiver in 2021, finishing with 1,175 yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Lockett started the season with a bang, with 278 yards and three touchdowns in his first two games. Across his next five games, he didn’t top 57 yards, and he didn’t find the end zone again until Week 11, but overall, he delivered. Lockett finished the season as WR16 in PPR leagues, and outperformed his draft-day ADP.
As for Wilson, it was the first year he missed multiple games due to injury. His thumb was clearly not 100% when he returned in Week 10, but by Week 17 he looked more like himself. The Seahawks won both of their last two games, and Wilson finished the season as the QB16 despite missing three games. On a points-per-game basis, Wilson was the QB13 even while playing through injury.
With a fully- healthy Wilson set in Seattle, fantasy managers should capitalize on any and all draft-day values for Wilson and his playmakers.
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