2016 Fantasy Football Team Preview: Seattle Seahawks

 

2015 Fantasy Recap

It was a wild ride in 2015 for any fantasy players who owned any of Seattle’s main guys. From major breakout seasons to a plethora of injuries to big-name talents, the Seahawks had a weird year last season. Russell Wilson had a career year and Jimmy Graham went down with a season-ending knee injury. For the most part, though, whoever the next man up was in Seattle the team continued to flourish among the fantasy community. From a veteran such as Doug Baldwin to a newcomer in Thomas Rawls, this Seattle lineup didn’t fail to surprise us all!

Key Additions and Losses

Additions:

• Brandon Browner
• Christine Michael

Losses:

• Marshawn Lynch

QuarterBack Fantasy Outlook

Like I said above, Wilson had a career year in 2015 and led many fantasy owners to a championship, including myself. Last season, he completed 68.1 percent of his passing attempts for 4,024 yards, 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions for the Seahawks. Both his touchdown and yardage totals were career highs for Wilson, so I’m expecting him to build off of those stats for this season. He ended the 2015 fantasy campaign as the second-ranked overall quarterback with a total of 344 points for his owners and should be a top-five option once again this year.

The best part about Wilson is the fact that he can get the job done with very little well-known names. He helped to turn Doug Baldwin into a household fantasy name last year, putting him on the map. With a solid run game behind him in Rawls, Wilson should once again be an ultra-viable weekly option for you guys, regardless of the matchup. I’m expecting another 4,000+ yards and 30+ touchdowns year out of Wilson for 2016.

Grade: A

 Running Back Fantasy Outlook

The running back spot was plagued with injuries last year for the Seahawks, starting with veteran Marshawn Lynch who suffered an injury early in the season. Well, Thomas Rawls came in an absolutely dominated for Seattle to the tune of 147 rushing attempts for 830 yards and four touchdowns. Rawls started seven games for the Seahawks where he averaged a solid 5.65 yards per carry before fracturing his ankle towards the end of the year.

For now, Rawls is still recovering from his injury and is expected to be ready by Week 1 but let’s take a look at some other running backs on the depth chart. First, we have Christine Michael, who has had plenty of experience within this Seahawks offense. He previously played for Seattle before being cut last year and being picked up by both the Cowboys and Ravens. Well, he’s back and talented, so he’ll be a nice complementary back to Rawls. Also, Seattle has a couple of the Bills old running backs in Bryce Brown and Fred Jackson, so they have plenty of guys that can carry the load for the team.

Grade:  B-

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

Like I said earlier, Wilson has enough talent to make any of these receivers a viable fantasy option on any given day. The cream of the crop for this Seattle lineup is Baldwin, though. In 2015, he had a career year for a our fantasy squads and was a big-time waiver wire pickup that really made a difference for our lineups. Last season, Baldwin caught 78 passes on 103 targets for 1,069 yards and a massive 14 touchdowns. He ended the season as the seventh best wideout, finishing the year with 191 fantasy points.

The team also has a pair of talented, fast receivers in Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett. Neither one of them intrigue me a whole lot from a fantasy perspective but don’t count them out if there is an injury to Baldwin. One key thing to think about with Lockett is the fact that he returns kickoffs and punts for Seattle, so he can be a great addition to your squad if your league rewards individual players for special teams touchdowns.

Grade:  B-

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

Like most teams, the tight end spot is the toughest one to predict from a fantasy perspective. Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham is coming off a nasty knee injury and hasn’t really meshed well with Wilson thus far in his tenure with Seattle. Last season, Graham ruptured his patellar tendon but is actually going to be ready to go come Week 1 for the Seahawks. In 2015, he had a rather disappointing campaign for his fantasy owners, catching just 48 balls for 605 yards and two touchdowns in just 11 games. Other than Graham, the only potentially viable option that Seattle has at tight end would be Luke Wilson but he shouldn’t be on your radars whatsoever.

Grade: C+ 

Defensive Fantasy Outlook

This Seattle defense actually had a down year in 2015 from a fantasy standpoint, finishing the year as the 11th ranked squad. One good thing that comes with owning this Seahawks defense is the fact that they’ll get to play the NFC West. Playing both the Rams and 49ers offense should once again be a breeze this year with any defense, so I expect them to dominate those four games at least. Overall, with playmakers such as Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, this current Seattle defense should once again be one of the top-ranked options in the league this season.

Grade: B-

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