Now we enter the dark part of summer waiting for camps to open so many weeks from now. This is the time for speculation and analysis of all sorts of meaningless things just to keep us clicking. I do have something brewing in my mind as a June nugget of wisdom for fantasy coaches. And that will be coming soon…

QB-

Seattle will be a different team with different coaching. Trying to anticipate just how well QB Geno Smith will perform by fantasy metrics will be difficult. In general, the defense is going to keep them from being at the caliber needed to compete in the NFC West. Geno could outperform, but he could also underperform. If the scheme favors the run or the offensive line just cannot keep things together then it could be a long year for Geno owners. But that will really not come into focus until the first few games. And really the schedule starts out in a way that could let them keep their real plan hidden for a bit longer and still win.

What do we know about the offensive line? Anything would have to be better than last year. We have to assume RT Abe Lucas will be back until he isn’t. And we should assume he can only hold the job over RT George Fant if he is healthy. And Fant is definitely okay. My starting assumption is that the line will be LT Charles Cross, LG Laken Tomlinson, OC Olu Oluwatimi, RG Christian Haynes, and RT Abe Lucas. OG Anthony Bradford could hold his position against the rookie or move to the left side. But if this is the line, then it is okay. The coaching and system could make it better. But it will be okay.

RB-

I did not wait too long to bring up my June nugget. And it will not be a surprise to anyone who read my reports last season. The bottom line is that RB Zach Charbonnet simply looked all season like he was the one who should have been fed the rock. It was painful only having 10 or 15 or maybe 20 running plays when he was showing breakaway potential. Not that RB Ken Walker is bad. But if you are wanting a fantasy coaching move that will impress your friends come midseason, then make sure Charbonnet is on your team with or without Walker. This is a tip way beyond handcuffing. Should everything fall into place Charbonnet could put a healthy Walker on the bench. And last year they should have changed the game plans (they did have those, right?) to give him the chance to change the game.

WR-

Another fantasy sleeper may be WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, if you could call him that. JSN underperformed last year despite all the tools to stretch defenses to the breaking point when combined with WR DK Metcalf and WR Tyler Lockett. Instead we had the fantasy nightmare of either Lockett or Metcalf having a good game and the other not. And with very little predictability of which way it would go. Metcalf should be extraordinary with JSN distracting double teams, but so far we have had to leave off the extra. So what will it be with a system change? See there is the problem. The system change and line improvement (even if it is just to average instead of painful-to-watch) seems to favor a lot of guys getting extra fantasy value over last year. But it does not work that way. So, JSN is a sleeper but DK is the superstar and has to perform otherwise he is just not DK.

TE-

TE Noah Fant and TE Pharaoh Brown are fine, but my last note carries over to here. Not everyone can get better fantasy numbers. These guys will be protecting or runblocking and who knows if they can put up reasonable fantasy numbers. They are a gamble.

K-

PK Jason Myers. I do not think any fan likes him much as a player, but he is what we got and his numbers are okay.

D-

Let’s lead with what really matters. I simply do not think the linebackers can get the job done. I thought the front seven last year should have been competing to be the weakest in the NFL and they surprised me. So I obviously can be off the mark. But now the defensive line itself is going to be a blast. DT Byron Murphy and DT Leonard Williams are a reckoning. DE Dre’Mont Jones looks like he is stepping up. But what will LB Tyrel Dodson, LB Jerome Baker and LB Tyrice Knight bring to the equation? And behind them we find what should have been a rockin’ secondary last year but was actually just meh. CB Devon Witherspoon is scary talented, but he cannot do it on his own. CB Riq Woolen needs to rebound after a stale season. And I think that S Rayshawn Jenkins and S K’Von Wallace can prove that they are not a huge step backwards. This defense has potential, but odds are that they will cost the Seahawks games and be the reason for no postseason. And I may be okay with that because watching Murphy and Williams is going to be that much fun.

Go Hawks!

End.