The first preseason game has given us a good idea of what the new Seahawks will be like this year. First, it is important to remember that the Seahawks have a long way to go. For instance the offensive line after RT Abe Lucas went down last year was in conversation to be the worst in the league. So ‘Hawk fans can be excited about being better on the line, but that does not mean that we think they are the best in the league. I am excited by them being at or above average at this point. Seattle will be that. They will be competitive in the trenches and will have a chance at being the most physical team on the field. It has been a while since that could be said. Beyond that, I may have been wrong on a few things earlier, but I will keep correcting my predictions as we go along.

QB-

Yeah. I am not wrong here. QB Geno Smith is looking better than ever. I think he will be a steal in most fantasy drafts. QB Sam Howell looks like he can perform in a pinch, but he is not the future and not in fantasy discussions. Geno will definitely benefit from a better line and from a general improvement on the commitment to blocking and protecting the passer from other positions as well. What Pete Carroll could not do was give these guys a fresh start and they are getting a reboot on the essentials now.

The big news is OC Connor Williams coming in healthy. This line was horrid, but adding Williams and LG Laken Tomlinson and RT George Fant already makes this group at least average. If Williams is 100% healthy, LT Charles Cross takes a step up in his 3rd season and RT Abe Lucas returns from injury at the level he was at as a rookie, then they are even better. And that allows them to put the best available guy in at right guard. Maybe, just maybe they can compete to be one of the top 10 in the league? But even if they are only in the top 20 they will be a lot more fun to watch than being one of the bottom 5 (or 3 or 1).

RB-

So I was pretty sold on RB Zach Charbonnet looking like he can have better numbers than RB Ken Walker, but not so much now. Both these guys look solid, but Walker looks like a 3 down guy now. Maybe Charbonnet steals some goal lines from Walker, but overall this may be an all-in on Walker game plan. We likely will not know that for sure until the Denver game. I would draft Walker with confidence. Charbonnet, maybe as a flier with one of your last picks.

WR-

I am not going to backpedal on my WR DK Metcalf guidance. Draft him, start him, ride him. This is going to be glorious. The Geno to DK connection is going to be so good that the east coast media might have to even acknowledge it. I have spent years typing every week that fantasy coaches have to gamble by starting either DK or WR Tyler Lockett because there was no knowing who was going to have the hot hand. Well even with WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba looking better than he did all last year this has become pure and simply DK’s moment.

TE-

Tight ends have always been tricky for me in fantasy. I do not draft them until late and then you have the ups and downs of whether or not they will contribute. So I do prefer to draft someone who is at least fun to watch. TE Noah Fant and TE Pharaoh Brown are fine and likely will have some good targets. But TE Brady Russell is something special. I do not know how that will translate to fantasy stats yet, but at the very least he will be fun to watch. I plan to get him on one of the last rounds of my draft and see what happens.

K-

Ah, PK Jason Myers. Missing an extra point but hitting a 48 yarder in the first preseason game. No better description that I could think of for who he is. And he is one of the highest paid in the league at doing it. Bonus.

D-

Again, this D is crawling up from being in discussions as being one of the worst in the league. They are going to have their intangibles in place and techniques down. They are going to hit and cover. They are mostly going to tackle well. That will be a big improvement. I am thinking the early IDP nod may go to LB Tyrel Dodson. Teams are going to have to figure out how to avoid CB Devon Witherspoon and CB Riq Woolen. And the defensive line is likely going to be rotating a lot. But Dodson should be in for 100% of the snaps and should be at least a bit - a bit - reminiscent of LB Bobby Wagner. All in all I think this D may put up decent fantasy numbers this year. If you are not drafting a team D early enough to get one of the top 10, then consider grabbing Seattle. They have tremendous upside with a new system and lots of new faces added to a solid secondary.

Go Hawks!

End.