ESPN recently debuted their first Fantasy Football player ranking for the 2015 season and the Seattle Seahawks have four players in the top five of the position rankings. Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Jimmy Graham and Steven Hauschka are all top tier options at their respective positions.
Wilson ranked third among fantasy quarterbacks despite his "game manager" label from some NFL analysts. His strengths come from his dual-threat ability; he can make things happen with his arm and his legs. Wilson threw for 3,475 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 849 yards and six touchdowns in 2014. He had 11 games with at least 16 fantasy points last year and should only see his passing numbers increase with the presence of tight end Jimmy Graham. Expect more pass attempts in the red zone thanks to his shiny new weapon.
Speaking of which, Graham unsurprisingly ranked second among tight ends behind Rob Gronkowski. Wilson's ability to extend plays will help give Graham more time to get open (not that he needs it) and make plays. However, Graham is leaving one of the most pass-happy offenses for one of the most run-oriented teams in the league. Drew Brees attempted 41 passes a game last year while Wilson attempted just 28. There is a ceiling on what Graham will be able to do from a fantasy standpoint.
But what is Lynch's ceiling? On one hand, he is the only running back to rush for at least 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns in each of the last four seasons and he leads the NFL in scores with 56 since 2011. On the other, he also leads the NFL in carries in that time frame with a whopping 1,181. Lynch is 29 and sooner or later that immense workload is going to catch up with him. Will it be this season?
So there you have it, folks. Seattle boasts a handful of high end fantasy options for the 2015 season but each player comes with his own set of question marks. It will be fun to watch how it all plays out.
