Despite posting a 10-7 record in 2024, the Seahawks underwent
major changes on offense during the offseason, which included
trading Geno Smith to the Raiders while inking Darnold to a three-year
deal worth just a shade over $100 million. Given where Darnold
was 12 months earlier, it’s a stunning rise for the former
No. 3 overall pick, who had bounced around with four franchises
over his first seven seasons in the NFL, last holding a regular
starting job in 2021.
Darnold immediately jelled with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell,
though, and he took over the QB1 role when rookie J.J. McCarthy
injured his knee during the preseason. The USC alum went on to
lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record while racking up big-time numbers:
4,139 yards, 35 TDs, and 12 INTs. He played poorly in the final
two games, however, losing in Detroit with the NFC North and top
seed on the line, and then getting brutalized by the Rams in a
Wild Card Weekend loss that ended their season. It was enough
to make Minnesota think their future was better off with McCarthy,
which paved the way for the move to the Emerald City.
For fantasy owners, the change of address is a killer for Darnold’s
outlook. He goes from operating O’Connell’s offense
with talent like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson
to leading a unit built for a more balanced approach after Seattle
threw the ball 593 times last year (seventh-most in the league).
While it seems crazy to suggest that someone that finished in
the top 10 among fantasy QBs just a season ago should go undrafted,
it feels like that’s where we are. At best, you could consider
Darnold a low-end QB2, albeit with concerns that he could revert
to his pre-Vikings form and not even offer playable value.
In three years with the club, Walker has shown flashes of being
a workhorse back with explosive ability and a nose for the end
zone. He’s also been banged up, missing nine games, including
five this past season, and watching his production dip each year,
going from 228-1,050-9 as a rookie all the way to 153-573-7 in
2024. Beyond his overall production, his down in, down out effectiveness
has also waned, with yard-per-carry averages of 4.6 in 2022, 4.1
in 2023, and 3.7 in 2024.
You can’t put all that on Walker, and the Seahawks agreed, utilizing
the 18th overall pick on Grey Zabel to bolster the interior of
the offensive line. The hiring of Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator
was also aimed at revitalizing a stagnant running attack. That
should help. At the same time, Zach Charbonnet was far more productive
last year after a shaky rookie effort, and he could be angling
for more snaps in the new offensive scheme.
Walker enters camp as the presumptive lead back once again, and
there have been no rumblings to suggest his spot in his danger.
Despite that, it feels like he’s on unsteady ground. He’s
had durability issues, which includes being sidelined during OTAs
with a minor ankle injury, and was markedly less effective than
Charbonnet last year. He’s also entering a contract year,
so the team might view this as an opportunity to make the transition
at lead back. Walker would be a risky RB2, but his upside is such
that he's unlikely to last long enough to be available as an RB3.
As such, owners need to decide if his ceiling is worth rolling
the dice on early in drafts.
A second-round selection in 2023, Charbonnet was mostly disappointing
as a rookie, turning 141 total touches into 671 yards and one
touchdown. He was better in Year 2. While the explosiveness was
still less than ideal, he tallied 909 yards and 9 TDs, and he
did some nice work filling in for Walker, who dealt with injuries
that kept him on the shelf for five games. The former Bruin is
a capable receiver (42-340-1 in 2024) and has shown he can contribute
both as a primary and secondary option.
So, how do the Seahawks view him for 2025? That’s the big question,
and there’s no clear answer. The team values his reliability,
and his disciplined style of running could be a nice match for
Kubiak’s outside zone scheme, but he can’t match Walker’s burst,
and on a team that looks short on playmakers that could undermine
his desirability. Charbonnet should at least be in line for a
higher share of touches this season, and there’s a pathway for
even more given Walker’s durability concerns. As a high-end RB4,
Charbonnet provides good depth for fantasy owners along with some
legitimate upside.
A year ago, the Seahawks believed they had one of the game’s
top receiving trios with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Smith-Njigba.
Now, only JSN remains, with Metcalf being traded to Pittsburgh
and Lockett signing with the Titans. After a nondescript debut
campaign, Smith-Njigba was the team’s steadiest and most
productive wideout in his second season, leading the team in targets
(137), receptions (100), yards (1,130), and touchdowns (6), though
he trailed both Metcalf and Lockett in yards per catch (11.3).
While he heads into the new season as the top option, there are
some question marks, most notably how he’ll function without Metcalf
around to draw coverage and how he’ll do lining up on the outside
while newcomer Cooper Kupp takes snaps in the slot -- granted,
Smith-Njigba wasn’t exclusively a slot receiver his first two
years, and Kubiak reportedly plans to move wideouts around, but
the expectation is still for the former Buckeye to see a lower
percentage of his snaps there.
Despite some uncertainty, Smith-Njigba is fully expected to be
the No. 1 option for Darnold, and though we still need to see
how their chemistry develops, the veteran quarterback showed he
was capable of feeding volume targets like Jefferson and Addison
in Minnesota. Easily the surest thing for the Seahawks in the
passing game, JSN looks like a nice midrange WR2 for fantasy owners.
In 2021, Kupp won the NFL’s Triple Crown, leading the league
in receptions (145), yards (1,947), and touchdowns (16) en route
to capturing Super Bowl MVP honors. In three seasons since, the
veteran has combined for 201 catches, 2,259 yards, and 17 TDs.
Injuries have played a major part in his decline as he missed
18 games over that stretch, appearing in no more than 12 games
in a season. That led to the Rams waiving Kupp back in March.
Kupp reportedly had interest from multiple clubs, including San
Francisco, but ultimately chose to sign a three-year deal with
Seattle, bringing him back to the state he was born as well as
where he played his college ball at Eastern Washington. Even though
he has struggled to stay healthy, the Seahawks are betting that
the 32-year-old still has some gas left in the tank after eight
seasons with LA.
Reports from OTAs were positive with the veteran still showing
the traits that made him one of the NFL’s elite route runners,
but there’s little doubt the version we saw in 2021 is gone
for good. As your fourth or fifth receiver you could take the
plunge on Kupp and hope he can turn back the clock for another
year to deliver WR3 value.
Following the release of Noah Fant (48-500-1 in 2024), the Seahawks
appear ready to hand the starting job at tight end to Arroyo,
a second-round pick in this year’s draft. The rookie missed
much of 2022 and 2023 due to knee injuries but averaged 16.9 yards
per catch at the University of Miami (Fl.) last year. He has plus
athleticism and is a willing blocker, which is important with
Seattle expected to pound the rock more this season. If the team
discovers Arroyo isn’t ready, AJ Barner would likely get
the nod. Barner caught four TD passes as a rookie, though he is
known more for his blocking.
While the recent success of guys like Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers
has shown that rookies can deliver immediate results at tight
end, a notoriously difficult position to transition from college
to the pros, there’s no obvious reason to think Arroyo is
ready to step in and contribute meaningful numbers right away.
He’s not worth drafting outside of keeper leagues, and you’d
want to see at least a few weeks of solid production before even
adding him to a watch list.
