BALLER MOVE: Sit in Standard 10-12 team leagues
POSITIONAL VALUE: WR4
ANALYSIS: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver started 2024 looking like his old self, being targeted seven times and hauling in six passes for 77 yards. The "old self" narrative came crashing down in Week 2, when he was targeted just twice, catching both for 15 yards. 3.5 PPR fantasy points aren't great.
Meanwhile, fellow Seahawks WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba and D.K. Metcalf lit up the stat sheets, being targeted 16 and 14 times respectively. Smith-Njigba scored 23.70 fantasy points and Metcalf racked up 28.90. Lockett was an afterthought in this iteration of OC Ryan Grubb's offense.
Some very promising signs on #Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba:
1. Has run 69 routes on 76 Geno dropbacks this season. That's more than Tyler Lockett (62).
2. Still getting a lot of short-area targets, but now mixing in deeper routes. Average depth of target yesterday was 10.6… pic.twitter.com/45PT8IlzFM
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) September 16, 2024
Lockett making way for Smith-Njigba was only a matter of time. While Lockett probably won't see just two targets per game for the remainder of the season, he's also unlikely to see seven or more. Lockett is 31 and dealing with a thigh injury, and until he's fully healthy, he's not worth starting.
When he does recover, provided the injury doesn't linger, he's still a WR4. Metcalf and Smith-Njigba should be prioritized targets ahead of Lockett. Former OC Shane Waldron went out of his way to get Lockett involved, and Grubb seems to understand that's not great for the offense overall.
Lockett still has some juice in him, but he's likely to be too inconsistent for fantasy managers to rely on, with a lower ceiling than last season. He's better left on the bench.
More Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
Aaron Jones - Week 3 Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
BALLER MOVE: Start in All Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: RB2 ANALYSIS: Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones had a significantly poorer showing in Week 2, scoring just 8.80 PPR fantasy points after dropping 18.90 on the Giants in Week 1. However, he was facing the tough 49ers defense. Starting running backs in fantasy against San Francisco […]
Brian Robinson Jr. - Week 3 Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
BALLER MOVE: Start in All Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: RB2 ANALYSIS: While Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. is in a committee with fellow RB Austin Ekeler, he's the clear lead back, out-touching Ekeler in both games and serving as the primary RB on early downs. He's also been involved in the passing game as […]
Andrei Iosivas - Week 3 Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
BALLER MOVE: Start in 14+ Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: WR3 ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas has served as the No. 2 wideout, while Tee Higgins (hamstring) has missed the first two games of the season. In the season opener, Iosivas saw six targets but was only able to catch three of them for […]
Najee Harris - Week 3 Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
BALLER MOVE: Start in 12+ Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: RB3/FLEX ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris picked up where he left off in 2023, as a plodder handling a huge workload but failing to find much efficiency. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry in 2023 and has averaged 3.76 yards per carry through two […]
Sam Darnold - Week 3 Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
BALLER MOVE: Start in 12+ Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: Low-end QB1 ANALYSIS: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has looked quite sharp through the first two weeks of the regular season and should be viewed as a low-end QB1 in this weekend as he will face the Houston Texans. Darnold has thrown for at least two […]