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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been constantly overlooked in his young NFL career. All 32 NFL teams passed on him at least twice in the 2012 draft before Seattle finally took him in the third round. Many scoffed when they heard he somehow had been named the Seahawks’ opening day starter over Matt Flynn. And in Fantasy Football drafts last summer he was completely ignored, for the most part.
All of this just proves how wrong people can be. Last year Russell Wilson not only proved that he deserved to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but he also proved that he has the potential to be one of the best. He has played a crucial role in helping turn Seattle from a mediocre team into legit Super Bowl contender, and at the same time he has emerged as a fantasy difference maker. In fact, during the second half of last season, Wilson was more than a fantasy difference maker; he was a fantasy superstar. Wilson completed 67.2 percent of his pass attempts, threw 16 touchdowns to only two interceptions and posted a league best 120.3 passer rating over the final eight games. He also showcased his ability to run the ball, running for 361 yards and four touchdowns in only eight games. He continued this momentum into the playoffs, nearly leading his team to the NFC championship game.
All signs point to Wilson picking up where he left off. He now has a full season of NFL experience under his belt and is by all accounts better prepared than he was last year. Seattle’s own head coach Pete Carroll has already acknowledged Wilson is already “a million miles ahead” of where he was last year. Seattle also picked up stud wide-out Percy Harvin this offseason, immediately making Wilson’s receiving corps much better than it was. If Wilson was able to manage 26 touchdowns throwing to the likes of Golden Tate and Sidney Rice, imagine what he and Harvin will be able to accomplish this season.
One concern about Wilson’s fantasy production this season is that Seattle is a run-first team. The argument is, therefore, Wilson won’t receive enough opportunities to be a good starting fantasy quarterback.
Don’t believe this.
Sure, Wilson won’t throw the ball as much as Matthew Stafford or Andrew Luck. He only threw it 393 times last season, good for 25th in the league. He will throw the ball more this year, probably ending the year with around 500 attempts. We already saw Seattle unleash Wilson a bit the second half of last season, and now that we’ve all seen what he can do, there’s no reason to believe Seattle will drastically limit his opportunities this season. Wilson is a sure fire top 10 Fantasy QB this season, with the potential to finish in the top 5. I project Wilson finishing the year with 3,700 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and 450 rushing yards with five rushing touchdowns. Draft accordingly.
Justin Brown covers the NBA and NFL for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Real_JBrown, like him on Facebook, add him on Google+
