Russell Wilson Week 1 Outlook - Steelers at Giants

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Fri, Sep 11th 2020, 1:12pm EDT

If you haven't heard of the hashtag #LetRussCook, you're missing out on the bevy of fantasy enthusiasts who understand what it would be like if Wilson threw the ball 550-plus times. To give you a hint: Wilson has a 6.0 percent career touchdown rate, which is tied with Aaron Rodgers for second-most all-time (minimum 1,000 pass attempts). His 7.87 yards per attempt ranks sixth on that list. Add in his rushing totals and you have yourself what would be an all-time great fantasy quarterback. Does that happen in 2020? The Falcons are a team that allowed eight different quarterbacks to post 8.38 or more yards per attempt against them in 2019, and they'll now be forced to start Isaiah Oliver, rookie A.J. Terrell, and Kendall Sheffield at cornerback. They also lost Adrian Clayborn in free agency, though they added Dante Fowler and Charles Harris to try and offset the loss. Wilson himself threw just 20 passes in their meeting last year, completing 14 of them for 182 yards and two touchdowns while Chris Carson/Rashaad Penny rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown. The final score was 27-20, though it was never that close. Why? Well, Matt Ryan didn't play in that game. It was Matt Schaub who was under center. The Seahawks are projected for roughly 25 points in this game, which seems like it could be low when you consider what happened on just 58 offensive snaps last year. Wilson could explode against this defense if they "let him cook." Given the turnover on the Seahawks defense and potency of the Falcons offense, it's possible he throws the ball 35-plus times here. Start him as a QB1 who offers tremendous upside in the dome. The reason to fade him in cash is due to his playcaller's tendency in positive gamescripts. Brian Schottenheimer has ranked 32nd and 30th in passing rates when his team is ahead. That could crush Wilson's floor, though I do see this game as a competitive one.