Fantasy Football Player Notes

Smith-Njigba had a big-time second-year breakout -- 100 catches, 1,130 yards, six touchdowns -- despite a somewhat sluggish start to the season. JSN had 53 or fewer yards in six of his first seven games, but then he caught fire down the stretch. He had a seven-game run in November and December during which he had at least 74 receiving yards in every game. JSN became a big-time target earner last season, and now he doesn't have to compete for targets with D.K. Metcalf. The only concerns are how well JSN will mesh with new Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, and how well JSN will fare if Seattle newcomer Cooper Kupp gets most of the slot snaps and forces Smith-Njigba to line up out wide most of the time.

It's a good bet that the Seahawks' running game will thrive under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and run game coordinator Rick Dennison. The Kubiak-Dennison combo has been ground-game gold for years dating back to Dennison's pairing with Klint's dad, Gary Kubiak, in the '90s. The Seahawks' running scheme will utilize a lot of outside zone, and Kenneth Walker has been ultra-efficient on outside zone runs early in his career. Walker has been productive when healthy during his time in Seattle, but he's missed 10 games over his first three NFL seasons.

Zach Charbonnet has been good for the Seahawks whenever he's gotten an opportunity. He averaged 3.35 yards after contact per carry last year and forced 32 missed tackles on only 135 rushing attempts. When Kenneth Walker was hurt, Charbonnet had a two-touchdown game against Miami and another two touchdowns against Arizona. Charbonnet has been good as a pass catcher, with 75 catches over his first two seasons. Charbonnet is one of the most valuable handcuff running backs, and he might even offer some stand-alone value.

Is the 32-year-old Cooper Kupp out of gas? He had 67-710-6 for the Rams last season, but Kupp collapsed down the stretch, with only four receptions for 53 yards in his last three games, and no more than three targets in any of those contests. Kupp has joined the Seahawks, where he's positioned to be the No. 2 target behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There's a path to significant targets for Kupp. It's just a matter of whether he can do anything with them.

Rashid Shaheed was off to a fast start last season, with 19-338-3 in his first five games. But Shaheed tore his meniscus in Week 6 and missed the rest of the season. Shaheed hasn't been a prolific target earner, but he's a big-play specialist with home run speed. Shaheed has averaged 16.6 yards per catch and 10.4 yards per target for his career. The Saints' QB situation could be problematic in 2025, but Shaheed should be the clear No. 2 receiver in the New Orleans offense behind Chris Olave and is a worthwhile option later in drafts.

Sam Darnold resurrected his career in Minnesota last season and now heads to the Pacific Northwest to take over as Seattle's starting quarterback. Darnold finished QB9 in fantasy scoring last year, throwing for 4,319 yards, with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He completed a career-high 66.2% of his passes and averaged 7.9 yards per pass attempt. The question is whether Darnold can duplicate his success in what appears to be a lesser offense environment. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is regarded as a top playcaller, and Darnold won't have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to throw to this season. Now, Darnold will be running Klint Kubiak's offense and throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. Darnold is still being viewed skeptically by fantasy analysts, who have him ranked outside the top 24 at QB in FantasyPros' Expert Consensus Rankings. Darnold seemed to collapse at the end of the season, completing 53% and averaging 5.1 yards per attempt in a Week 18 loss to the Lions and a playoff loss to the Rams.

The Seahawks quietly were the DST4 in fantasy points per game last year. They could be even better in 2025. Last year, they ranked eighth-best in sacks and pressure rate while posting the seventh-lowest net yards per pass attempt. They were only 18th in drives ending in a turnover. If this unit can take another step in 2025, they could force more turnovers and challenge for the DST1 spot.

Seattle called Horton's name in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. The big, galloping physical receiver could push Marquez Valdes-Scantling aside quickly this season to be the WR3 for the passing attack. Horton has the raw talent to do so after posting 3.45 yards per route run last year (per PFF). He ranked 43rd and 22nd in the same statistical category in the two previous seasons. Horton is a triple-level threat with the play strength to break tackles (2023: 16th in missed tackles forced). Horton is a nice final-round pick with flex upside for 2025.

Second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo has been given a chance to replace perennial underachiever Noah Fant as Seattle's top tight end. One of the more athletic members of this year's talented rookie TE class, Arroyo had 595 receiving yards and seven TD catches in his final college season at the University of Miami-Fla., then stood out in Senior Bowl practices.