Fantasy Football Player Notes
Week 1 Rankings
95.
Tyler Higbee
TE - (at SEA)
Higbee could stumble into a ton of production in Week 1. The Rams tight end finished 7th in route participation (71%) through 17 weeks last season, posting a 21% target share (4th) and 24% target rate per route run (3rd) among TEs with 80 targets. He finished 9th in PPR points per game (9.04). Higbee could easily emerge as the No. 2 target on the offense, and he could easily see his target share skyrocket should Kupp miss any time with his hamstring injury. Start him as back-end fantasy TE1. Seattle has ranked inside the bottom-five in points allowed to tight ends over the last two seasons.
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157.
Kyren Williams
RB - (at SEA)
Seattle's defense has traditionally been leaky toward defending RBs in the passing game. Last year, they were a bottom-10 unit defending RBs in terms of receptions, targets and receiving yards. If Kyren Williams truly owns the "receiving back role" that has been suggested throughout the offseason, it's entirely possible he racks up several receptions should the Rams fall behind. Makes him an interesting flier in deep PPR formats, but I'd rather see it first before thrusting him into a lineup based on a projected role and game script - both of which are no guarantees. Williams also lacks the requisite athleticism to create chunk plays on his own, so his fantasy value will be solely dependent on the amount of receiving volume he sees. Worth stashing if you have an extra bench spot.
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159.
Puka Nacua
WR - (at SEA)
Nacua has been a fun toy for Sean McVay during the offseason, with reports of the team giving him an immediate role in the wake of Kupp's injury. Makes sense, considering FantasyPros' own Thor Nystrom coined Nacua as "Discount Deebo" in his final draft player comps. I also liked Nacua's profile coming out of college and felt like his 5th-round draft capital did not match his production. The 6-foot-2 and 201-pound wideout ended the 2021 season as a junior sixth in yards per route run behind future NFL WRs like Treylon Burks, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Drake London. And like London, Nacua operated primarily on the outside with a 78 percent perimeter alignment. Nacua finished his BYU tenure strong as PFF's second highest-graded WR in the nation (90.1) due to his impressive efficiency on a per route run basis. He was targeted on 38 percent of his routes in 2022 and posted the second-highest targets above expectation in his class per Sports Info Solutions. On a depth chart with zero certified studs after Cooper Kupp - Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson - I'm not shocked he has impressed enough to earn a Day 1 role with his versatility. However, becoming an immediate "contributor' does not mean he is destined for immediate fantasy football success from the get-go. Again, he's still probably the third option on offense that might struggle to move the ball without Kupp. Keep him stashed on your bench to see how Week 1 shakes out first, before thrusting him into any lineups. The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue expects Nacua/Atwell to essentially split WR3 duties when Kupp is healthy, as they will both be used more situationally than anything else.
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181.
Tutu Atwell
WR - (at SEA)
Atwell was thrust into a larger role in 2022 and was halfway decent in a horrible situation. He finished the season 28th in expected yards per route run (1.85). However, from Week 12 onward when he started playing a full allotment of snaps, he still ranked outside the top 60 overall among WRs. He should be the favorite to take over snaps in the slot, which gives him a decent matchup inside. Desperation dart-throw that should see a solid target share (18% from Weeks 13-18, superior to Jefferson), but he's not accompanied by a ton of upside.
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199.
Ben Skowronek
WR - (at SEA)
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251.
Demarcus Robinson
WR - (at SEA)
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262.
Colby Parkinson
TE - (at SEA)
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288.
Ronnie Rivers
RB - (at SEA)
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291.
Brycen Hopkins
TE - (at SEA)
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364.
Davis Allen
TE - (at SEA)
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383.
Royce Freeman
RB - (at SEA)
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430.
Tyler Johnson
WR - (at SEA)
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474.
Xavier Smith
WR - (at SEA)
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484.
Nikola Kalinic
TE - (at SEA)
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522.
Austin Trammell
WR - (at SEA)
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