Fantasy Football Player Notes

Welcome back, Kenneth Walker III! Coming off a two-week layoff due to an oblique injury and facing a tough Detroit Lions run defense, few expected Walker to have his usual impact on the Monday night festivities. All he did was score three times on just 12 carries on the way to an overall RB2 finish for the week. Fantasy managers may not get a carbon copy of that performance in Week 5, but Walker III is squarely on the RB1 radar. The Seahawks will host the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon. Provided there are no limitations or aftereffects from the injury, Walker III should be in line to handle upwards of 20 touches in a game which should feature a positive game script and a slight advantage in the trenches.

A third straight 100-yard performance was not enough to keep DK Metcalf in the top 24 from a fantasy perspective last week. Metcalf lost a fumble and was tackled just short of the goal line on a would-be touchdown. Metcalf's recent hot streak is a bit inflated by a massive jump in Seattle's pass attempts in recent weeks. Geno Smith has attempted 134 passes in his last three games. That does not feel sustainable, but it is hard to question that Metcalf is the leader of a solid wide receiver corps. The New York Giants rank 24th in pass defense DVOA including 28th against opposing teams' top receivers. Even if Metcalf sees fewer targets than he has in recent weeks, he is a solid WR1.

Smith-Njigba has seen his target volume level out after Week 4. He has a 20.8% target share, 1.52 YPRR, and a 21.6% first-read share as Seattle's WR2 and the WR33 in fantasy. Smith-Njigba is second on the team in deep targets and has seen one red zone target. New York has the fourth-highest single-high rate in the NFL (59%). Against single-high, Smith-Njigba has seen his first-read share increase to 25% while the rest of his metrics mirror his overall numbers. The Giants have been relatively untested against slot receivers facing the third-fewest slot targets in the NFL. He will run about 87% of his routes against Cor'Dale Flott, who has been a turnstile, allowing an 81.3% catch rate and 128.4 passer rating. Smith-Njigba should be busy again this week.

Lockett has become the definitive WR3 for Seattle. He has a 15.1% target share, an 18.3% air-yard share, 1.54 YPRR, and a 17.6% first-read share. He is tied for the team lead with two red zone targets. New York has the fourth-highest single-high rate in the NFL (59%). Against single-high, his numbers have fallen with a 12.7% target share, 1.16 YPRR, and a 17.3% first-read share. Sit Lockett this week.

Fant is the TE22 in fantasy points per game. He has been a distant fourth-wheel in the Seattle passing attack with a 9.4% target share, 1.05 YPRR, and a 12.7% first-read share. He has one red zone target this season. Fant is a low-end tight-end streamer this week against a Giants' pass defense that has allowed the ninth-most receptions and the tenth-most receiving yards to tight ends.