Seattle Seahawks Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet (shoulder) returned to practice on Thursday. He’ll participate in Friday’s mock scrimmage, per HC Pete Carroll. The rookie will also soak up extra first-team reps with Kenneth Walker nursing a groin injury. See where both Seahawks sit in our fantasy RB rankings.

Regarding Seahawks RBs Ken Walker (groin) and Zach Charbonnet (shoulder), ESPN's Dan Graziano writes, "I don't get the sense that the Seahawks are overly concerned about either of these injuries bleeding into the regular season at this point." That reads more like an educated guess than a report. But it's encouraging as we wait for more details on both injured RBs. We'll keep you updated on the situation.

Seahawks RB Kenny McIntosh is off to a strong start at training camp. "He lost about 10 pounds from when he was here in the springtime, and he's in great shape and is just razor sharp," HC Pete Carroll said. "He has been explosive and innovative with his running and his cuts, caught the ball well. He's done really well." McIntosh sunk to the seventh round of this spring's draft largely due to his 4.62-second 40 time. But he brings an intriguing combination of size (6'0, 204 lbs.) and pass-catching skills (65 receptions over the last two seasons at Georgia). McIntosh has gained fantasy intrigue with the recent injuries to RBs Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet.

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba was one of the best players in the first week of training camp. "He's really a gifted athlete," HC Pete Carroll said of the rookie. "Timing, hand-eye (coordination), body control, extraordinary natural quickness, and he makes things look really easy. I couldn't imagine him not being part of the mix right from the beginning. It just comes too easy for him. We're looking for the spots we can put him in, how to move him around, and see how much he can handle. There's nothing that's holding him back. He's hitting it off with Geno really well right now." If you've read our scouting report on Smith-Njigba, his impressive play is no surprise. Despite stiff target competition from WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Smith-Njigba is certainly capable of scoring as at least a WR3 this year.

Seahawks RBs Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet are both sidelined with injuries, HC Pete Carroll said Sunday. Walker has a groin injury and may remain out "a while," Carroll said, per NFL Network's Taylor Bisciotti. It's worth noting that Walker had hernia surgery during camp last year, although it's unclear if this is related. Charbonnet is dealing with a shoulder injury and is "out indefinitely" while it's getting checked out, Carroll said. We'll keep you updated on both guys. Their absences leave DeeJay and rookie Kenny McIntosh as Seattle's top two RBs.

Update: More Carroll on Walker, per insider Curtis Crabtree: "It's not a terrible injury or anything like that. We just don't want to aggravate it now and make it be something that lingers through camp."

Seahawks TE Noah Fant passed his physical and was removed from the PUP list on Sunday. The veteran missed only a few practices with a knee issue. He projects as a low-end fantasy TE2.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll revealed that TE Noah Fant is recovering from knee surgery. No word on when the procedure occurred or what it entailed, but Carroll expects Fant back on the field soon. “He can run full speed," Carroll said. "He can do all the stuff. But we don’t want to push him yet.” Fant opened camp on the PUP list. We'll let you know when he's activated and returns to practice. Fant is coming off a TE17 finish in PPR points and faces additional target competition this year with the arrival of first-round rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Panthers WR Laviska Shenault has taken a few backfield reps early in training camp. “We do think Laviska is a guy that can be versatile,” HC Frank Reich said. “We’ll dip our toe in the water on some of that stuff and see how it goes. That’s something that doesn’t have to be in full bloom Week 1. That can be in the beginning stages in training camp, and then the more success and momentum it gets you build it.” Shenault set career-lows last year in catches (27) and yards (272). While his talent remains intriguing, we're not expecting anything close to a breakout season.

Seahawks TE Noah Fant is opening training camp on the PUP list. No word yet on what's keeping him sidelined. He dealt with knee trouble last year but played in all 17 games. We'll update Fant's status when we know more.

Seahawks Edge Uchenna Nwosu has agreed to a three-year extension that will pay him $45 million, with incentives that could push it up to $59 million, according to multiple reports. In his fifth season -- and first with Seattle -- Nwosu set career highs in solo tackles, assists, sacks, tackles for loss, QB hits, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. It was just his second season as a starter. Seattle clearly believes Nwosu has more. See where he stands in our IDP rankings.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf underwhelmed last year, finishing 24th among WRs in PPR points per game and 29th in non-PPR. Blame bad TD luck. Metcalf scored a career-low six times on a career-low 6.7% TD rate. He found the end zone on 13.4% of his receptions over his first three seasons. And it wasn't for lack of opportunity last year. Metcalf ranked second among WRs with 27 red-zone targets, sixth in targets inside the 10-yard line, and first in end-zone targets. He's a safe bet for more TDs in 2023 -- and potentially A LOT more TDs. We currently project Metcalf for 8.2 scores.

Seahawks writer Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic says "Seattle's running back setup is likely to be the Ken Walker Show featuring [Zach] Charbonnet." Dugar points out that since 2018 (five seasons), the Seahawks have only had eight regular-season games in which they gave 10+ carries to more than one RB. We're certainly betting that Walker takes the clear rushing lead, as you can tell from our RB rankings. We project Walker for more than twice as many carries (241) as Charbonnet (102). But the rookie could hurt Walker's involvement in the passing game. Both players are going at fine levels in current drafting to be at least worth mixing into your best ball entries. We'll watch how things play out in training camp and preseason and continue to assess how Seattle RBs should factor into lineup-setting leagues.

Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett finished 16th among WRs in PPR points per game last season -- his fifth straight top-25 finish. Lockett will turn 31 in September but has shown no signs of decline. He ranked 20th among 80 qualifying WRs in yards per target, yards per route, and Pro Football Focus receiving grade last year. And he beat 25-year-old teammate D.K. Metcalf in all three metrics. Even with the arrival of rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, we're not betting against another top-25 season from Lockett. See exactly where he sits in the 2023 WR Rankings.

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said QB Sam Howell has “shown us [the coaching staff] what we want to see.” Howell will enter training camp as the team’s starter. “He's young, we know he is young,” Rivera said. “There was a lot of room for growth, and we know that, but he's got a good skillset. He's mobile, he’s got good foot movement, he's got quick twitch to him, good decision maker. He is still learning to make those decisions, but he's also got the arm talent and that's the thing that that excites us.” Howell’s learning a new system under OC Eric Bieniemy, one that utilizes a word-based play-calling system -- not the numbers-based one Howell learned in 2022. So far so good on that front, though. We’ll learn a lot more about Howell’s progress when training camp arrives. He remains a QB3 in best ball drafts.

The Commanders are "all in" on QB Sam Howell as their 2023 starter, ESPN's John Keim writes. The team has been talking up Howell all offseason -- and then did not add a QB in the draft. Per Keim, Washington had a 2nd-round grade on Howell coming out last year but didn't take him on Day 2 because they had already made the trade for QB Carson Wentz. The Commanders couldn't pass on Howell when he slipped to Round 5, though. He made just one start last year, but the team liked how he developed as a rookie. Howell will need to hold off veteran QB Jacoby Brissett this summer, but he sounds like the heavy favorite to open the season under center. See where Howell sits in the 2023 QB Rankings.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll called RB Zach Charbonnet a "complement" to RB Ken Walker and highlighted Charbonnet's ability in the passing game. "He can block and catch the ball out of the backfield," Carroll said. "He's good in the screen game. Makes big plays." Charbonnet caught 61 balls over the past two seasons at UCLA and ranked 13th among 119 qualifying RBs in Pro Football Focus' 2022 receiving grades. Walker totaled just 19 receptions across three college seasons, although he did tally 27 receptions as a rookie last year. We'll keep a close eye on Seattle's backfield this summer, but it sounds like Charbonnet might be slated for passing-down duties. That'd be bad news for Walker's fantasy value.

The Seahawks selected UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Charbonnet got off to a rough start to his college career at Michigan but managed to find his way high up draft boards after a pair of stellar seasons at UCLA. He doesn’t have a singular trait that sticks out and makes you say “wow,” but he checks several boxes prospective managers will love. Charbonnet has the size at 6’0, 214 pounds. His 4.53-second 40-yard speed is plenty with his frame. Plus, Charbonnet can be trusted as a short-area pass-catcher. His targets nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022 en route to finishing his senior season with 1,680 scrimmage yards, showing he’s one of the small handful of RBs in this class with three-down potential at the next level. He just won’t be placed in that role in the short-term. Charbonnet landed with a Seahawks squad already featuring Kenneth Walker, who finished as a top-20 fantasy RB as a rookie. Current projections have Charbonnet as the PPR RB50.

The Seahawks selected Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. JSN turned in one of the most impressive sophomore seasons we’ve ever seen back in 2021. He racked up 95 catches for 1,606 yards and nine TDs, out-producing both Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave while also beating those eventual first-round picks in yards per route run and Pro Football Focus receiving grade. A lingering hamstring injury limited Smith-Njigba to 60 total snaps this past year. But he was healthy enough to work out in the pre-draft process, where he posted elite marks in the 3-cone and short shuttle. That agility shows up on tape: JSN is impossible to stick with one-on-one and regularly adds yardage after the catch. Smith-Njibga has just-ok size (6’1, 196 lbs.) and speed (4.52-second 40 time), which puts a cap on his big-play upside. But he looks capable of quickly emerging as a high-volume target. Think Amon-Ra St. Brown. With the Seahawks, JSN will fit in as a day-one slot. Note that D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are signed through the 2025 season.

The Seahawks reached a three-year deal Monday with DL Dre'Mont Jones. According to multiple reports, it carries $51.5 million in total value and $35 million over the first two years. Jones spent his first four seasons with the Broncos. He tallied 10-plus QB hits and at least 5.5 sacks each of the past three years, spending time at both DT and DE. Jones set a career high in fantasy points per game last season. That still landed him toward the bottom of DL3 territory, though. So Jones figures to present limited fantasy upside (outside of deeper leagues) going forward.

The Seahawks and QB Geno Smith have reportedly reached an agreement on a three-year, $105 million contract extension. The 32-year-old finished the 2022 NFL season with Pro Bowl honors and the Comeback Player of the Year Award after he spent several seasons serving as a backup. It'll be tough for Smith to maintain his fantasy production from last year (QB9 in points per game with 17.9), but this deal locks him in with the likes of WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for the foreseeable future. We've bumped up Smith to QB18 in our dynasty rankings as a result of this news. He'll be a quality QB2 in superflex leagues. As for Metcalf and Lockett, their dynasty values are relatively the same. Continuity at QB does eliminate some of the risk associated with Metcalf in dynasty formats if anything. We don't yet know the details of Smith's contract and if the Seahawks would be able to maneuver out of the deal should the franchise choose to explore younger options at the position. But for now, it's great news for a player with a great story.