ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Seattle's new offense under first-time OC Brian Fleury will include "a lot of" multiple-TE sets and a good bit more work for WR Rashid Shaheed in his first full season with the team.
What They're Saying: Look for More Arroyo, Shaheed
Fowler: "You're gonna see a lot of two tight ends on the field. AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo are gonna be major parts of this offense. ... I'm told [Rashid Shaheed's] had a killer offseason. Jaxon Smith-Njigba ... he accounted for about 36% of their targets last year. He's still gonna get a ton of targets, but some more of that could go to Shaheed, who will be -- I expect -- more of a complete receiver in this offense."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: TEs Unlikely to Help Your Team
Let's start with the TEs.
"Major parts" in reporter language does not necessarily mean that either Barner or Arroyo will prove fantasy relevant. Frankly, I'm starting the season expecting neither guy to make much of an impact.
Seattle already rated fairly high in multiple-TE usage under OC Klint Kubiak last season. The Seahawks' 43% use of sets with 2+ TEs ranked seventh in the league, behind the 51% of leader Cleveland. Even if they grow from there, the cap's probably around 50%.
More snaps for Arroyo figures to take targets away from Barner who ranked third on the team in that category at 68 last season. He checked in just 28th among TEs in target share, despite more than doubling Arroyo's total (26).
Arroyo, meanwhile, could double that target total and still fall outside the top 25 TEs in total targets.
Neither guy looks like more than a late-round best ball pick, though an injury to either could make the other more usable in lineup-setting leagues.
Shaheed Ready to Break Out?
This is not the first time Fowler has spoken this way about the camp performance of Shaheed, who has also generated buzz from other sources.
Even before that, his $17 million-a-year contract just before the start of free agency already pointed to Seattle having bigger plans for the WR than what it showed after trading for him in the middle of 2025.
Shaheed managed just a 15-188-0 receiving line on 26 targets across his nine regular-season games after arriving, while adding value as a return man.
Expect Shaheed to grow into Seattle's No. 2 WR this year and work opposite JSN when the offense shows those two-TE sets.
We highlighted Shaheed as a sleeper in this preview of the team, and he's a low-risk pick with high reward potential at his WR58 ADP.
It's worth noting that the Fowler report quoted and linked above also discussed the backfield -- expect Jadarian Price to lead but not get workhorse duty -- but did not mention veteran WR Cooper Kupp.
