The RotoExperts break down the value of the Seahawks’ fantasy players.

Each week, Scott Engel gathers the RotoExperts team to answer a pressing fantasy football question.

This week's question: The Seahawks seem to have a lot of issues on offense. Where are you ranking their top offensive players at their respective positions right now?

Matthew Greber: Only a Seahawks fan like Scott would phrase this as "having a lot of issues on offense." To put it another way, there are a lot of holes in the ship and not enough buckets to bail water with. But going down the list, the only guy who I'd feel comfortable about starting each week would be QB Matt Hasselbeck, and that is much more the case in a 12-team league than a 10-team. Why? Because he's never been lights out, and now he has almost nobody to throw to with Bobby Engram out. Whoever the starting two wide receivers are, Nate Burleson and someone else, they would be below my rankings even for leagues that start three WRs. So they'd be ranked as the No. 35 WR or so, generously speaking. Plus, some guy named John Carlson is the starting tight end. I simply don't have anything more to say about him.

One could suggest that this is good news for the running game, but the facts are that Julius Jones doesn't have the talent or size to carry the load himself, and Maurice Morris will continue to take enough carries away to make Jones no more than a flex starter, if that. He's ranked close to 30th for me at RB, and frankly I'd rather take the upside of a rookie like Kevin Smith or Jonathan Stewart there instead. Sorry, Scott - but I think the Seahawks are only draftable as fliers at their respective positions, with the exception of Hasselbeck, who should be taken as one of the last No. 1 QBs.

Tommy Landry: The Seahawks do have a number of issues on offense, but it doesn't mean they can't contribute to a fantasy team. First, the running game will be basically what we saw last season. It's not like Julius Jones is the best RB in the league, and just by showing up to play with two healthy legs, he'll be worth more than Shaun Alexander was in 2007. Maurice Morris spent the off-season getting into shape to compete for the starting gig, and he sports decent size at the position (5'11", 216 lbs.) At worst, this is a platoon, but don't be surprised to see Morris take 60 percent or more of the carries from the start.

In the passing game, everyone is down on them. Deion Branch will miss time, maybe a lot of time, healing up from surgery. He's worth a late-round gamble just in case he does appear. What about Bobby Engram, who is also hurt? Well, the latest from Mike Holmgren is that Engram will start in week five. They're on bye in week four, so you can still get 13 games out of Engram, assuming he has no setbacks. Sure, Nate Burleson is inconsistent, and everyone else is unproven, even rookie TE John Carlson, who is expected to start. But don't overlook an experienced playmaker like Matt Hasselbeck. He'll make the most of what he has to work with in the early going, and he'll continue to have eyes only for Engram on first check off after the bye week. If Branch can return around mid-season, you want to be part of this passing game heading into the fantasy playoffs. Like I said, the running game won't carry them, so Hasselbeck will have to do it himself. I'd take Hasselbeck in my top seven QBs still, and Engram should be selected just before breakout candidates like Patrick Crayton and Vincent Jackson. I also like Morris in the sixth round of a 12-team snake draft, as he's my favorite to get more carries. I am avoiding Jones and his lackluster efforts. And don't even ask me about T.J. Duckett - not worth the breath it takes to tell you he's worthless.

Matt Wirkiowski: I am really down on the Seahawks this year, from both a win-loss and a fantasy perspective. I would rate their offensive players overall as 'nothing special', and there is not one player on the Seahawks that I would specifically target. Matt Hasselbeck is a borderline starting quarterback in fantasy. There are definitely 10 quarterbacks I would take before Hasselbeck, and another three or four I would consider in the same group as him. At running back, it seems that head coach Mike Holmgren is leaning towards having Julius Jones and Maurice Morris split carries, which will drag down both of their values, but especially Jones. At this point, both Jones and Morris should be drafted as your third running back option. If I were to pick one of those two, I would pick Jones. The Seahawks paid big money to Jones in the off-season. He is younger, better in the passing game, and Jones has run hard so far in the preseason. 

At wide receiver, the Seahawks are a mess. Deion Branch is still recovering from knee surgery, and is out indefinitely, but Holmgren is hopeful Branch can return for the season opener. Joining him on the sideline is Bobby Engram, who is out for six to eight weeks with a cracked shoulder. If Branch is ready for the season opener, he is draftable as a fourth wide receiver. If Branch looks like he'll miss significant time, he becomes either a late-round flier, or undraftable. Engram will miss the first month of the season and shouldn't be drafted with anything more than a late round flier. With Branch and Engram out, the starters should be Nate Burleson and Ben Obomanu. Burleson is the only Seahawk receiver with any kind of real value at this point, and even that value is mediocre at best. He should not be anything more that your fourth wide receiver. Obomanu is another late round flier, nothing more. Rookie John Carlson is the starter at tight end, but in 2008 will have no appreciable value, and should not be drafted.


Brad Rysz: With the recent injury to Bobby Engram and the nagging injury to Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks offense is taking a major fantasy hit. The outlook for Engram was strong coming into the season, as he was coming off a career-best 94 receptions and 1,147 receiving yards. A cracked bone in his right shoulder has Engram sidelined for up to eight weeks, meaning he should be back in action no later than Oct. 5 against the Giants. Engram is clearly a solid fantasy wide receiver and his injury may allow owners to grab him in the 10th round or later of some drafts. If the opportunity arises, grab him with confidence. With Engram out, the leading candidate for receptions seems to be Nate Burleson. Burleson is the only healthy Seahawk receiver with more than 12 career receptions and even with Engram in the lineup, Burleson had nine TDs last season. Burleson should be around the 25th wide receiver taken in drafts. Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor are both players that can be taken at the end of drafts who may prove to have some value as Hasselbeck's second target. Rookie tight end John Carlson is a nice sleeper option at the position and can normally be had at the end of most drafts. Carlson is ranked 17 on my list of TEs.
The player who receives the biggest downgrade from the injuries is Matt Hasselbeck. Normally taken as the sixth or seventh quarterback in drafts, Hasselbeck should now be around the 10th quarterback taken. A stiff back has limited Hasselbeck's playing time in the preseason and at 32, he isn't getting any younger. Julius Jones enters the Seahawks crowded backfield as the favorite to get the majority of the carries. Jones has never carried more than 267 times in a season and I would expect even less carries this season. Jones should be ranked around the 20th-best option at running back. Maurice Morris is familiar with the offense and should be the handcuff to Jones in any format. Morris may even be carrying most of the time come mid-season. The goal-line carries are expected to go to T.J. Duckett and he may provide some value in the TD department.

Mark Strausberg: Matt Hasselbeck probably just breaks my Top 10 QBs. I'm staying the heck away from the RB situation. Giving a ranking is a waste, because someone will foolishly take a chance a good four or five rounds before I will. I'll start to consider it in the 13th round. The WR situation? Same thing. I do like Ben Obomanu as a WR4 in a 16-team league, though. TE John Carlson is probably the Seattle player that excites me the most. While everyone is sweating out the Schefflers, Watsons, or Olsen-like TEs, I'll just sit back, relax, and take the rookie with my second-to-last pick. I think his production will definitely be top dozen, but you can get him much later than that.


Kyle Stack: I want to raise an honorary Starbucks triple grande sugar free vanilla latte to any owner thinking of using a high draft pick on a Seahawks offensive player. Just like Starbucks, Seahawks offensive players have been overpriced, underperforming and losing value for years. I mean, how many more years can fantasy owners overrate Maurice Morris? He shouldn’t be close to your Top 40. And Julius Jones? He shouldn’t be as threatened for competition in yards and touchdowns as he was with Marion Barber III in Dallas, but I’m not sure he gets more than 1,000 yards and five touchdowns or greater than 20 receptions. That’s barely Top 25 material for running backs.

Matt Hasselbeck isn’t a Top 10 quarterback. I’d take Brady, Peyton, Romo, Brees, Big Ben, Eli, Palmer, Favre, Garrard, McNabb and Cutler before Campbell’s Soup Boy. That’s 11 quarterbacks and you could make an argument that Derek Anderson and Matt Schaub could be just as fantasy-worthy. Nate Burleson had nine touchdown receptions last year, and he could duplicate that this season. However, it’s tough to envision him catching more than 60 balls for more than 800 yards, so he’ll have to reach at least seven scores to make him top 30-worthy. Bobby Engram needs to cure his dropsies for the umpteenth year; place him outside your Top 50.

Mike Gilbert: At least initially, the only skill position in Seattle that won't be manned by a platoon this year is quarterback, and this really de-values Seattle's fantasy players. Julius Jones and Maurice Morris will duke it out for the starting RB job. Jones stinks. Don't bother drafting him until really late, and if you do, he will already be gone. Morris seems to be making a big push for the starting gig. He started getting extended playing time last year when Shaun Alexander fell off/got hurt, and he did pretty well. Right now, I have him ranked in the seventh round, but that could go up to the sixth depending on how the preseason shakes out. The WR situation is a mess with Bobby Engram out for the first couple of games, and Deion Branch out for who knows how long. I wouldn't draft Branch, and I'd probably wait until the 11th round at least on Engram. Nate Burleson and the other WRs aren't worth a draft pick unless one of them steps up dramatically. First-round draft pick John Carlson is interesting as a late pick in very deep or dynasty leagues.
It may seem counterintuitive, but due to the uncertainty in the running game, I like Matt Hasselbeck as a fantasy QB, probably more than I have in several years. It's not like he can't handle the pressure of being forced to pass a lot because of a shaky running game. This was the case last year, and he had his most productive year as of his career, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 28 TDs. Even though the receiving corps is lacking right now, Hasselbeck spreads the ball around a lot. He'll find the open target, don't worry about that. He'll throw for a fewer TDs, but about 200 more yards this season. I have him ranked as the No. 7 QB on my draft board right now, just behind Carson Palmer.


Jason Revelia: Where do I rank the Seahawks top offensive players? That's a bit of a trick question. At least it is a misleading one if nothing else, implying that the Seahawks have top offensive players. Sorry Seahawks fans, but that's the way it looks to be shaking down for you this year...not pretty for fantasy football. If I'm going to bash you I will at least back it up.

You (Seahawk fan) have what most consider a top 10 fantasy quarterback (lone bright spot?) in Matt Hasselbeck. The question is with Engram and Branch out at least for the first quarter of the season, who is he throwing to? It seems to me that most defensive coordinators will roll their coverage to Nate Burleson, and we all remember how he did as the number one wideout ... not well. I will draft Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb before Hasselbeck. I would really rather have someone else deal with him this year. Seattle's running back situation isn't any better than their WR position. Julius Jones looks like he will share carries with T.J. Duckett. Look for Maurice Morris to also get touches. I would much rather have a DeAngelo Williams or Ricky Williams than any Seahawk back.  I really believe Seattle is in fantasy turmoil right now. I know a Holmgren offense will put up points, and I'm pretty sure Hasselbeck won't be a total bust. This year is deep fantasy talent-wise and I don't want to use a pick on a Seahawk gamble. The only safe fantasy pick
in Seattle is their defense.


SUMMARY: Firstly, I don't know where or how Matthew Greber read into my questioning that somehow I was putting a positive spin on the Seattle offensive situation. Where did I indicate that I was looking at it through any sort of rose-colored glasses? Yes, I have been a Seahawks fan since 1983, but my job is to provide objective reasoning, not let my allegiances get in the way. I can't see how one can infer anything “fan-like" in my questioning, and it seems like Matthew either wants to draw me out into an argument or see me sob over the situation. Well, neither one is happening. Jason Revelia seems to also think I'm just asking this question because of my allegiance. This is about fantasy, not fanboys. I don't draft with my heart, and I certainly don't let it creep into my fantasy analysis. Nice try, fellas!
Hasselbeck drops to about the bottom of my top 10 at QB. It doesn't appear like the back problem will linger, and Hasselbeck is a master of Mike Holmgren's hybrid West Coast passing game. He will go through his progressions quickly and make sound decisions, even if it means throwing a flat pass to a running back. Yes, his receiving corps is now depleted, which means a downturn in numbers, but he can still be quite respectable for fantasy purposes.
Burleson seriously scares me as a projected No. 1 WR. Drawing on my Seahawks history, he has too much James McKnight in him. He'll occasionally make a big play but gets lost often when facing physical defenders. I'd rather not draft him. Engram won't be rushed back so I don't want to waste a draft choice on him while I wait for his return. Branch is another major risk I want to avoid. As for the other receivers fighting for the starting job, I have already made it clear that Obomanu looks most ready for a challenge. Not mentioned was Jordan Kent, who has the most natural all-around talent of any of the unproven Seattle WRs, and should be monitored as a possible sleeper free agent addition. Taylor looks more like an occasional downfield threat at best right now, and Logan Payne is just too raw to compete.
I certainly will not overlook Carlson, as he was one of the very best prospects at his position in this year's NFL Draft, and the TE is essential in the Holmgren offense. Carlson will be asked to contribute immediately, and is a good pick if you don’t land one of the top dozen TEs.  The fact that Morris already being considered for a time share makes me steer clear of Jones unless I can somehow get him as a fourth RB, which will not happen. Morris is not a consistent inside runner or much of a TD threat, but he's a decent pick in the ninth to 11th round because he knows the system and may get a quality amount of carries. Duckett has already dealt with fumbling issues in the preseason, and I won’t draft him for the handful of TDs he may deliver.

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