Are SEA's WRs in for their best years yet? ⭐️

So apparently Justin Jefferson was almost a Charger, but Jim Harbaugh said ‘nah, we have Justin Jefferson at home’. Justin Jefferson at home was Quentin Johnston.

We, as a fantasy community, have been deprived of what could have been an incredible Justin-Justin fantasy connection.

What’s in store:

• One rookie wide receiver has caught the eye of his veteran quarterback 👀. No, we’re not talking about Xavier Worthy.

• Pat Freiermuth, Steelers QB forming connection early on in camp. Luckily, it doesn’t sound like Mycole Pruitt is taking too many snaps away from the athletic TE.

• Are the Seahawks pass catchers in for their best year yet? 😯 Ryan Grubb is in town and brings valuable experience from the college level.

• Zach’s favorite Underdog values! Two late round QBs, a bunch of WRs, and an ascending tight end highlight his top-10.

• Jets QB Aaron Rodgers says that WR Malachi Corley 'was his favorite receiver in the draft’

  • In an offense that features only one other sure thing in the receiving game (WR Garrett Wilson), Corley could have a chance to make some noise in year one with Rodgers under center. Of course, his potential fantasy value hinges exclusively on Rodgers, 40, making not only a full recovery from his torn achilles, but also returning to an MVP-level of play that we haven’t seen since the 2021 season. However, if Rodgers is going to get back to that kind of production, surrounding him with players like Corley is only going to help. Corley was a pinball after the catch in his college career, drawing comparisons to the oft-imitated, never equalled Deebo Samuel. While Mike Williams profiles as the clear No. 2 in the Jets offense opposite Garrett Wilson, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to stay healthy or make a complete comeback from his own ACL tear. That uncertainty could leave the door open for Corley to establish himself as a favorite of Rodgers’ not only on paper, but also on the field. With two high-profile additions to the offensive line in all-pro LT Tyron Smith and rookie standout OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu, the Jets are hopeful that keeping Rodgers upright will be more successful this season and translate to a much more threatening offensive attack. With Mike Williams the only receiver standing between Corley and a near full-time role at this point, he’ll make for an intriguing pick in drafts heading into the summer.

• Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth, QB Russell Wilson forming substantial connection in earlygoing of OTAs

  • With Wilson and fellow free agent acquisition Justin Fields likely to face off in a competition for starting duties in 2024, determining which passer the Steelers’ pass catchers mesh best with will be pivotal in deciding who takes the first snap for Pittsburgh in Week 1. According to the Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, Pat Freiermuth has developed a notable rapport with veteran QB Russell Wilson so far after spending time with his new quarterback earlier this spring, as well. With Diontae Johnson bag chasing in Carolina, the Steelers’ receiving corps. now features George Pickens and Freiermuth as the top two targets for the Steelers QB platoon. With a top-8 fantasy finish under his belt back in 2022, Freiermuth has proven that he can be a weekly set-and-forget starter at the tight end position. With injuries and questionable, at best, QB play dismantling his 2023 campaign, the veteran tight end will be looking to bounce back in new OC Arthur Smith’s system in a contract year. Despite Smith’s insistence on eschewing his star players in favor of the recently signed Mycole Pruitt during his time in Atlanta, Freiermuth remains easily the safest bet to check in as the No. 2 option in Pittsburgh’s passing attack – with the potential to get back to his TE1 ways if the Steelers are able to coax consistency out of their retooled QB room.

• Bears beat reporters chronicle what appeared to be an up and down week for Caleb Williams and the Chicago offense

  • Gasp! A rookie quarterback with a mountain of expectations on his shoulders and no experience against pro defenses didn’t look like a perennial all-pro in his first week of practice? As we’ve seen plenty of times in the past, the first week of practice isn’t always sunshine and rainbows for rookies, especially those drafted high. Remember when Ja’Marr Chase couldn’t catch an NFL ball because there weren’t any white stripes on them? It’s the first week of practice, so fantasy managers shouldn’t really be heading to the bank with any of the negative reports that come out this early in the process. It should also be noted that Williams was operating last week without veteran wideout Keenan Allen and fellow first-round rookie Rome Odunze in the lineup, so take the reports of him struggling with a grain of salt. This is still the same quarterback that is the clear 1.01 in superflex formats with an argument to go top-5 in non-superflex formats, as well – one bad week in practice does not determine the rest of a player’s career trajectory. It would obviously help though if by the end of this week we hear that things are picking up steam in regards to how smooth the offense is running :).

Don’t be surprised if the Seahawks passing offense takes a big step forward in 2024. If you watch college football, you’re very aware of new Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb’s success at Washington, specifically in the passing game with 2023 first-round quarterback Michael Penix Jr. In each of his two years as Washington’s offensive coordinator, the Huskies were Top-2 in passing yards in the nation. He was set to be Alabama’s new OC, but he’s staying in state and making the jump to the pros.

One of second-year WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s gripes with former OC Shane Waldron was that he didn’t run enough 3-WR sets, resulting in JSN going over 80% route participation only 6 times in 2023. The good news for him: he won’t have to worry about that this year, as Grubb had 3 WRs on the field close to 80% of plays last year compared to 63% for Seattle last year.

Tyler Lockett will be 32 years old at the beginning of next season, and we’re already seeing a slight decline in his production and efficiency, so there’s a chance JSN moves past him into the more dependable vertical slot/flanker role this season. He’s currently the WR43 in Underdog drafts.

Either way, the Seahawks have the personnel to run Grubb’s offense. Geno Smith will run it to start, but I do find it interesting they brought in a young gun slinger in Sam Howell to offer some low-key competition. We saw Howell lead the league in pass attempts last season, which led to a top-12 finish in what was largely a dysfunctional Commanders offense.

More 3 WR sets, more passing volume - great for these WRs. But don’t forget about their primary tight end Noah Fant! (Hear me out on this one…) Seattle has been using 2-TE sets and have been distributing production among multiple guys. There is literally no one behind Fant, so a full-time route participation is very possible. He should be on your late round sleeper TE list.

DK Metcalf is an obvious winner of these changes as the team’s WR1, as well, so we could see him return to a stat line closer to his 83/1303/10 season in 2020. We might be drafting him close to his floor as the current WR22 off the board on Underdog.

• Baker Mayfield (QB21) - last year’s QB10, Mayfield returns all of his top weapons including WR Mike Evans, who he connected with for 13 TDs last season. Even with a new offensive coordinator, Mayfield should have no trouble easily outperforming a low-QB2 ADP.

• Will Levis (QB24) - Upgrades at wide receiver and the coaching staff give Levis the best supporting cast of his short career heading into year two. As the 24th QB off the board, there’s almost no risk in taking a swing at the big-armed Titans signal caller who flashed more than once in 2023.

• Jonathon Brooks (RB24) - His new head coach is already raving about his ability to be used in the passing game, which will outshine any potential shortcomings in the snap share department. The ACL tear is not a concern for me at all and won’t be unless we hear otherwise between now and September. He’s got top-12 upside coming off the board in the eighth round.

• Ezekiel Elliott (RB40) - Zeke returns to his old stomping grounds as a likely early down bruiser / goal line hammer. That role will serve him just fine on last year’s top scoring offense by total points scored. He even showed that he’s capable in the receiving game yet, and as the RB40, he could be the beneficiary of some special treatment from Dallas’ coaching staff.

• A.J. Brown (WR7) - Brown was dominating as the overall WR1 before the bye in 2023, and his production fell off along with the entire Eagles offense in last year’s stunning collapse. I’m willing to bet he and Jalen Hurts return closer to what we saw earlier in 2023, and as the 10th overall pick in Underdog’s best ball ADP, I’d be thrilled to get him late in the first round.

• Mike Evans (WR16) - The connection he had with Baker Mayfield was real, and the Buccaneers didn’t change much personnel-wise to suggest that Evans isn’t still viewed as a top flight receiver in not only Tampa Bay’s WR room, but also in the entire NFL. He led all receivers in TDs with 13, and as usual, is being underrated early on in drafts.

• Marquise Brown (WR34) - The only Chiefs WR without external complications is easily the safest bet and highest upside selection at the same time. His price has gone up in recent weeks with news of Xavier Worthy’s hamstring flare up, but who wouldn’t take a shot on Patrick Mahomes’ potential WR1 at the back of the fifth round?

• Diontae Johnson (WR44) - Johnson suffered from Kenny Pickett’s atrocious QB play in Pittsburgh, and the situation isn’t much better in Carolina. However, he’s still a target-earning WR in an offense spearheaded by the Buccaneers former OC in Dave Canales. We know who Johnson is, and the situation this year should be an improvement over his previous one.

• Courtland Sutton (WR49) - Yes, Bo Nix is a rookie and we don’t know what his translation to the NFL will be like. But with Jerry Jeudy out the door, Sutton is primed to be Nix’s go-to-guy in a system that will allegedly play to his strengths and what he’s familiar with. It’s easy to be optimistic when Sutton is going later than Jameson Williams and Christian Watson, too.

• Jake Ferguson (TE9) - Ferguson was one of seven tight ends last season to garner at least 100 targets (102) and was second in end zone targets among all TEs with nine. Dallas brought in no weapons of note and are primed to roll with Ferguson as their second option in the offense, and with a TE-friendly QB like Dak, Ferguson has easy top-5 upside at his TE9 price tag.