Scott Engel returns for his ninth season of Fantasy Football coverage on Seahawks.com. Scott is a 20-plus year veteran of the Fantasy industry and an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame. You can find more of his Fantasy analysis at RotoBaller.com and SportsLine.com. You can listen to Scott on weekend mornings and on demand on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. Scott has also won his highly competitive Fantasy Football league with other experts and top players in each of the past three years.
There have been some outstanding Seahawks wide receivers that have helped Fantasy Football players win their leagues over the years. In the pre-internet era, Hall of Famer Steve Largent had eight seasons of 1,050-plus receiving yards and eight campaigns with eight-plus TDs. In 1997 and 1998, Joey Galloway totaled 22 TD catches while going over 1,000 yards in each year. Darrell Jackson had three 1,000-yard seasons and four with seven or more TD catches. He had 87 receptions in 2004. In 2015 Doug Baldwin caught 78 passes for 1,069 and 14 TDs. He totaled 29 TD receptions from 2015 to 2017. He caught 94 passes for 1,128 yards in 2016.
Tyler Lockett is now established as a prime No. 2 Fantasy wide receiver, and no second-year WR is stirring more buzz among Fantasy players than DK Metcalf. In most Fantasy leagues, you have to start two to three wide receivers. Lockett and Metcalf are part of a deep positional group in Fantasy Football. If you prepare well for your draft and know the talent pool well, you can patiently pick off good depth at WR. Running backs will go off the board quickest in most drafts, so there is a higher emphasis on getting two starters in the first three rounds while possibly nabbing one WR in that span. You can then fill out any second or third starting slots in the fourth to sixth rounds depending on the flow of the draft.
We begin our breakdown of the WR position with a Fantasy scouting report on the exciting and very promising Metcalf, who should be one of your top WR3 targets in 2020 drafts.
DK Metcalf: The Rise of a Fantasy Star Will Continue in 2020
As a rookie, Metcalf exceeded some expectations as he finished with 900 receiving yards and seven TD catches. He showed he deserved immediate Fantasy consideration, totaling 30 Fantasy points in his first two pro games as he had 150 receiving yards and a TD. Metcalf started to show more breakout potential in Weeks 8 and 9, when he delivered his first two-TD outing and his first 100-yard game. He scored 43.30 points on NFL.com in that two-week span. He scored 11-plus points in every game from Weeks 13 to 15. In the second half of the schedule, Metcalf had five games in which he caught six passes and totaled 70 or more receiving yards.
Metcalf's best performances came when the Fantasy season was over, but the NFL games mattered the most. He caught six passes for 81 yards in the regular season finale against the 49ers' No. 2 ranked pass defense. Then, in a true breakthrough and record-setting outing, he made the nation take notice as he caught seven passes for 160 yards and a TD in the NFC Wild Card Game at Philadelphia. It was a performance that fully demonstrated how much Metcalf had progressed in his first NFL campaign and what sort of production he was capable of providing. When a player supplied such statistical totals on a significant stage, especially in an NFL playoff debut, it demanded that Fantasy players pay attention heading into the next season.
Metcalf came into the league with pro comparisons to past Fantasy superstars such as Demaryius Thomas and Andre Johnson. He is a tremendous all-around talent, as he blends size and speed and he improved fundamentally and technique wise throughout his rookie year. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch and caught passes of 24 or more yards in 11 games last year, including the postseason. The numbers show Metcalf became a more dependable pass-catcher as the season progressed, and by the time the playoffs rolled around, he was ready to display how he could outwork defenses with his leaping ability while also winning battles for contested catches. It's also a big bonus that he plays with Russell Wilson, an ideal QB for his skill sets. As we indicated in our Fantasy QB preview, Wilson is one of the best deep passers in the game. At 6-4, 229 pounds with big-play acumen all over the field, Metcalf is a unique and inviting target for Wilson in all sorts of passing situations.
Metcalf's NFL.com ADP of 54.6 is tops among all second-year WRs as many Fantasy players believe he can vault into WR2 territory this season. You may have to jump to acquire Metcalf even earlier in some drafts, as he has may be taken as early as the fourth round. Fantasy GMs/coaches are viewing Metcalf very favorably heading into the 2020 season, and you may have to make an aggressive move to land him as your second pick at the position. He may not last to the point of your third WR slot. Metcalf has already showed us some tantalizing upside and could be a league-winning Fantasy contributor this year.
Scouting the Fantasy WR Position for 2020
With 374.6 points last year, Michael Thomas finished nearly 100 points ahead of the next highest-scoring player at the position. He has an NFL.com ADP of 3.5 overall and is the only non-RB that should be picked in the top half of the first round of drafts. DeAndre Hopkins (9.6) can actually be taken in the second round of drafts as he now moves to Arizona, where he will be part of a deeper receiving crew.
Davante Adams (11.3) is often the second WR taken in many drafts. His 30.3 percent target share was the third highest in the NFL last year and he should continue to dominate in the Green Bay passing game. Chris Godwin (12.7) will play in a less explosive passing game this year yet should still be taken as a Top 6 WR, as he will be the likely top target for Tom Brady. Tyreek Hill (12.9) and Julio Jones (13.9) should get late first round or early second round consideration. If you are going to draft Thomas, Adams, Jones or Hill early, you will have to make sure you don't wait too long to take a RB thereafter. Starting a draft with two RBs and one WR is often a good way to begin the roster build.
Kenny Golladay (28.7) led the NFL in TD catches with 11 last year, and now Matthew Stafford returns healthy, so he should be a back-end Fantasy WR1 target. Adam Thielen (35.1) is now the undisputed No. 1 WR in Minnesota. Allen Robinson (36.7) finished as Fantasy WR8 last year as he admirably stood out as the best player on the Chicago offense. Keenan Allen (39.0) may slip beyond the fourth round in some drafts because of QB transition in Los Angeles.
Tyler Lockett (42.2) has caught 18 TD passes in the past two seasons and finished as a Top 15 Fantasy WR in both years. Last season he soared past the 80-catch and 1,000-yard marks for the first time. In the first nine weeks of the season, Lockett scored double-figure Fantasy points in all but one game. With Metcalf commanding even more defensive attention this season, Lockett can benefit and should be a quality Fantasy WR2 pick again.
D.J. Moore (43.3) should catch more TD passes this year and has Fantasy WR1 potential. Odell Beckham Jr. could turn out to be a nice value at 52.5 with a possible rebound year ahead of him. Robert Woods (61.1) seems like a safe pick for close to 90 catches and 1,100-plus yards every year. JuJu Smith-Schuster (65.9) can bounce back in a big way this season with Ben Roethlisberger back in action and should not slip past the fourth round.
Tyler Boyd (77.1) is coming off two 1,000-yard seasons and the Cincinnati passing game should improve under Joe Burrow this season. DeVante Parker (86.6) may be the most underrated WR in Fantasy Football. He finished as WR11 last year as he improved his conditioning and enjoyed a true breakout year. Brandin Cooks (103.8) can re-emerge as an 80-catch, 1,000-yard receiver with Houston.
Deeper bargain and value plays: N'Keal Harry (126.6) can work well with Cam Newton as a yardage-after-the-catch type. … Diontae Johnson (139.6) will also benefit from the Roethlisberger return. …Jalen Reagor (147.9) may quickly earn a lot of looks from Carson Wentz. …. Hunter Renfrow (150.0) could emerge as the clear WR1 for Las Vegas. … Breshad Perriman (150.3) can build on a strong final surge last year with his new team, the Jets. … Steven Sims (150.9) has the ability to become a top deep threat for Washington.
Scott Engel's Top 25 Fantasy WRs for 2020
- Michael Thomas
- Davante Adams
- Tyreek Hill
- Julio Jones
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Chris Godwin
- Kenny Golladay
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Adam Thielen
- Amari Cooper
- Allen Robinson
- Mike Evans
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Cooper Kupp
- DeVante Parker
- D.J. Moore
- Keenan Allen
- DK Metcalf
- Tyler Lockett
- Stefon Diggs
- T.Y. Hilton
- Calvin Ridley
- Courtland Sutton
- Robert Woods
- D.J. Chark
For the complete list of WRs and updated player rankings from Scott Engel, plus comprehensive Fantasy Football coverage and tools, get the*RotoBaller Season Pass*. Enter promo code "Seahawks" at checkout for an additional discount.
