Scott Engel is beginning his 10th season as the official Fantasy writer and analyst for Seahawks.com. Scott is a 25-year veteran of the Fantasy industry and an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame. He is a four-time FSWA award winner and 10-time nominee, including being named a finalist for the 2020 Fantasy Football Writer of the Year award. You can also find more of his Fantasy analysis on RotoBaller.com, SportsLine.com, the Athletic and SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. Scott won two Fantasy Football dynasty league titles in 2020, including one in the prestigious Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC) and previously pulled off a three-peat in a highly competitive New York City league.
July marks the start of the new Fantasy Football season, and Fantasy players everywhere will now start to prepare for the upcoming campaign with great enthusiasm. We look forward to bringing you the best 2021 Fantasy Football Draft Prep possible, but as a fun prelude, we want to salute the greatest Seahawks players to ever help our teams to championships and memorable victories. These are the standout performers who made, and continue to make our Fantasy success possible, and they most certainly deserve the highest recognition we can give them for their accomplishments.
This is the second time we have compiled such a list, and this edition is more comprehensive than the one we put together in 2018. Much of the data is via stathead.com, the ultimate resource for all-time NFL and Fantasy information. When assembling the list, we considered several points when ranking the all-time Seahawks. They include impact over the prime of a career, positions played, eras in which they played, best seasons and where players were considered in terms of their positions in their best years. For historical purposes, we define the 'modern" Fantasy era as the mid-1990s onward, when the internet truly launched Fantasy Football as a national phenomenon. Point totals and averages included are for PPR scoring. Of course, we set the countdown at 12, as we do to honor the Seahawks fans who will certainly revel in this ultimate Fantasy honor roll.
12) RB Chris Warren
Warren ranks fifth all-time among Seahawks RBs with 1264.8 career Fantasy points. In 1994 and 1995, he rushed for 1.545 and 1,346 yards respectively, totaling 24 rushing TDs. He scored 280-plus points in each campaign. Warren blended smooth running skills and physical prowess as he operated as a key starter on many winning teams early in the modern Fantasy era.
11) WR Doug Baldwin
His 2015 season is the second-best by a wide receiver in Seahawks franchise history. Baldwin caught 78 passes for 1,069 yards and 14 TDs. He has the third-most Fantasy points by any wide receiver in Seahawks history with 1450.5. The best Fantasy outing of Baldwin's career was on Nov. 29. 2015 vs. Pittsburgh, when he had six receptions for 145 yards and three TDs, scoring 38.5 points. Baldwin caught 94 balls for 1,128 yards in 2016. He could make a significant Fantasy play from anywhere on the field in his best seasons.
10) WR Joey Galloway
One of the most exciting players to ever line up at wide receiver for the Seahawks, Galloway averaged 14.23 Fantasy Points Per Game during the 1995 to 1999 seasons with the Seahawks, the second-most for a WR in team history. In 1997 and 1998, he went over 1,040 yards in each campaign and totaled 22 TD receptions. Galloway recorded two of the top five WR seasons in Seahawks Fantasy history, in 1995 and 1998. No Fantasy player who rostered Galloway in '95 can forget his 43.0 point performance, in which he caught five passes for 114 yards and two TDs and rushed for an 86-yard score. It was the third-best Fantasy WR outing in franchise history. On Oct. 26 of 1997 against Oakland, Galloway caught seven passes for 117 yards and three TDs, totaling 41.1 points, the fifth-best Fantasy WR performance by a Seahawks player.
9) RB Ricky Watters
One of the best all-around Fantasy running backs of the 1990s, Watters had a very productive run with the Seahawks from 1998 to 2001. He averaged 16.24 Fantasy Points Per Game, the third-most in team history. In 2000, he rushed for 1,242 yards and seven scores and caught 63 passes for 613 yards and two TDs. Watters' best game as a Seahawk came on Nov. 21, 1999 against the Chiefs, when he had 174 yards from scrimmage and three TDs for 39.4 points. Watters was one of the most versatile RBs in team history and a top target as a Fantasy RB2.
8) WR DK Metcalf
His two impressive seasons as a pro so far instantly added Metcalf to this list, and it certainly appears he can vault higher on the ladder every year. Metcalf is set to become the highest-drafted Seahawk in Fantasy Football since Lynch this season, as he should go in the second round in many leagues. Metcalf's 14.33 Fantasy Points Per Game are already the highest-ever average for any Seahawks WR, and his 2020 campaign is already the best-ever for any WR in franchise history. Last year, he caught 83 passes for a team-record 1,303 yards and 10 TDs, totaling 271.3 points. His best game yet was on Nov. 1 of 2020 vs. the 49ers, when he caught 12 passes for 161 yards and two TDs for 40.1 points. Metcalf's unrivaled combination of size and speed has led to quick Fantasy stardom with the potential to eventually take his place near the top of this list.
7) WR Tyler Lockett
He is the author of the most impressive performance by a Seahawks Fantasy wide receiver in the modern Fantasy Football era. On October 25 of 2020, Lockett single-handedly propelled Fantasy players to decisive victories with an epic 15-reception, 200-yard, three-TD outing against Arizona. It was good for 53.0 PPR points, the most Fantasy points scored by any Seahawk in 18 years and the most by any Seahawks wide receiver since 1995. It was also the second-best Fantasy outing of any NFL WR since 2010 at the time. On November 3, 2019, Lockett caught 13 passes for 152 yards and two TDs against Tampa Bay, totaling 40.2 points. Lockett's 2020 season, in which he caught a franchise record 100 passes for 1.054 yards and 10 TDs, is the third best all-time in team history among WRs, as he totaled 265.4 points.
6) RB Curt Warner
The first Seahawks superstar running back, Warner was also the first 'Hawk to emerge as a prominent Fantasy player at his position. His 1346.2 Fantasy Points are the third-most in franchise history among RBs. Warner averaged 14.48 Fantasy Points Per Game, sixth-best in team history. In 1983, his stellar rookie year, Warner rushed for 1,449 yards and 13 TDs, scoring 297.4 Fantasy Points, the most ever for a Seahawks player prior to 2000. On December 20, 1986 against Denver, he rushed for 192 yards and three TDs, totaling 43.1 points, the third-most of all time by a Seahawks RB. An elusive and dazzling runner, Warner was an artist at making defenders miss and hung many high quality pieces on the box score walls.
5) Seahawks Fantasy Defense
The "Legion of Boom" era certainly deserves its prime place in Seahawks Fantasy annals. From 2012 to 2015, the Seattle defense was a Top 6 unit every year, and finished second overall in 2012 and 2013. That kind of annual consistency from a Fantasy defense is very hard to replicate. In 2013, the Seahawks had 44 sacks, 28 interceptions and 225 points allowed and totaled 213 Fantasy points. In 2012, in a 58-0 Week 14 win over Arizona on Dec. 9, the Seahawks delivered one of the greatest defensive performances in Fantasy history. With a Richard Sherman interception return and a Malcolm Smith fumble return for TDs, three sacks, four fumble recoveries, four interceptions, and 154 yards allowed, the Seahawks defense scored in the 40-point range on most Fantasy sites. The unit featured some of the greatest players to ever take the field for the Seahawks, including Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett and many other standouts.
4) WR Steve Largent
In the pre-internet era, which we can refer to as the "pen and pad" days of Fantasy Football, Largent was the best overall Fantasy Football player from the Seahawks roster for a decade. He produced the greatest single-game Fantasy performance in franchise history, scoring 59.1 PPR points on October 18 of 1987 against the Lions. Largent caught 15 passes for 261 yards and three TDs, which was the fifth-best Fantasy day for any WR in NFL history. His 2728.4 career Fantasy Points recorded from 1976 to 1989 are the second-most in team history. Largent had eight seasons of 1,050-plus receiving yards and eight campaigns in which he caught eight-plus TDs. While he was on his way to the Hall of Fame, Largent was a top-notch Fantasy wideout.
3) QB Russell Wilson
Since he was drafted in 2012, Wilson has finished as a Fantasy QB1 in every season, as he has placed in the Top 3 three times, the Top 8 six times, and in 2017 he was the No. 1 QB in Fantasy Football. He totaled 347.9 Fantasy Points Per Game in '17, as Wilson passed for 3,983 yards and 34 TDs with 586 rushing yards and three TDs. He owns the second through sixth-best Fantasy seasons in franchise history. His 19.59 Fantasy Points Per Game are the most in Seahawks history, as are his 2820.4 total points. On September 22 of 2019, Wilson threw for 406 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 51 yards and two TDs, totaling 41.3 Fantasy points, the 15th best Fantasy QB performance in the modern Fantasy era. Wilson's premier dual threat skills and his tremendous deep passing abilities are among the qualities that make him one of the best QBs in Fantasy Football every year.
2) RB Marshawn Lynch
Running back is the most important position in Fantasy Football, and Lynch was a surefire Fantasy RB1 from 2011 to 2014. During that span, Lynch finished as a Top 6 Fantasy running back in every season and in the Top 5 for three consecutive years. Lynch averaged 15.72 Fantasy Points Per Game for his career, the third-most among non-quarterbacks in team history. His 58 rushing TDs are the second-most in franchise history, and fully illustrated his highly essential role as a Fantasy producer. His best Fantasy outing as a Seahawk was on November 9 of 2014 against the Giants, when he rushed for 140 yards and four TDs, totaling 41.3 points. Lynch's sheer determination as a runner was legendary and unrivaled, and translated into standout Fantasy production.
1) RB Shaun Alexander
From 2001 to 2005, Alexander was one of the elite players in Fantasy Football, as he had 16-plus total TDs in every season during that span, and totaled 20-plus in '04 and '05. He rushed for 1,300-plus yards in four of those five campaigns. Alexander has recorded the four best Fantasy running back seasons in franchise history, scoring 300-plus Fantasy points in every year from 2002 to 2005. At the peak of his spectacular productivity, Alexander was the only Seahawk to ever be considered as a No. 1 overall selection, and he was a regular high first-rounder during his unforgettable prime years. He had the most-ever PPR Fantasy Points (376.8) and Fantasy Points Per Game in a season (23.55) in franchise history in his MVP year of 2005, when he rushed for 1,880 yards and 27 TDs, the second-most in NFL history. His 16.35 points per game is the second-highest average in team history and the best for any non-quarterback.
On September 29 of 2002 vs. Minnesota, Alexander scored 56.1 Fantasy Points, the second-most in team history, as he totaled 231 yards from scrimmage with five total TDs. It was the greatest Fantasy performance in by a Seahawks player in the modern era and ranks fourth all-time for any running back in that era. On November 11 of 2001 vs. Oakland, Alexander scored 46.3 Fantasy points, the fourth-highest in team history, as he rushed for 266 yards and three TDs. He has scored the second-most Fantasy points for any non-QB when wearing a Seahawks uniform (1,946). Alexander's superb abilities to make tacklers miss and his tremendous goal-line finishing flourishes are among the prime skills that made him the greatest Seahawks Fantasy player of all time.
Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Graham had the best two seasons by any tight end in franchise history in 2016 and 2017, catching 16 total TD passes. … Darrell Jackson averaged 14.16 Fantasy Points Per Game, third-best among Seahawks WRs all-time. . …Chris Carson has averaged 14.70 Fantasy Points Per Game, fourth-best among Seahawks RBs. … John L. Williams scored 1,524 Fantasy Points from 1986 to 1993, second-most among Seahawks RBs all-time. … Brian Blades scored 1553.6 Fantasy Points from 1988 to 1998, second-most all-time by a Seahawks WR. … Matt Hasselbeck scored 1738.3 Fantasy Points as a Seahawk, second-most among QBs. … Daryl Turner caught seven passes for 121 yards and four TDs on September 15, 1985 vs. San Diego for 43.1 points, the third most ever for a Seahawks WR.
Key Links from Stathead.com:
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