By Nick Brinkerhoff
Typically if you want to talk about X-Factors on NFL teams, you’ll have to dive deeper down the depth chart. Take the plunge.
So coming up, I’m going to tell you all about why you should pay attention to a little known receiver from the small college known as Ole Miss, named DK Metcalf. Okay, I apologize. Ole Miss is not a small school. But sometimes there is no digging necessary, like when my dog insists on digging a trench to nowhere.
Sometimes the best answers are right on the surface, right in front of your face, the best place to hide everything. So while many people point to the quarterback situation, whether that’s Geno Smith, Drew Lock, or Ronald McDonald, I’m here to tell you they are wrong.
Now fine, it’s an opinion, which I guess we are maybe still allowed to have in society, but who knows anymore. The bottom line is that I’d rather talk about the real impact player on this Seattle Seahawks team and it’s the guy with a two letter nickname disguised as a first name, in which both of the letters are consonants.
It’s a real bummer for the, “I’d like to buy a vowel,” club. Either way, if you’ve been reading this far, I’m confident in your ability to figure it out. Now let’s get down to business.
DK Metcalf will be even better in 2022.
DK Metcalf will be even better in 2022. Doesn’t that sound incredible? Eventually if you repeat it enough, you’ll begin to believe it. DK Metcalf will be even better in 2022. Oh wow, we are feeling it now.
Losing quarterback Russell Wilson hurts of course, but for Metcalf it could be a blessing in disguise. While Wilson may have a tendency to spread the ball around, no one in that Seattle quarterback’s room will have that luxury. They will see Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant, but Metcalf is a physically imposing player, one that is impossible to miss. Those receivers will receive plenty of targets when playing with backup level quarterbacks.
Metcalf has surpassed 900 yards receiving in each of his three seasons in the league, while scoring at least 10 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. He’s also a player that is yet to miss a game in his short career.
While many NFL analysts may believe the Seahawks will return to the ground and pound style that head coach Pete Carroll loves, and I do too for what it’s worth, can we really be certain? Seattle possesses some great options in the passing game with Metcalf, Lockett, and Fant. It does not make much sense to ignore those options simply because Wilson isn’t in town anymore.
In the three games where Geno Smith started in place of the injured Wilson, Metcalf received at least 22% of targets in each game, averaging about 66 yards receiving and one touchdown per game. That was just in three games. For example, Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins received about 21% of target share last season.
With an entire offseason to find chemistry, I expect that number to increase and the stats will follow.
For you fantasy football players out there, don’t sleep on Metcalf in drafts, who actually had better value with Smith starting than Wilson. He averaged 17.2 fantasy points in PPR leagues without Wilson, and 13.8 with him.
If you love your football stats like you love your economy, then enjoy DK Metcalf in 2022, because he’ll be experiencing significant inflation in the box score this year.
Then, if you’re in the mood to make some money, take a look at the season long receiving yard totals for Metcalf. FanDuel has his over/under listed at 950.5 yards for -112, but DraftKings is begging us to take the over, listing him at 900.5 yards with a price tag of -115. Talk about a steal.
While at DraftKings, thank them for the free money by also getting in on total touchdowns as well. Let’s face it. Seattle won’t be very good this year, but they will have to score and it’ll probably come through the air as well. A season long total of 6.5 touchdowns at -115 is just asking to be hammered.
Now that’s a future we can all look forward to. Draft Metcalf in fantasy leagues, bet his player props, and remember that not everything is as bad as it seems.
Because DK Metcalf will be even better in 2022.