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The Seahawks don't have a clean handcuff behind Marshawn Lynch. Both Robert Turbin and Christine Michael appear to be top-10 backup tailbacks, and they'll both play if Lynch gets hurt. Michael is more talented; a year from now, he'll definitely be well ahead (he'll be a good starter someday). But Turbin has the advantage of having been around for a year. He knows the offense better; he's better in pass protection and as a receiver. Should Lynch get hurt (and he's an older back who takes a lot of punishment) we expect those backs would split time initially, with the more effective back than growing into a more prominent role. For fantasy purposes, they don't grade out as well as they should. It makes more sense to take lesser backups who'll be guaranteed a big role if called upon – think Toby Gerhart, Brian Leonard and Jacquizz Rodgers. ... Sidney Rice sat out the entire preseason
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to protect his knees and has an $8.5 million salary, but the Seahawks are keeping him. It will be Rice and Golden Tate starting at wide receiver. (Tate is the No. 1 in our eyes.) But the Seahawks will mix in other guys. Doug Baldwin is an above-average No. 3 receiver, Jermaine Kearse could get out there some, and Stephen Williams was one of the big surprises of the preseason (not on the team – in the entire league). Williams didn't quite click in Arizona, but he's a 6-foot-5 receiver who can run. He caught 5 passes in the preseason that went for 38-plus yards. They put him out there with the first unit in the last exhibition and Russell Wilson hooked up with him for a 50-yard gain on the second play. Williams will be active, and they'll trot him out there to try some of those fly routes each game (that's all he'll do – run vertical routes). Wilson throws that ball really nicely – lofts it way up, so it's raining down and Williams can use his big frame. We don't see Williams as productive enough to draft, but he hurts the values of the starting receivers. (And this crowded receiving corps will be even busier in December when Percy Harvin comes back.) Williams suffered a concussion on his 50-yard catch against the Raiders, so it's possible he'll sit out the opening game at Carolina. ... Steven Hauschka looks outstanding. He plays for a great team, which is the first thing you look for in a kicking prospect. And he's a lot better now than he was early in his career (he was on three different teams in 2009-2010). Hauschka hit the crossbar on a 61-yard attempt at San Diego, and he hit 3 field goals from 50-plus in lesser weather against Oakland on Thursday night. He missed only 3 field goals all of last year, and they were from 50, 51 and 61 yards. ... The Seahawks might have gotten something special in the fifth round when they selected Luke Willson. He's got unusual speed for a tight end (he runs a 4.5), and he's picking things up quickly. He caught all 6 passes they threw him in the last two preseason games. Willson caught only 9 passes last year at Rice, but he was plagued all year by an ankle injury; he caught 69 passes the previous year. With that speed, we expect the Seahawks will mix him in as a second tight end and try to hit him on some deep passes when they can get him aligned against linebackers who can't run with him. They ran that kind of play on the first series of the Denver game and Russell Wilson just missed him on what would have been a long gainer. Zach Miller sat out all of camp and three of the preseason games, so Willson has had a lot of time working with the first-unit offense. As well as he's played, our leaning is that Willson could develop into Seattle's starting tight end as early as 2014. As a reserve player, he might even post similar numbers to Miller this year. Eight tight ends were drafted before Willson in April, but he might go on to have a better pro career than all of those guys. Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati) is the only one we're sure we'd draft ahead of Willson today. Rookie tight end rankings (for dynasty purposes) should look something like this.
- Zach Sudfeld, Patriots
- Tyler Eifert, Bengals
- Luke Willson, Seahawks
- Zach Ertz, Eagles
- Vance McDonald, 49ers
- Travis Kelce, Kansas City
- Jordan Reed, Washington
- Gavin Escobar, Cowboys
With the strong camps by Jermaine Kearse and Stephen Williams, the Seahawks released Chris Harper. Of the 15 receivers selected in the first four rounds, he's the only one that got cut. Other teams will be interested in bringing him in for a look, and he'll land somewhere as either a fourth or fifth guy or a practice-squad option. But Harper didn't do much in the preseason. He dropped a long touchdown in the last game.