I’m higher than most on Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. I have already selected those guys in multiple drafts. So I have a special interest in Antonio Brown. What would happen to those receivers if Brown were to sign with the Seahawks?
Brown is arguably better than both of them. That is, if you were starting an expansion team from scratch, with players showing up for their first practices today, Brown would likely be the team’s most productive receiver. No disrespect to Lockett and Metcalf, who are good players, but Brown might still be one of the best half-dozen receivers in the league. He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s talented.
In this situation, however, Lockett and Metcalf are already entrenched. They know the offense, and they have a history of working with Russell Wilson. Brown (if he signs with the Seahawks) would be showing up for the last eight games, coming in cold.
Under that scenario, I don’t think Brown would start ahead of Lockett or Metcalf. I know he wouldn’t. He would be their third guy, and I wouldn’t have a big interest in counting on him for fantasy purposes. He would chip in here and there, I supposed, but I don’t think he’d be a contender for top-30 receiving numbers. Especially with the Seahawks tending to patiently stick with the run.
Seattle didn’t get much out of its reserve receivers last year. If you look at their third-best receiver for all 16 games and add up the production, you get 30 catches for 552 yards and 5 TDs. Brown is way better than all of those guys, of course, but he was out of football last year and would working in a new offense and with a new quarterback.
If Brown were to sign with the Seahawks, I wouldn’t think he would catch 25 passes in those final eight games. Not a guy who would float my boat.
If the Brown-to-Seattle thing goes down, however, you’ll see Lockett and Metcalf slip a little on my board. They would likely see fewer targets in the second half of the season.
As a guy who’s already holding stock in those wide receivers, for personal reasons I’m hoping Brown stays away from Seattle. (I would much rather see him land in Green Bay or Philadelphia).
| SEATTLE'S THIRD WIDE RECEIVER | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Opp | Result | Tgt | No | Yards | Avg | TD | PPR |
| Malik Turner | Cin. | W 21-20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .0 | 0 | .0 |
| Malik Turner | at Pitt. | W 28-26 | 3 | 3 | 54 | 18.0 | 0 | 8.4 |
| Jaron Brown | N.O. | L 27-33 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 6.0 |
| Jaron Brown | at Ariz. | W 27-10 | 3 | 3 | 50 | 16.7 | 0 | 8.0 |
| Dave Moore | LAR | W 30-29 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 1 | 8.0 |
| Jaron Brown | at Clev. | W 32-28 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 2 | 17.9 |
| Jaron Brown | Balt. | L 16-30 | 6 | 3 | 60 | 20.0 | 0 | 9.0 |
| Dave Moore | at Atl. | W 27-20 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 0 | 3.3 |
| Dave Moore | T.B. | W 40-34 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 3.8 |
| Malik Turner | at S.F. | W 27-24 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 17.5 | 0 | 5.5 |
| Malik Turner | at Phil. | W 17-9 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 33.0 | 1 | 10.3 |
| Dave Moore | Min. | W 37-30 | 4 | 2 | 65 | 32.5 | 1 | 14.5 |
| Josh Gordon | at LAR | L 12-28 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 17.0 | 0 | 5.4 |
| Josh Gordon | at Car. | W 30-24 | 1 | 1 | 58 | 58.0 | 0 | 6.8 |
| Malik Turner | Ariz. | L 13-27 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 0 | 3.3 |
| Dave Moore | S.F. | L 21-26 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 15.0 | 0 | 5.0 |
| Total | -- | -- | 52 | 30 | 552 | 18.4 | 5 | 115.2 |
—Ian Allan