2006 RECORD: 9-7  -  2007 RECORD: 10-6  -  2008 RECORD: 4-12

Fantasy Stats Scoring System

Team Fantasy Points: 1288.4 FP – 29 of 32

KEY ADDITION: T. J. Houshmandzadeh (CIN)

KEY LOSS: RB Maurice Morris (DET)

KEY DRAFT PICK: OLB Aaron Curry – Wake Forest

COACHES: The Seahawks bid farewell to retired (for now) Head Coach Mike Holmgren and named Jim Mora Jr. as their new HC. Mora Jr. moves up from being an assistant head coach/secondary for the past two years in Seattle. He was the HC in Atlanta from 2004-06.  Greg Knapp joins the Seahawks as offensive coordinator. Knapp was the OC under Mora Jr. in Atlanta and most recently spent two years as the Raiders OC. Can this be good for the Seahawks and Fantasy Football? Gus Bradley takes over as the new defensive coordinator in Seattle. Bradley has spent the past three seasons under the guidance of DC Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay as the defensive quality control coach and most recently as the Bucs linebacker’s coach.

STATS SLANT: There are a ton of questions in Seattle this season. This coaching crew only adds to the pile.

QUARTERBACK (QB): Few teams have gone from Super Bowl to Bust like the Seahawks have. Part of the reason for that has been the play and health of QB Matt Hasselbeck. Hass missed all or part of ten games last season and was awful in the games that he played in. His 78 FP in 2009 was a huge disappointment to his Fantasy Owners and many are questioning if he will ever return to his 2007 form (308 FP). The bulging disc in his back that affected his legs in 2008 was a brutal injury so the numbers are not surprising. The WR core was stricken with injuries and was dreadful in 2008. Hass gets a new weapon in T. J. Houshmandzadeh and should get back a healthy Nate Burleson but more on that later. Hass has looked good in the Seahawks mini camp but we need to see him in full pads to confirm that. Seneca Wallace will move back to the QB2 role in Seattle for 2009.

STATS SLANT: Hasselbeck will be a classic risk/reward QB in 2009. Any time you buy damaged goods you are taking a chance on getting what you pay for. We will be passing on Hass as a QB1 and you should as well. We currently have him ranked as a mid range QB2 but we don’t trust his age (34) or his health. If you can get him late with value grab him, stash him on your bench and slot him in when the match-up is a good one (Rams/Lions/49ers).

RUNNING BACK (RB): The RB situation in Seattle has been a train wreck since Shaun Alexander fell off the Fantasy Planet after the 2005 season. In the off-season, the Seahawks let Maurice Morris go to the Lions leaving Julius Jones as the RB1 in Seattle. The Seahawks are moving away from a power rushing game and will go to a one-cut running scheme this season. Jones has had just 323 carries in the past two years so he should be fresh and ready to go. The bad news is that T. J. Duckett will still be stealing the goal line and TD carries. FB Justin Griffith came over from the Raiders and will also steal some touches here as well.

STATS SLANT: The Seahawks will be more about passing than running in 2009 and that hurts the RB position in Seattle. Jones moving the chains and Duckett stealing the TD is not a viable Fantasy situation. If Jones shows he can handle the full load he has potential to move up considerably. We currently have Jones ranked as a high end RB4 and Duckett as a mid range RB6.

WIDE RECEIVER (WR): The Seahawks were decimated by injuries at the WR and QB position in 2008. As a result, they were one of only two teams that did not produce a 100 FP scorer at the WR position (OAK). The addition of T. J. Houshmandzadeh will ensure that doesn’t happen again in 2009. Housh has looked good in mini camp with Hasselbeck under center and he’ll be the go to WR1 in Seattle this season. Nate Burleson tore his ACL in Week One last season after catching five passes for 60 yards and a TD. Burleson is back to practicing and will line up as the Seahawks WR2. Deion Branch, Courtney Taylor, Ben Obomanu and Logan Payne will battle for the WR3 role in Seattle. Out of those four guys, Ben Obomanu is the one to watch. He missed the entire 2008 season with a broken clavicle but the Seahawks coaching staff is very high on his abilities.

STATS SLANT: The production at the WR position in Seattle hinges on the health of Hasselbeck. If he can return to form then Housh is in line to have a big year and, to a lesser degree, so is Burleson. Take Housh as a high end WR2 and Burleson as a mid range WR4. We will watch to see who grabs the WR3 role and keep you posted.

TIGHT END (TE): In his 16-year head-coaching career, Holmgren had never started a rookie TE until he did so with TE John Carlson in 2008. The move paid off for Carlson’s Fantasy Owners as Carlson led the entire Seahawks team in Fantasy point scoring with 147.7 FP. That was good enough for seventh OA amongst all TE. Tony Gonzalez (with the Chiefs last season) also led his team in Fantasy scoring which is a good indication of why both teams finished with such dismal records in 2008 (6-26 combined). Carlson’s numbers are even more impressive when you consider that he came out of the game on the majority of third down plays last season in favor of a WR.

STATS SLANT: There will be a lot more healthy hands wanting the ball in Seattle in 2009. Even though Carlson has been staying on the field during third down plays in mini camp, he may see more snaps with pretty much the same results this season. Carlson is a safe selection as a mid range TE1 on Draft Day 2009.

PLACE KICKER (PK): Orlindo Mare is back for the final year of his two-year contract in Seattle this season. We’re still not sure how he got the contract in the first place. Mare hit on 24 of his 27 FGA and all 30 of his PAT. His 120 FP was 49 FP better than his 2007 total (71 FP) but it was good for just 25th OA amongst all PK in 2008.

STATS SLANT: Mare will get more chances to score in 2009 but it won’t be enough to move him up much. Leave him on the waiver on Draft Day 2009.

DEFENSE-SPECIAL TEAMS (D/ST): The Seahawks D/ST had 101 FP in 2009 and that was 19th OA at the position. The Seahawks didn’t do anything in the off-season or the Draft to address their needs in the defensive backfield. Teams will play bombs away against the Seahawks once again in 2009.

RED FLAG: Hasselbeck is 34 and a bulging disc in your back is not a good thing at any age. The production of the entire Seahawks team will hinge on his health.

Keep a pre-season eye on: How the WR positions are handled and eventually set in Seattle.

Stats Sleepers: RB Julius Jones, WR Ben Obomanu

Strength Of Schedule: 24 of 32

Summary: The Seahawks are trying to rebound from a disastrous 2008 season with a new coaching staff and what they hope is a rejuvenated QB in Hasselbeck. They did very little to address their needs on defense, so they will be in a lot of shoot-outs in 2009. That’s a good thing in Fantasy Football, so there will be some value in Seattle on Draft Day 2009.

StatsGuru

Photo Credit: seahawks.com/media-lounge/photos/hasselbeck-and-houshmanzadeh/2895246a-a6ce-4a01-9002-6f9b6e1ddd15