Seahawks @ WFT
The Seattle Seahawks limped into the playoffs on the back of yet another unconvincing performance from Russell Wilson and his offense who nudged past the Washington Football Team 20-15 in Maryland. The defeat could have proved costly for this Washington side, who badly missed the game management qualities of Alex Smith, but the New York Giants could not seize the opportunity later in the day as they fell to the Cleveland Browns.
Many of the Washington players enjoyed a successful fantasy day despite the defeat, mainly due to the haphazard nature of Dwayne Haskins. On the other hand, it was a miserable day across the fantasy spectrum for the Seahawks players in what was a dour game to watch for the neutral. The highlights on NFL Gamepass will suffice, believe me.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: 18/27, 121 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 6 carries, 52 yards
The past 6 weeks have ruined Russell Wilson‘s (13.04 fantasy points) hopes of an MVP campaign. It has also ruined him as a top 5 fantasy quarterback. Today it was more about the gameplan of the Seahawks to nullify the opposition’s fierce defensive production. The Washington defense is Washington’s best offense if truth be told so the fact that Wilson wasn’t sacked all day and only turned the ball over once was the primary reason why the Seahawks won the game. He also took a backseat to the run game.
Wilson did hit Freddie Swain on a deep ball down the left sideline at the beginning of the 2nd quarter for what looked like a touchdown but the receiver stepped out of bounds trying to complete the catch. He threw his only touchdown of the game just before the half, threading the needle to find tight end Jacob Hollister to put the Seahawks up 13-3 at half time. It was a superb throw in the red zone and evoked Wilson’s form in the first half of the season.
.@DangeRussWilson targets @hollister_jacob for the TD!
Q2: SEA 13, WAS 0
📺: #SEAvsWAS on FOX pic.twitter.com/5cC6WBhboS
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 20, 2020
Wilson’s pick was a tipped pass on 1st down with less than 12 minutes to go in the game with the Seahawks up 20-9. It was a poor decision – Wilson had no need to force the ball in that situation in Washington territory with a 2 score lead. It would have cost the Seahawks the game against a better quarterback and also highlights the troubles Wilson has played himself into in the second half of the season.
9⃣0⃣ going up 9⃣4⃣ with the ball@budlight | #BudLightCelly pic.twitter.com/7J35jIQ8tP
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 20, 2020
Dare I say it but Wilson may not be the best option to start against the Rams next week in your fantasy championship game. Check out our recommended streamers next week before making a final decision.
Running Backs
Chris Carson: 15 carries, 63 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
Carlos Hyde: 2 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
Rashad Penny: 2 carries, 6 yards
Chris Carson (8.90 fantasy points) has been valuable since returning from injury in Week 12 but he found no joy today against this tough interior defensive line of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen despite seeing 17 out of 23 touches out of the Seattle backfield. It will be a similar situation next week against the Rams but he is the lead back in this offense and should provide good production despite the matchup.
It was Carlos Hyde (14.30 fantasy points) who hit paydirt, however, thanks to an explosive 50-yard touchdown on his 1st carry of the day during the Seahawks’ opening drive of the 2nd half. The run essentially clinched a playoff berth for the Seahawks but Hyde is not a recommended FLEX option against Aaron Donald and a stout Rams defensive front next week.
Dr. Jekyll & Carlos Hyde#FantasyFootball | #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/7nmxeIGaib
— QB List (@TheQBlist) December 20, 2020
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
D.K. Metcalf: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 53 yards
Tyler Lockett: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards
Jacob Hollister: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards, 1 TD
David Moore: 4 targets, 2 reception, 10 yards
Freddie Swain: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards
D.K. Metcalf (9.30 fantasy points) and Tyler Lockett (7.40 fantasy points) were both in the top 10 fantasy wideouts at the end of Week 12. Oh, how the tale has turned dark. Over the past 3 weeks, they have combined for just 333 yards and 1 TD to destroy higher-ranked teams in the fantasy playoffs. Lockett now has just 1 TD in his last 8 games after starting the season with 7 scores in the opening 6 games. Metcalf has fared better but only just. He has just 1 100+ yard performance in the last 5 games and also missed time today with a nagging hamstring injury that has plagued him the past month. The receivers have really suffered from Wilson’s significant drop in performance level and there is not much confidence that things will go back to how they were going into next week’s tough matchup against Jalen Ramsey and the Rams.
Jacob Hollister (9.70 fantasy points) scored his 1st receiving touchdown since Week 3 to help absolutely nobody.
Washington Football Team
Quarterback
Dwayne Haskins: 38/55, 295 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 FUM, 4 sacks | 3 carries, 28 yards
The return of 2nd-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins (16.60 fantasy points) to the starting role after an injury to Alex Smith provided no new revelations about the ability of the former Ohio State signal-caller. He was erratic, foolish, calamitous, and also produced moments that make you understand why someone would see him as a 1st-round pick. Unfortunately, that is not what this team needs right now. They need Alex Smith.
Haskins lost this game 3 times for his team – twice by throwing into double-coverage for interceptions in Seattle territory.
.@ShaquillG was right there to snag it for the PICK ‼️
📺: #SEAvsWAS on FOX pic.twitter.com/tphbAwHCCj
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 20, 2020
The 2️⃣nd interception of the day belongs to @D7_Reed!
📺: #SEAvsWAS on FOX pic.twitter.com/94WlNi8mwa
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 20, 2020
Haskins held the ball for far too long during Washington’s final drive incurring 3 sacks, including 2 sacks on back-to-back plays when the ball was at the Seattle 23, dashing any hopes of a comeback win.
Collier…com…o…sack. 2020 foi longe demais pic.twitter.com/JYffr4kHiX
— Alexandre Castro (@alexcastrofilho) December 20, 2020
Haskins did lead the team back into the game despite being down by 17 points entering the 4th quarter. His touchdown pass was mainly thanks to a blown assignment in the Seattle defense though, allowing J.D. McKissic to walk in for a score to bring the game within reach for Washington.
J.D. McKissic from Dwayne Haskins#FantasyFootball | #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/QkF4krFL3L
— QB List (@TheQBlist) December 20, 2020
The only good thing about having Haskins as the starter is that that he will throw the ball heaps (55 attempts in this game) and elevate fantasy stats for the positional skill players.
Running Backs
J.D. McKissic: 13 carries, 51 yards | 10 targets, 9 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD
Peyton Barber: 4 carries, 5 yards, 1 TD | 1 target
The style of play in Washington for whoever is under center is perfect for J.D. McKissic (25.70 fantasy points), who had his best fantasy performance of the season against his old team. The negative game script also helped, keeping McKissic on the field for passing downs and he saw all 10 of the team’s backfield targets. He has seen a whopping 92 targets on the season and will look to continue as a valuable FLEX option, likely putting up high RB2 numbers, against the Panthers in fantasy championship week.
Both predictably and annoyingly, Peyton Barber (6.5o fantasy points) did snag the only rushing touchdown of the day. Geez, did I miss Antonio Gibson this week?!
3⃣4⃣ with the score
📺 #SEAvsWAS FOX pic.twitter.com/kvclGZfeOs
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 20, 2020
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Logan Thomas: 15 targets, 13 receptions, 101 yards
Terry McLaurin: 12 targets, 7 receptions, 77 yards
Cam Sims: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 26 yards
Isaiah Wright: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
Steven Sims: 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
Robert Foster: 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards
We have been waxing lyrical about Logan Thomas‘ (23.10 fantasy points) rise into the TE1 conversation and he was the beneficiary of the game script once again this week, leading the team in targets, catches, and yardage as he went over 100 yards for the first time this season. Thomas has at least 7 targets for the 3rd straight game and is a must-play in either your TE or FLEX position for your fantasy championship matchup.
Logan Thomas is having a nice game. Solid catch here on a low throw. Great adjustment and still managed to get up the field for a good gain. pic.twitter.com/aoBgY5slJb
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) December 20, 2020
Welcome back to fantasy-relevance Terry McLaurin (14.70 fantasy points)! After 2 weeks of single-digit fantasy output, McLaurin benefitted from Haskins’ return and once again showed us he has WR1 potential with the right quarterback in any offense. He only had 1 big play, a 30-yard reception in the 2nd half as the Seahawks showed some softer coverage but he was a nuisance all day. He missed out on a touchdown after good coverage from D.J. Reed in the endzone. Still, McLaurin should have a good day out against a naive Carolina secondary next time out.
D.J. Reed marcando bem McLaurin na redzone pic.twitter.com/rXYmZyuXeT
— Alexandre Castro (@alexcastrofilho) December 21, 2020
— Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)