What We Saw: Week 3

Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints

 

Seattle Seahawks

 

Quarterbacks

 

• Russell Wilson: 32/50, 406 yards, 2 TDs | 7 carries, 51 yards, 2 TDs

 

If you were to only look at the stat sheet, you’d think that Russell Wilson had a fantastic fantasy performance – and you’d be exactly right. It didn’t result in a victory for the Seahawks, but Wilson’s 400 yards passing and 4 total TDs must have greatly pleased his owners this week. Wilson first got Seattle on the scoreboard late in the 1st quarter with a short 8-yard strike to WR Tyler Lockett. Seattle wouldn’t score again until the 4th quarter – twice on Wilson rushing TDs and then in the ultimate garbage-time scenario – an untimed down after the clock had run down to zero. Wilson didn’t have trouble moving the ball – the Seahawks nearly doubled the Saints yardage total (515-265). While the game never felt as close as the final score indicated, it was an amazing finish for Wilson for fantasy purposes. He’ll look to continue his solid production next week on the road against the Cardinals.

 

Running Backs

 

• Chris Carson: 15 carries, 53 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, -2 yards
• CJ Prosise: 4 carries, 5 yards | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 38 yards

 

It was a tough outing for Seattle’s backfield against New Orleans this afternoon. Russell Wilson was only 3 yards short of leading the Seahawks in rushing. Chris Carson figured to be in line for a solid showing with fellow RB Rashaad Penny out with a hamstring injury. Carson had trouble keeping his footing in the first half as the rain-soaked turf tripped him up multiple times. Carson also lost a fumble that was returned for a TD – his fourth lost fumble in the Seahawks 3 games so far this season. Carson never looked like himself after the fumble – in fact, he would register only 4 more yards on 5 more carries. RB CJ Prosise was given all of the RB touches in the fourth quarter while filling in for the underperforming Carson and injured Penny. It’s tough to say if it was more Carson being in the doghouse or more the Seahawks utilizing Prosise more because of his abilities to contribute in the passing game. Either way, things don’t bode well for Carson keeping a stranglehold on the starting job moving forward. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Penny outpace Carson in touches next week for the Seahawks against Arizona – provided Penny’s hamstring is healthy enough to get him back into Seattle’s lineup. 

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

• Tyler Lockett: 14 targets, 11 receptions, 154 yards, 1 TD
• DK Metcalf: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 67 yards
• Will Dissly: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD

 

Where the Seahawks’ backfield had a tough time against New Orleans on Sunday, Seattle’s WR group had a fantastic outing – led by WR Tyler Lockett’s huge day. Lockett had a double-digit target/double-digit reception performance for the second straight week and finished the game with 151 yards and a score. Lockett once again proved that he’s by far Wilson’s most reliable target. Rookie WR DK Metcalf had a relatively disappointing outing that was bolstered by a 54-yard catch as time expired in the first half. Otherwise, Metcalf only caught 1 of his other 5 targets. Seahawks’ TE Will Dissly had a solid outing, scoring his third TD reception in as many games. Seattle had lots of big chunk plays from their receiving corps, but it wasn’t enough to get a win at home against the Saints. Other than Lockett, it’ll be tough to trust Seattle pass-catchers in the coming weeks. 

 

New Orleans Saints

 

Quarterbacks 

 

• Teddy Bridgewater: 19/27, 177 yards, 2 TDs | 3 carries, 12 yards

 

Saints’ backup QB Teddy Bridgewater became the first Saints’ QB other than Drew Brees to start and win a game for New Orleans since 2005. Brees’ absence was certainly the story of this game, but Bridgewater was able to perform admirably in Brees’ absence and lead the Saints to a victory in a tough road environment. While there were some whispers of QB Taysom Hill being ‘sprinkled in’ to the Saints’ offensive game plan, Hill wouldn’t throw a pass during the game. Bridgewater seemed to benefit from a week of starter reps in practice – completing 70.3% of his passes and throwing for 2 TDs. While Bridgewater’s 177 passing yards weren’t super inspiring from a fantasy perspective, he seemed plenty capable of running this offense and may even garner some streaming consideration in the coming weeks. Bridgewater will look to build on his performance next Sunday night at home against the Cowboys.

 

Running Backs

 

• Alvin Kamara: 16 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD | 10 targets, 9 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD
• Latavius Murray: 2 carries, 2 yards

 

It was no surprise to anyone what New Orleans’ game plan would look like: give the ball to RB Alvin Kamara and get the heck out of the way. Kamara was masterful – finishing with 25 total touches, 161 total yards, and 2 TDs. His vision and balance are truly amongst the best in the NFL and an absolute joy to watch. It was encouraging to see QB Teddy Bridgewater look to Kamara more often this week than Bridgewater did last week against the Rams – including a 29-yard TD near the end of the first half. RB Latavius Murray was a complete non-factor for the Saints against Seattle, finishing with only 2 carries for 2 yards and 0 targets in the passing game. At this point, it’s tough to envision Murray having much value with Brees recovering from surgery for the next several weeks. If Saints’ head coach Sean Payton showed off a little of his blueprint to win without Brees, it’s looking like the Kamara show will continue in New Orleans. 

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

• Michael Thomas: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD
• Ted Ginn, Jr: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
• Jared Cook: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards

 

The Saints’ WRs had a mostly-quiet day against Seattle, not much to anyone’s surprise. It was almost a certainty that Bridgewater starting instead of Brees would be a detriment to the Saints’ pass-catchers, and it proved to be true against the Seahawks. WR Michael Thomas was able to salvage a respectable fantasy outing – finishing with 54 yards and a TD reception from Bridgewater in the 3rd quarter. Saints’ WR Tre’ Quan Smith missed the game with an ankle injury, and nobody other than Thomas was able to do much in his absence. TE Jared Cook continued to struggle to find a place in his new offense, garnering only 2 targets on the day and dropping one of them that would have kept a critical drive alive for New Orleans with a first down. Thomas will likely continue to struggle while Brees remains sidelined, but he could be worth looking into as a buy-low candidate if your league taco is struggling with what to do with him. It would be wise to fade other Saints’ WRs until Brees comes back from injury.

 

–Corey Saucier