The Seattle Seahawks lost start tight end Jimmy Graham for the rest of the season Sunday. Graham, in his first year with Seattle, suffered a torn right patellar tendon in Sunday's 39-30 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fantasy football waiver wire advice: Luke Willson could see bump in usage
The Seattle tight end becomes the No. 1 after the injury to Jimmy Graham. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Graham's injury opens a small door for tight end Luke Willson, who was slated to be the team's starter before Seattle traded for Graham in the offseason. So far this year, he has 12 receptions on 18 targets for 152 yards and one score, including one catch for 12 yards Sunday.
Fantasy impact: There hasn’t been much reason for any Willson excitement so far this year, but there is the memory of some big numbers late last year. Willson had 139 yards and two scores in the Seahawks’ Week 16 game of 2014, and followed that up with 68 yards and a score in the Seahawks’ first playoff game. If he could be counted on for anything like those numbers in Graham’s stead, Willson would be a premium fantasy add.
Of course, if WIllson were likely to produce those sorts of numbers, the Seahawks wouldn’t have traded for Graham in the first place. It’s worth nothing that Willson’s big Week 16 game last year came on only three catches and three targets. Willson is owned in 1 percent of Yahoo! fantasy leagues, and that will rise after Graham’s injury, but it certainly shouldn’t skyrocket.
