The Week 1 matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks features two teams who are considered to be rather strong defensively. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 1: Dolphins-Seahawks featuring Jarvis Landry, Russell Wilson, Thomas Rawls, more
We break down the Week 1 matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks.
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Miami Dolphins
Jarvis Landry isn’t exactly a high-volume receiver when it comes to yardage or touchdowns, but he makes his hay off receptions. Things might change for the better this year, however. With an aging Arian Foster at running back and Rishard Matthews now a member of the Tennessee Titans, Landry is going to be counted on more than ever before. Everything is looking up for him going into his third season and he should realize his potential even further than he did last year. That’s good news for his fantasy owners.
If quarterback Ryan Tannehill struggles to find Landry, the aforementioned Foster will be the one to carry the ball forward. He has been a top-level talent in the fantasy football world for the last few years, but injuries have always hampered Foster’s availability on fantasy rosters. He does have a pass catching ability that few backs in the league can match. Going up against Seattle is a difficult matchup, but in PPR formats Foster will still provide some value.
Seattle Seahawks
Fantasy owners who underestimated Russell Wilson’s ability to be a top fantasy football quarterback last year were sorely mistaken. In the first three years of his career, although he experienced tremendous team success, Wilson simply didn’t throw the ball enough to warrant being one of the league’s elite under center from a fantasy perspective. Last year, he found great chemistry with wide receiver Doug Baldwin, particularly in the second half of the season, which allowed Wilson to reach 4,000 yards for the first time in his NFL career. Add that to the fact he is arguably the best rushing quarterback in the league, and you have yourself a passer who is primed and ready to be in the conversation as the best fantasy pivot in football.
The one change that might force Wilson to throw more often this season is that he no longer has Marshawn Lynch to rely on at running back. Instead, Thomas Rawls and Christine Michael will be responsible for the carries out of the backfield. Rawls will start the season as the starter, but many reports out of training camp stated that Michael was making considerable progress and playing much better than he has in years past. Regardless, Rawls will face a tough Dolphins defensive line, but at home with his running ability, he should still flirt with a 100-yard rushing game to start the season.
