Best NBA Bets Today – Thursday, March 6, 2025
FTN Staff
The cleanout in Seattle continued Sunday, as the team agreed to trade two-time Pro Bowl WR DK Metcalf to the Steelers in exchange for a second-round pick and sixth- and seventh-round pick swaps, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Metcalf and the Steelers reportedly agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract extension as part of the deal.
Metcalf, a second-round pick in 2019, heads to Pittsburgh having averaged over 1,050 receiving yards per season and with 48 touchdowns in six years. 2024 was one of his worst seasons, but even with that he had 66 receptions for 992 yards and 5 scores, a WR32 finish in PPR.
He will immediately step in ahead of George Pickens as the WR1 in Pittsburgh, though the two of them could form a formidable 1-2 punch of big-play threats. We’ll see who the team ends up with at quarterback before we know what it means for their fantasy outlook, but Metcalf will be the team’s WR1 either way and could threaten for WR15-ish status depending on who is throwing him the ball.
Listen: FTN’s Jeff Ratcliffe Reacts to the Move
The Steelers needed an improvement in the receiving game. Pickens had 900 yards last year, most on the team and the only Pittsburgh wide receiver to top 550. Similar to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in Los Angeles, Metcalf and Pickens promise to dominate targets in 2025, and once you count the share going to Pat Freiermuth, there’s unlikely to be much left for any other pass-catchers in Pittsburgh.
Back in Seattle, the team is starting over, releasing WR Tyler Lockett and trading away Metcalf and QB Geno Smith in the last few days. The team’s quarterback in 2025 likely isn’t currently on the roster (Sam Darnold? Aaron Rodgers?), but whoever it is will surely be peppering returning receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with a load of targets. The departures also likely mean good things for the team’s backfield, with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in line for as many carries as their bodies will allow in 2025.
