Seattle Seahawks DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

In his final dress rehearsal on Saturday, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba showed why he was a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Smith-Njigba finished with two receptions for 32 yards on the Seahawks' masterful opening drive against the Cleveland Browns. Smith-Njigba showed off his hands and body control on a contested catch up the right sideline for 25 yards. During his rookie season, Smith-Njigba recorded 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns. He is poised to take a second-year leap in this offense. What is most encouraging is that the Seahawks primarily deployed three wide receiver sets during their opening drive. This would allow Smith-Njigba to share the field with long-time stalwarts DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. With new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb coming over from the University of Washington and introducing more creativity, Smith-Njigba may be worth a shot at his current draft price of WR39.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall played well in the team's last preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, completing 17 of 25 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns while adding 11 yards on the ground. The 26-year-old led the Vikings on five consecutive scoring drives and left the game with a 23-3 lead. The second-year quarterback out of BYU was on the roster bubble with the possibility of joining the Vikings' practice squad but may have made the final cut as Hall looked sharp and decisive. If Hall does indeed get cut, expect him to be swiftly signed by another team. The former BYU Cougar likely will enter the 2024 regular season as the Vikings' QB3 behind starter Sam Darnold and backup Nick Mullens.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant is expected to be ready to play in the Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Fant is working his way back from an undisclosed injury and hasn't been on the practice field for a few days. Head coach Mike Macdonald doesn't appear concerned about this being a long term issue for Fant. The 26-year-old is coming off the worst season of his professional career. He recorded a career-low 32 receptions, 414 receiving yards, and zero touchdowns in 17 games. Despite that, Fant remains the No. 1 tight end in Seattle and has a new offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb. He's worth a look as a late-round option with the tight end position being limited in terms of elite fantasy contributors.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott had some positive news on Thursday on wide receivers Curtis Samuel (toe) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck). "I feel like those two - from what I've heard so far - have a real good chance of being back. Just not committing to it yet," McDermott said. Despite dealing with multi-week injuries, both Samuel and Valdes-Scantling have a shot to be ready to go for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. Samuel, 28, has been labeled week-to-week with turf toe. Even if both wideouts are ready for the 2024 regular-season opener, it appears that rookie Keon Coleman will operate as the team's WR1 in the first year without Stefon Diggs. And if Samuel and MVS are out in Week 1 or limited, look for Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins and KJ Hamler to receiver additional opportunities in Buffalo's offense.

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (back) returned to practice on Tuesday. Charbonnet sat through the Seahawks' second week of preseason with back tightness. Charbonnet finished his rookie season in 2023 with 462 rushing yards, 209 receiving yards, and one rushing touchdown. He still appears to be squarely behind Walker in the Seahawks' pecking order. With a new regime entering the fold, fantasy managers will need to see how these backs will be deployed at the start of the season. For now, Charbonnet is merely a high-quality insurance back.