Seattle Seahawks DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba saw a season-low two targets in Week 17. The one catch he made resulted in a 12-yard touchdown, salvaging an otherwise forgettable outing. Working behind veterans DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett (toe), Smith-Njigba never had the big rookie breakout that fantasy football players were hoping for in 2023. His best game of the season came in Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals, when he caught four passes for 63 yards (his season-high, tied once) and a touchdown. Metcalf was absent from that contest but he will be starting in Week 18 when the Seahawks and Cardinals square off again on Sunday. Arizona's secondary is exploitable but their run defense is the worst in the league, so it is likely that Seattle leans on the run to the detriment of their pass catchers. Smith-Njigba is on the field often enough to warrant taking a chance on in DFS lineups but managers in a Week 18 championship game should not bank on the aforementioned breakout game occurring in the season finale.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (toe) is healthy and ready to play in Week 18. The nine-year veteran popped up on the team's injury report on Thursday with a sore toe but he was still able to practice in full and has no designation heading into the last game of the regular season. The Seahawks are on the bubble for a playoff berth and will be in a must-win situation on Sunday when they play the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona's defense has been extremely generous to opposing running backs this season, to the detriment of wide receiver production. In the teams' last meeting, Lockett caught four of his five targets for 38 yards. While he has had some big games this year his price tag is still too high to make him worth the gamble in DFS and players would be better served looking further down for greater odds at a bigger hit.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf had his third 100-yard game of the season last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching five of eight targets for 106 yards. The yardage carried him across the 1,000-yard mark for the year, giving him his third such season in his five-year career. In Week 18, Metcalf and the Seahawks are in a must-win situation to make the playoffs when they take on the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has not allowed much production to wide receivers in 2023, but that is likely a symptom of being the worst run defense in the league. The Cardinals' frequent use of zone coverage could benefit Metcalf though. The last time Seattle played a team that utilized the scheme as much as Arizona was Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams, and Metcalf came out of that game with five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Metcalf is a solid play in the last week of the regular season, though his ceiling might be capped considering that Seattle may opt to go run-heavy.

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet will finish out the season working behind Kenneth Walker III (shoulder) in Week 18. Despite dealing with a shoulder injury that limited his ability to practice this week, Walker is off the team's injury report and ready to start against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Charbonnet has been featured in passing down situations and inside the two-minute warning, but if past usage holds then it will be Walker who sees the lion's share of the running back touches. Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Charbonnet caught all five of his targets for 39 yards. The Cardinals have given up the most fantasy points per game to running backs and have allowed eight receiving touchdowns to the position this season. Fantasy managers in a Week 18 championship should avoid Charbonnet, while DFS players could take a chance on him and hope his workload in the passing game leads to a touchdown.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (shoulder) is on track to play in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals. The 23-year-old logged a DNP on Wednesday and was limited in practice on Thursday, before finally participating in full on Friday. Walker has been playing through a shoulder injury, so it may be that the Seahawks were simply managing his workload ahead of a must-win game to make the playoffs. Walker is set up for a big game on Sunday against one of the worst run defenses in the league. The Cardinals see the most rushing attempts per game in the league (31.0, tied with the Jets) and have allowed the most rushing yards. In their last meeting, Walker had his only 100-yard game of the season and will look to repeat that feat in the season finale. Walker has as good of a matchup as he could hope for to end the regular season and has RB1 potential in Week 18.