Seattle Seahawks DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that the team will play the majority of their players in the preseason opener on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Quarterback Sam Darnold will start under center, and then rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy will get "a significant amount of work." Jaren Hall will come in after McCarthy. Nick Mullens, who has the most experience in the system, might not play much but will get more playing time later in the preseason. Unsurprisingly, Darnold, a former first-rounder himself, was listed atop the team's preseason depth chart and is fully expected to open the year as the starter as the Vikings slowly develop McCarthy as the long-term starter at QB. The 27-year-old Darnold is in the best offense talent-wise of his career, but he still won't be much more than a low-end QB2 in superflex fantasy formats.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III caught just 19 passes in three collegiate seasons at Wake Forest and Michigan State, and many questioned his ability as a receiver when he entered the NFL. He's hauled in 56 passes for 424 yards and one touchdown through his first 30 pro games, but he could be more involved in that area this season based on comments from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. "I think he gets better every single day," Grubb said. "I think the sky's the limit for him. I think he's a really, really talented, powerful back that's a true three-tool guy. He's electric out of the backfield as a pass-catcher." Walker's fantasy value took a hit last year after the team selected Zach Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. However, a new staff is in place, and Walker has reportedly had a great training camp. Charbonnet will likely be involved in the offense, but all signs point toward Walker remaining the clear RB1 for the Seahawks.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (foot) didn't finish training camp practice on Tuesday and left midway through with some sort of foot injury. Head coach Mike Macdonald didn't give any injury updates after practice, so it's unclear how severe Fant's foot injury actually is. For now, we'll consider him day-to-day. Re-signed in the offseason, the 26-year-old should open the year as the team's top pass-catching tight end if he's healthy. However, the former first-rounder of the Denver Broncos in 2019 out of Iowa wasn't exactly a fantasy standout in his second year in Seattle in 2023, catching a career-low 32 passes for 414 yards and no touchdowns in 17 starts. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's system should be good news for Fant's fantasy outlook, but he's still likely to be fourth on the target totem pole behind receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

The Seattle Times' Mike Vorel writes that Seattle Seahawks second-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the team's X-factor on offense in 2024. Seattle partly drafted Smith-Njigba in the first round in 2023 to help them pile up big plays and dominate on third downs, two places where they really struggled last year. He had the second-most catches by a rookie (63) in franchise history, but the results were inconsistent, and he didn't find the end zone until the sixth game of the year. JSN also had three or fewer catches in seven games and never went over 63 receiving yards. The 22-year-old has been getting rave reviews from head coach Mike Macdonald in training camp, though, and he appears poised to benefit from fresh leadership in new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's system. Smith-Njigba is still battling for targets behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but he remains an intriguing WR4/flex option in fantasy that should improve in Year 2.

The Minnesota Vikings have listed Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback on the first unofficial depth chart, with rookie J.J. McCarthy and Nick Mullens tied for the backup spot. While preseason depth charts can be fluid, Darnold's placement as the starter matches the reports from Vikings beat writers throughout the summer. Notably, the chart lists "McCarthy or Nick Mullens" as the primary backups behind Darnold. Darnold has consistently taken first-team reps from the offseason program through the first two weeks of training camp. The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million, with $8.75 million guaranteed, indicating their intent to give him the initial opportunity to start despite using their first-round pick on McCarthy. For fantasy purposes, the critical question is how well Darnold connects with Justin Jefferson, which will influence Jefferson's value as a first-round pick. Darnold, meanwhile, is expected to be a low-end QB2 in two-quarterback leagues.