Seattle Seahawks DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith posted a decent line in a losing effort in Week 17. Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, he completed 23-of-33 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown and took three carries for 33 yards on the ground. Sitting on the playoff bubble, Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals is a must-win game for the Seahawks. Arizona's completion percentage allowed of 69.25% is the second-worst mark in the league and the team has allowed eight passing touchdowns in the last three weeks. Several regularly starting quarterbacks will be on the bench for the NFL season finale pushing Smith up the QB ranks. With a thinner field and a soft opponent, Smith is looking like a viable DFS pick and could play his way into low-end QB1 territory in an effort to secure a playoff berth for Seattle.

New England Patriots tight end Pharaoh Brown (ribs) is questionable for Week 18's matchup against the New York Jets. Brown was a limited participant in practice all week while tending to a rib injury suffered in the Patriots' Week 17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The 29-year-old is used primarily as a blocker, running a route on just 21% of his plays and drawing just 12 targets all season. With Hunter Henry (knee) out for the season finale, it is possible he will get more use as a receiver, though. In New England's Week 3 contest against the Jets, Brown had his best game of the year, getting two receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. Another fluke touchdown may come his way in Week 18 but he still makes for a risky DFS play.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has been on a downward spiral as inefficient and mistake-ridden play has quickly overshadowed the promise he showed earlier in the season. This week, the second-year quarterback has a tough matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. During their previous matchup in Week 12, Howell couldn't get much going while Washington fell victim to a 35-point blowout loss. Now, if the Cowboys win this game, they'll be locked in as NFC East division champions. While the Cowboys have everything to gain by winning this matchup, the Commanders have no reason to shoot for a win other than pride. With Howell sputtering and Washington having its eyes set on the offseason, he's looking like a low-end QB2 in Week 18.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (toe) was added to the Week 18 injury report on Thursday but he managed to practice in full. It's something worth watching, but it doesn't appear to be anything that will compromise Lockett from playing in a must-win Week 18 regular season meeting with the Arizona Cardinals. The 31-year-old hasn't really had any true breakthrough games this year, and the presence of rookie first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the reason why. Still, he should be able to bounce back in an excellent matchup from his one-catch outing in the Week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game the Seahawks need to win. Lockett will be a boom/bust DFS option with a low ceiling this weekend. He has been held under 25 yards in two of his last four games.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (shoulder) returned to a limited practice session on Thursday after he was listed as a non-participant in the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Head coach Pete Carroll said that Walker is in a better spot than he was last week, when he played through his shoulder injury and had 10 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown in the Week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unless he has a setback on Friday, Walker should be active this Sunday in a must-win game against the Arizona Cardinals. It's a great matchup for Walker as well, and given all the uncertainty around the NFL in Week 18 with teams resting players, the 23-year-old second-year back will be a popular DFS play.