Tag Archives: Seattle Seahawks

Rookie Spin on Golden Tate

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In one of our new weekly features, we will be joining forces with Fantasy Football Spin to highlight the top rookie from each team in the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Golden Tate in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.  He is expected to compete immediately for a starting job opposite T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Although Tate lacks ideal size (5’11” 195), he has excellent quickness and ability to catch the ball in traffic.  Tate is elusive in the open field and has proven to be dangerous after the catch as a converted running back.

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Tate finished his final two seasons (25 games) at Notre Dame with 151 catches for 2,576 yards (17.06) and 25 touchdowns.

Tate has been impressive during offseason activities and has drawn the praise of new head coach Pete Carroll. Although Tate has made typical rookie mistakes as he learns the playbook, it is clear the Seahawks will capitalize on Tate’s playmaking abilities.

Tate will be targeted five to six times per game from either Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst and is worth a late round flier in all redraft leagues.

Tate could total 55 catches for 700 yards and 3 touchdowns as a rookie.

Golden Tate is an excellent dynasty prospect and should be taken in the mid-first round of all rookie drafts.  Tate is ranked 6th in our top-100 dynasty prospects and 3rd in our wide receiver rankings behind only Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas.

IDP Spotlight – Aaron Curry

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The Seattle Seahawks made a bold statement on draft day bypassing potential franchise QB Mark Sanchez to select Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry with the 4th overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft. The Seahawks had an immediate need at linebacker after the March trade of Julian Peterson to the Detroit Lions. Curry is already set to inherit Peterson’s old job at strong side linebacker in Training Camp. Curry may have already maxed out his potential but he will be a solid contributor in the NFL.

Under Mike Holmgren, Julian Peterson finished as a top 12 fantasy linebacker for the past 3 seasons. As the Seahawks transition to Jim Mora Jr. there will not be many earth shattering changes to their defensive philosophy. Curry has the skill set to be a force much like Peterson. He joins an already impressive group of linebackers including Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill as the Seahawks attempt to revive their down trodden defense from a season ago. Not only will Curry be able to cover the TE in passing coverage but should also breathe some life into the hapless Seahawk pass rush. During mini-camps, Curry also took some snaps at defensive end on passing downs.

Competition for tackle opportunities will initially hurt Curry’s IDP value. He has the potential to become one of the nickel linebackers early in his career. Much of his fantasy production will come from sacks and interceptions which lead to many up and down fantasy campaigns. It is unlikely that Curry will ever become a LB1, but at the very least will be a solid LB2. A similar player to Curry in the NFL is AJ Hawk of the Packers.

There is no question that Curry has the skill set, intangibles and character to become a fan favorite of the Seattle faithful. Aaron Curry is ranked behind the likes of James Laurinaitis and Rey Maualuga because both are likely to be starting at middle linebacker on questionable defenses. Curry will prove to be a much better NFL player in real life than in Individual Defensive Player fantasy football leagues.

Team Defense Sleepers

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The typical fantasy football league usually requires you to start a team defense and kicker every week.   Projecting what teams will have good fantasy defenses can even give the experts a migraine.  Injuries usually play a large role in a vastly underperforming defense; take the 2008 Chargers for example after losing star defender Shawn Merriman.  They were the consensus #1 team defense going into last year, and they finished outside the top 10 in many scoring formats.  Not exactly worth the high price it took to land them in your fantasy football draft.

Listed below are 3 defenses with an average draft position outside the top 15 that could end up as viable starting units down the stretch this season.

St. Louis Rams
Bye Week 9 – Def Coordinator/Head Coach: Ken Flajole/Steve Spagnuolo
Rookie Additions:  LB James Laurinaitis, CB Bradley Fletcher, DT Dorell Scott

Shocked to see the lowly Rams atop this list of sleeper defenses?   The Rams are primed to be the next Cinderella NFL team.  You may have already stopped reading or skipped ahead to the next team defense listed, but hear me out first.  The Rams have a last place schedule in the very average NFC West and have the easiest fantasy schedule by far in 2009.  A new motivated head coach and a last place schedule usually leads to a return to the league average or to the playoffs (Miami, Atlanta, and Baltimore in 2008).  Steve Spagnuolo probably won’t be leading this team to the playoffs, but he will coach up his defense into becoming a viable starting fantasy option.

Spagnuolo’s defense requires putting constant pressure from a variety of different blitz schemes, a large stable to defensive lineman to constantly rotate in fresh bodies, and physical cornerbacks.  It will take time to bring in more linemen to rival the depth chart he enjoyed with the Giants, but you can bet DE Chris Long will continue to wreck havoc.  Bradley Fletcher was an unknown leading up to the draft, but he is a physical cornerback who could develop into the next Corey Webster for Spagnuolo.  The addition of Middle Linebacker James Laurinaitis will help out at two positions; Will Witherspoon shifts over to his more natural spot on the weakside.

A new aggressive defensive minded head coach and a last place schedule make the Rams a great draft day value and should become a viable starting defense or at the very least a bye week replacement.

Seattle Seahawks
Bye Week 7 – Def Coordinator/Head Coach: Gus Bradley/Jim Mora
Rookie Additions:  LB Aaron Curry

The Seahawks were finally dethroned by the Cardinals atop the NFC West in 2008.  The Seahawks were always considered to be one of the NFL’s better teams, but not quite elite.  Typically Seattle is very strong at home with their home field advantage and dreadful on the road when they travel to the East Coast.

Injuries to Matt Hasselbeck and the entire wide receiver depth chart led to the defense being on the field too much.  Outside linebacker Julian Peterson was traded to Detroit, and the team selected Aaron Curry to replace him.  Curry is arguably the most talented defender in the draft class.  He’ll have a much greater impact on the overall Seahawks defense than he will as an IDP.

Like the Rams, the Seahawks also have a weak fantasy schedule and did not forget how to play solid football after one injury riddled season.  Look for Seattle to also be a top 12 defense in 2009.

Washington Redskins
Bye Week 9 – Def Coordinator/Head Coach: Greg Blache/Jim Zorn
Rookie Additions: DE/OLB Brian Orakpo, DE Jeremy Jarmon

Washington landed the biggest offseason prize with the addition of Albert Haynesworth to a record free agent contract.  Haynesworth will demand double teams, and he’ll instantly make the already stout Washington defense even better.  The Redskins play in the brutal NFC East, but their matchups tend to be low scoring slugfests which bode well for their fantasy prospects with the addition of Haynesworth.

The Redskins did not trade away their draft picks like in past years, and added hybrid defender Brian Orakpo out of Texas in the first round.  They envision lining him up all over the field in an effort to get more pressure on the quarterback.  Jarmon was the team’s recent selection in the 3rd round of the Supplemental Draft and will provide depth to their defensive line rotation.

The Redskins also present draft day value as a backup defense you will be able to select in the late round and have the potential to outscore many of the defenses selected before them.