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Fantasy Power Rankings No. 25 — Seattle

lynchx-largeThe defending Super Bowl champions may be one of the best teams when it comes to real football, but in fantasy football there are better places to look. The Seattle Seahawks check in at No. 25 in the 2014 fantasy football power rankings.

The Seahawks offer fantasy owners 70.2% of the value compared to the average NFL team, and 39.8% of the value compared to the NFL’s best. The rankings and statistics are for offensive players only.

Russell Wilson is one of the coolest young quarterbacks in the game, but he is not a slam-dunk option in fantasy leagues. He was, however, the eighth highest-scoring quarterback in leagues last season in part because he had 539 rushing yards, third most among all quarterbacks (behind Cam Newton and Terrelle Pryor).

But he scored just one rushing touchdown, and there is reason to believe he will carry the ball fewer times next season. He had 96 rushes in 2013 — second most among all quarterbacks — but reined it in over the second half of the season. During the first eight games Wilson carried the ball 61 times. He carried its just 35 times over the final eight games.

You could do much worse at the quarterback position, but Wilson thrives on efficiency rather than volume, and volume is often preferable in the fantasy world. No quarterback had fewer pass attempts than Wilson’s 407 last season (minimum 14 games played).

Running back Marshawn Lynch — who apparently contemplated retirement — remains an enticing fantasy option.  He figures to be a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 and could find the end zone over 10 times on the ground.

Lynch is more valuable in standard leagues because he isn’t an elite pass catcher. He was targeted 43 times last season, 24th among all running backs. He does provide value out of the backfield, though not as much as players like Jamaal Charles or Matt Forte.

Percy Harvin is the only wide receiver worth taking a long look at from Seattle. He played just 20 snaps for the Seahawks during the regular season last year but reminded fans of his potential during the Super Bowl. If Harvin can remain healthy during the entire season he becomes a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3. Currently being drafted in the middle of the fourth round, Harvin may be too rich for your blood. His ADP has been slowly dropping, though, and he may slip to the fifth round in some drafts.

Doug Baldwin, Sidney Rice and Jermaine Kearse are the other receivers in Seattle, and all are currently going undrafted. If Harvin gets injured again this season, Baldwin becomes the most valuable player from this group. He was required to step up last season because of Harvin’s injury and caught 50 passes for 778 yards and five touchdowns.

The Seahawks have a few players that will be weekly fantasy starters, but they are not a powerhouse on the fantasy field the way they are on the real field. Not counting D/ST or kickers, the Seahawks actually check in at No. 26 on the fantasy power rankings. Remember, these are offense-based rankings. However, both Steven Hauschka and the team’s D/ST are among the most consistent for fantasy owners, so the team gets bumped up a notch to No. 25.

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