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I expect Pete Carroll to be successful with the Seahawks…eventually. They just don’t have the pieces in place for it to happen right away.

Fantasy Playoffs Schedule:   Difficult
The Seahawks take on the Niners in San Francisco in Week 14. Then they play the Falcons at home. They have a nice match-up against Tampa Bay in Week 16, but it’s on the road. Plus, how many Seahawks are you going to rely on in the fantasy championship.

Five Star Fantasy Options
None

Four Star Fantasy Options
John Carlson – Somebody has to catch the ball. Carlson has been effective despite the Seahawks struggles, averaging 53 catches for 600 yards and 6 TDs the past two seasons.

Three Star Fantasy Options
None

Two Star Fantasy Options
Justin Forsett – For now, Forsett is probably the best option. If Leon Washington is healthy or Marshawn Lynch is acquired, you can all but write Forsett off. Until then, he’s the best option they have in the running game. He’s also a good receiver out of the backfield. Very quick and elusive.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Housh had a choice between the Seahawks and the Vikings last year. I wonder if he’d still go for the money if he could do it over again. He has good hands and size so he’ll have some moments. He’s just not in a good situation. He is playing with either an old or an inexperienced QB. There isn’t much of a running game to keep defenses honest. There aren’t a lot of other receivers to keep defenses from keying in on him.

Golden Tate – As long as he isn’t too tempted by late night snack runs, Tate should have some moments along the way, but consistency will be an issue.

Seahawks Defense/Special Teams – If Washington returns to form, the Seahawks will have a strong return game. Their defense should improve with rookie Earl Thomas’ arrival.

One Star Fantasy Options
Matt Hasselbeck – He’s old. He can’t stay healthy. He has very few options in the passing game. If you’re taking Hasselbeck as your QB2, you may be drafting the name.

Charlie Whitehurst – He’s going to get his snaps so Carroll can see what he has. It’s hard to gauge a QB that has never taken a snap at this level. When you have a bad line, non-existent running game, and limited options at WR, you can’t get too excited over his prospects.

Julius Jones & Leon Washington – Jones bores me to tears while Washington must prove his back from a horrific leg injury. Jones will have a few solid games if he gets 15-20 carries, but they will be few and far between. Forsett’s skill set is similar to Washington, which could limit his fantasy impact.

Deon Butler – Butler has good speed, but will likely be fighting for crumbs after Carlson, Housh, and Tate have been fed.

Half Star Fantasy Options
Louis Rankin & Quinton Ganther – Since the Seahawks’ RB situation is so cloudy, this duo should at least be mentioned. They could get meaningful carries at some point of the season. That said, You surely don’t need to draft them unless they ascend up the depth charts (unlikely) during Training Camp.

Deion Branch – Branch has had too many injuries to be a factor any more.

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For those of you doing your fantasy drafts in the upcoming days, you may want to lower T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Matt Hasselbeck, John Carlson, and Julius Jones a few notches down.  Their Offensive Line, already without All-Pro Left Tackle Walter Jones, suffered another blow when starting Center Chris Spencer in the Seahawks preseason win against Denver. 

John Carlson could lose the most value if he has to increase his blocking duties, thus limiting his targets.  Julius Jones already has limited value because of TD vulture T.J. Duckett.  With inferior blocking, he could have a hard time finding running lanes.  Matt Hasselbeck takes a step back as he likely won’t have as much time to run all of his reads.  Housh could go either way.  They could lean on him more since they won’t have as much time to work the outside.  On the flip side, he could also fall prey to the additional QB pressure Hasselbeck could face.  Don’t avoid these players all together, but if you have are debating between a Seahawk and another player on the same tier, you may want to go with the alternative.

Housh has a new home in Seattle.  He downgraded in QB from Carson Palmer to Matt Hasselbeck, but he’s still in a pretty good situation.  Hasselbeck has never had a reliable receiver like Housh so expect him to be targeted early and often.  Housh isn’t going to burn you deep, but he knows how to get open and pick up yards at around 11 yards per catch.  He will pick up a ton of first downs.  The key is whether or not he’ll be able to get in the end zone.  Housh had four TDs last year after averaging 9.3 he previous three years.  Of course Carson Palmer missed the bulk of last season so it’s not surprising he took a hit in that department.  Seattle had a miserable year as well, but in 2007 Hasselbeck threw for nearly 4000 yards and 28 TDs.  If he can stay healthy, there will be TDs to be had.
 
Housh is a decent WR2 in standard leagues, and an excellent WR2 in PPR leagues.  Housh is going in the late third/early fourth round in fantasy drafts.  He isn’t really a risky play because he showed last year he can still perform with marginal QB play.  Though Hasselbeck is a bigger injury risk than Palmer, I think Seneca Wallace is a more adequate backup than he worked with last year.  I expect another 90 reception season with 1000 yards and 6 TDs.

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Carson Palmer is one of the more difficult players to predict this year.  He is coming of an elbow injury, his top WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh split for the riches in Seattle, and his obnoxious former top WR Chad Ochocinco basically admitted he phoned in the 2008 season.  However, when he’s healthy Palmer has as much talent as any QB in the league, Laveranues Coles should fill Housh’s void, Chris Henry should play a
full season, and if Ochocinco commits himself he can become a dynamic WR again.

He has a decent schedule with two games against the Browns, the Broncos, the Lions, and the Chiefs.  His fantasy playoff schedule works out so he doesn’t have to face either the Ravens or the Steelers.  He goes up against Minnesota, San Diego, and Kansas City, which doesn’t seem too bad.

Palmer averaged around 4000 yards and 28 TDs from 2005-2007 and has a career completion percentage of 63.7%.  The Bengals drafted TE Chase Coffman, who should help the passing game, and Andre Smith, who should bolster the line.  The talent is there.  It all hinges on #85 whether or not he’s going to be elite again.  I’m figuring him to be a top ten QB that finishes with 3800 yards and 25 TDs, which should be an excellent value in the 6th-8th round.

It didn’t take long for the Cincinnati Bengals to replace their classy possession receiver with another classy possession receiver.  The similarities don’t stop there.  They are just three months apart in age and have both made one Pro Bowl.  Plus, both Cincinnati and Seattle have used the nickname Queen City.

The Bengals signed Coles to a four-year, $28 million deal.  Houshmandzadeh’s deal with the Seahawks was five years at $40 million.  Coles hasn’t been as productive in recent years, but is consistent with 5-7 TDs in seven of his last eight seasons.  He doesn’t attract as much attention as Houshmandzadeh, which could play well with Chad Ocho Cinco. 

Coles is the second key Offensive players signed in the past two days.  Yesterday the Bengals signed Running Back Cedric Benson.  The combined contracts of Benson and Coles is $5 million less than the one inked by Housh.