It’s tough to be specific about keeper leagues when writing about them. There are so many unique keeper leagues out there. It seems like every keeper question that I answer in the comment section has a different format than another one. I think that the best way to write about keeper prospects is to make it round specific and leave it up to you to analyze it’s usefulness to you. I don’t see myself covering the obvious players. For one, I don’t want to look stupid or basic and also it’s more useful to cover fringe keepers.Â
I know that I was in the middle of positional reviews, but I got to thinking about the interesting 2019 season that the Seahawks had at the receiver position. D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett both had over 100 targets a piece in 2019. This is sort of surprising coming from a team that has an efficient passing attack, but one that lacks in volume. One receiver started his season red hot and petered out towards the end of the year and the other was more statistically balanced. The addition of D.K. Metcalf seemed to directly help lead to Russell Wilson’s first 4,000 yard passing season in three years. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if this becomes a trend for Wilson in the coming seasons with the emerging talent that the Seahawks have at the receiver position.Â
Tyler Lockett
Tyler Lockett’s 2019 ADP was just inside the top 50 in PPR leagues and he ended up as the 19th receiver off of the board. Through the first 9 weeks, Lockett looked like a model of consistency while exceeding 50 receiving yards in every game except for one and that included two monster games where he went over the 150 yard mark.Â
The issues began when Tyler was banged up for most of the second half of the season. To Lockett’s credit, he suited up and started every game. But outside of showing out against the Panthers in week 15 (I remember this game, Carolina pushed the spread with a 4th quarter backdoor). Even though it’s not necessarily Lockett’s fault his second half will likely have an effect on his 2020 ADP.Â
So far in 2020, Tyler Lockett has been drafted towards the end of the 3rd round. In Keeper leagues, you would profit a little over an entire round by keeping Lockett. Coming off of a year where catching 82 balls for just over 1,000 yards left something to desired, it speaks volumes to the talent that Lockett has and the possibility of him developing into a true fantasy WR1. But overall, many fantasy players in leagues with fewer keepers should be able to find better keeper value elsewhere.
Keeper Rating: Okay
D.K. Metcalf
Metcalf was extremely overlooked in the NFL draft and the Seahawks did what they do and found value in size and raw talent. It was stupid how far down he fell in the draft. Metcalf caught 58 balls for 900 yards and 7 touchdowns in his rookie season while being drafted around WR50 in fantasy drafts. This giant couldn’t get respect anywhere.Â
Metcalf has elite size, great catching ability, and a good quarterback looking his way. The comfort between Metcalf and Wilson will continue to grow and I think that Metcalf has a good chance to surpass Tyler Lockett’s production on the Seahawks.Â
Metcalf had a huge game in Philadelphia when it mattered most in the playoffs. D.K. caught 7 balls for 160 yards and a touchdown and executed in key situations. The next week in Green Bay was a big Lockett week. These two have a chance to be the next Adam Thielen/Stefon Diggs or Mike Evans/Chris Godwin combo. Due to Metcalf going from a very late round draft pick in 2019 to a late 5th round draft pick so far in 2020, there is a ton of value here. If you are keeping 3, 4, or more players, Metcalf deserves consideration.
Keeper Rating: Very Good
