Tyler Lockett opened Week 9 on the Seattle Seahawks injury report as a limited participant in practice. Should fantasy football managers be concerned about Lockett’s status this week, as he deals with both hamstring and rib injuries?
Let’s take a look at the latest updates regarding Lockett’s injury and whether fantasy managers should be concerned about starting him this week.
Update: Tyler Lockett was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Thursday.
Should Tyler Lockett’s Injury Situation Concern Fantasy Managers?
Lockett gave fantasy managers a late scare last week with the rib issue popping up on Friday’s injury report. That led to him being listed as questionable and being viewed as a game-time decision. Lockett would ultimately suit up, seeing eight targets and pulling in five receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Lockett being listed as limited on the Seahawks’ injury report to open Week 9 is somewhat good for his status this week. Had he been a non-participant to open the week, then we would have had genuine concerns about his availability this week. While we need to monitor the injury, barring a setback, it should be the case that Lockett suits up this week.
With it likely that Lockett will be active, the next question is whether fantasy managers can trust him. With people starting to consider both their season-long lineup decisions and their Week 9 daily fantasy lineups on Underdog Fantasy, Lockett is a player that will be in serious consideration. However, should fantasy managers be trusting Lockett this week or looking to fade him?
Is Lockett a Player That Fantasy Managers Can Trust in Their Week 9 Lineups?
In half-PPR scoring, Lockett is the WR31 in terms of half-PPR scoring among qualified players. He’s averaging 11.26 fantasy points per game, which is actually his lowest output of the past five seasons. Additionally, Lockett’s inconsistency issues that have frustrated fantasy managers in recent years are rearing their head again.
Through the first eight weeks, Lockett has three games scoring below 10 fantasy points, four games between 10-20 fantasy points, and one game over 20. That 10 fantasy-point cut-off is important, as it is the mark required to be considered a WR3 on a per-game basis this season.
Using that as a cut-off, Lockett has been a top-36 WR on average 62.5% of the time. That is currently tied for his highest such percentage since the 2018 season. In the past three years, Lockett has been a WR3 in just under 50% of his games. So while that would seem promising for Lockett, the concern is that two of his last three games have seen him score under 10 fantasy points.
Those three games have coincided with Lockett dealing with injuries, which is why his listing on the injury report carries relevance to his starting value this week. Additionally, his worst game of the season — scoring just 2.7 fantasy points — came against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6.
With the Seahawks now set to face the Cardinals for the second time this year, is there a reason for concern over Lockett’s fantasy value this week?
MORE: Fantasy Outlook for Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek in Week 9
Heading into Week 6’s meeting, the Cardinals’ defense was coming off a two-game run in which they allowed an average of just 17.5 fantasy points across the two games. Correspondingly, the Seahawks’ two star receivers could only combine with 16.1 fantasy points.
This week, the trend looks somewhat different. Arizona has allowed a total of 74.5 fantasy points to opposing WRs in the past two weeks. Last week, Justin Jefferson finished with 98 yards from six receptions, while Adam Thielen had 67 yards on six receptions.
In Week 7, Chris Olave finished with 106 yards on seven receptions, while Tre’Quan Smith had 59 yards from five receptions. All four of those receivers finished with more than the 10-point fantasy total we discussed above.
With this in mind, we cannot simply write Lockett off as a fantasy asset this week. That is especially the case with the 2022 bye week schedule throwing up six teams on a bye this week. It will be tough even to consider benching Lockett this week unless you are absolutely stacked at the WR position.
If Lockett is active, you are most likely looking to start him. If he is inactive, then the recent results against this Cardinals defense would suggest that maybe Marquise Goodwin can have 14-team Flex consideration. However, Goodwin was a non-participant in practice himself to open the week as he deals with a groin injury. After the top trio, trusting anyone on the Seahawks to be fantasy relevant will be tough.