Seattle Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett has missed just three games during his NFL career and has been a stable source of fantasy football production for much of that time.
Having said that, a thigh injury for a receiver who will turn 32 later this month is less ideal as he tries to bounce back off of his lowest yardage and touchdown total since 2017.
What Is the Latest on Tyler Lockett’s Injury?
Lockett re-signed a restructured two-year, $34 million deal this offseason, a sign that Ryan Grubb plans to keep him involved in an offense reportedly focusing on amplifying what Geno Smith does well.
Availability has been a calling card of Lockett (seventh in routes run over the past five seasons), resulting in him getting the benefit of the doubt among fantasy managers. His name popped up on the injury report down the stretch of the preseason with a thigh injury and while he has been limited at practice all week, he told reporters that he is “feeling pretty good.”
Tyler Lockett says he’s healthy heading into week one. pic.twitter.com/iDezEIWobw
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) September 2, 2024
Taking a player at his word can be dangerous, but there has yet to be a pessimistic report come out of Seattle, and he has spun it as a positive in that this buys him time to learn “the offense like it’s the back of my hand.”
Seattle hosts Denver on Sunday afternoon and it is currently safe to operate under the assumption that they will have their veteran slot receiver.
Tyler Lockett: Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Counting out this veteran isn’t for the faint of heart, but with seven games last season with three or fewer receptions, it’s impossible to enter 2024 confidently.
Lockett is coming off his worst season in terms of fantasy points above expectation since 2017 and has seen his yards per route decline by over 17% in consecutive seasons.
I have him positioned to be the fantasy WR3 in this offense, and that means it’ll take the perfect matchup for him to move onto my Flex radar — I don’t think this is that with Denver blitzing at the fourth-highest rate last season.
What made Lockett special for years was his ability to win deep and connect with Russell Wilson on those bombs. Things aren’t the same with Smith; if the Broncos are going to bring the heat, he’s not going to have the time needed to land the type of splash play that justifies going in this direction.
I’m on board with the Year 2 breakout potential of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and that very much caps the ceiling of what managers can realistically expect from Lockett. JSN saw his aDOT more than double after Week 5 last season. While he was still a short-yardage target, the route growth was encouraging to see, especially with Grubb coming in and looking to push the ball down the field.
This week profiles the same way I expect the rest of September to when it comes to the ranking of this talented trio — DK Metcalf is locked into lineups while Smith-Njigba is a low-end flex and Lockett is off the radar until proven otherwise.