Entering Week 17’s slate of games, fantasy football managers could be without one of their best playmakers: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Lockett underwent hand surgery prior to Week 16, seemingly set to miss the rest of the regular season. But Lockett was shockingly on the field Wednesday and could play this week.
We have the latest on Lockett’s injury update and a breakdown of whether you should put him into your lineup if he’s active in Week 17.
Tyler Lockett Injury Update
Fantasy managers who appeared to have lost Lockett for the year truly suffered a tough blow with his hand injury that led to surgery. Lockett was on fire prior to his injury, catching a touchdown in six straight weeks from Weeks 8 through 14. He climbed to WR13 on the season and was just shy of his fourth straight 1,000-yard season.
An ill-timed hand surgery almost made Lockett miss fantasy championship week. Shockingly, Greg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune reported that Lockett was on the practice field catching passes. Then Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll confirmed how “remarkable” his return is, noting Lockett looked great in drills and “appears on track” to play on Sunday against the New York Jets.
This is a suddenly delightful development considering Lockett’s impact on the Seahawks’ offense. He’s scored under 11.5 fantasy points in only two weeks all season and is one of the highest-floor WR2s across the league.
Fantasy managers must consider starting Lockett if he’s active on Sunday. If he practices Thursday, it’s a safe assumption he’ll be given the green light as the Seahawks need to beat the Jets to further position themselves in the playoff race. Unfortunately for managers, Lockett’s matchup with New York is a tough one.
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Only the Denver Broncos allow fewer fantasy points per game to receivers than the Jets. New York’s stellar cornerback duo of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed are allowing an average of 10.3 receptions for 116.6 yards and 0.67 touchdowns a week. The Jets’ defense ranks fourth in scoring and fifth in passing yards allowed.
Seattle, coming off a rough outing without Lockett in Kansas City, will benefit from playing at home against their East Coast foe. It’s still hard to project an offensive explosion against the talented Jets defense, but Lockett and DK Metcalf are talented enough to produce against Gardner and Reed. Now isn’t the time to fade an active Lockett.
Even when the Seahawks’ offense has been scoring in the low 20s, Lockett produces. He hasn’t had less than 68 yards or failed to score a touchdown since Week 7, becoming a main cog in this offense. The only way you shouldn’t start Lockett this week as your WR2 or Flex option is if you have an absurdly good receiving group where he’s clearly your fourth-best playmaker.
Otherwise, Lockett has earned the right to be a starting lock in the vast majority of lineups. We’ll continue to update this page with the latest news.
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