Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson comes into the upcoming 2021-2022 NFL season with plenty of expectations.
In a campaign last season where many projected that the Seahawks would pull off a deep playoff run in the NFC, they fell short of fulfilling such expectations following their 2021 NFC Wild Card elimination at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams. Wilson had arguably one of his more sluggish playoff performances, as he completed a mere 40.7 percent of his passes coupled with a lowly 72.1 passer rating.
Russell Wilson's 2021 Fantasy Outlook:
The Seahawks did not make any notable blockbuster moves on offense over the offseason, although the team did select a wide receiver in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft with former Western Michigan standout D'Wayne Eskridge. They did grant the wish of many fans after hiring Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy.
The Seahawks are essentially doing what they can to make the most out of Wilson's prime years. And if his 2020 season gives any indication of what could come this year, then the Seahawks are in for another superb campaign from the seven-time Pro Bowler.
2020 Fantasy Statistics
Russell Wilson's 2020 season with the Seattle Seahawks was a tale of two halves.
Wilson kicked off the campaign on one scorching start, as he recorded 14 passing touchdowns over the Seahawks' opening three games. He totaled for 30-plus fantasy points in each of this trio of games, which earned him high praise as an early NFL MVP favorite.
However, Wilson's MVP aspirations were dashed as the season progressed due to his stagnant play. For one, he failed to reach 250 passing yards in each of his last four games. Overall, his fantasy points output late in the season worried plenty of fans, as the Seahawks star notched 20-plus fantasy points in only two of his last seven games in the campaign.
In the big picture, Wilson still had one formidable fantasy season. He finished in the top 10 in passing yards (4,212), passing touchdowns (40), and passer rating (105.1).
Based on fantasy points, Wilson was the sixth-best quarterback in the NFL last season; he totaled 359.78 such points. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen topped this leaderboard with an astounding 395.06 fantasy points in his first breakout season.
Wilson's success on play-action-designed plays helped him orchestrate such a standout season; he totaled for 1,038 passing yards from play-action plays last year. From his agility in the pocket to prowess as a passer when on the run, he was simply unpredictable for defensive front sevens.
2021 Fantasy Projections
Russell Wilson is one of the more difficult quarterbacks to project, as fans can never know on which version of him they will get over a season. Wilson can play like an MVP-level quarterback in one game and then follow it up with a sluggish showing as a downfield passer in the next game.
As noted by ESPN's fantasy projections for the upcoming season, Wilson is slated to total 315.02 fantasy points, which would be a notable drop compared to last season.
Much of Wilson's success this upcoming season may hinge on just how well he will be able to mesh with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Most notably, Waldron helped anchor the Rams' efficient passing attack during Jared Goff's standout season in 2018, when the former No. 1 overall pick posted career highs in passing yards (4,688) and passing touchdowns (32).
Waldron will now coordinate a Seahawks' offense that did not take as many risks last season compared to 2019. Under now-former Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, the team ran 10 personnel (4 WR) 18 times last season, which was down from the 2019 campaign when the team called for 90 such plays.
The cries for “Let Russ cook” will certainly be ringing out over the upcoming season, and it will be noteworthy to see whether Waldron will allow for Wilson to do just that. Wilson certainly has the wide receiver unit to open up the downfield passing game a bit more, especially as DK Metcalf continues to show stark improvements as a route-runner in the open field.
Rank at Position
It is a safe bet that the likes of Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo Bills passer Josh Allen will be among the top quarterbacks selected in fantasy football drafts over the coming month.
From there, it can be a gamble projecting on where passers such as Russell Wilson will rank at the quarterback position fantasy-wise. ESPN does project that Wilson will top out at sixth among quarterbacks in the total fantasy points leaderboard for the upcoming season, with Allen leading the pack with 375.46 such points.
Still, there are plenty of quarterbacks across the league who may be poised for a standout campaign this year. For one, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow could be on the verge of doubling down on their promising rookie campaigns with potential Pro Bowl-type seasons.
Nonetheless, Wilson well has what it takes to jump into the top three in fantasy quarterback rankings. Look for the Seahawks quarterback to record a season with 4,000-plus passing yards and 40-plus total touchdowns, which would once again give the team a fighting chance in the unpredictable NFC.
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