When Russell Wilson first entered the NFL in 2012 with the Seahawks, he was merely asked to take care of the football and to try not to do too much. In other words, he was a game manager.
Goodness, how times have changed.
The Seattle Seahawks star has gone from a game manager to one of the best quarterbacks in football and has put together three straight seasons with over 30 touchdown passes.
As a result, the Seahawks have become perennial contenders in the NFC, even with all of the changes the roster has undergone since its Super Bowl years in 2013 and 2014.
Typically reliant on its defense, Seattle has actually become an offense-first team thanks much in part to the versatility and genius of Wilson, who has managed to make three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances behind a shoddy offensive line.
So, what is Wilson's Fantasy Football outlook like for 2020? Let's break it down.
2019 Fantasy Recap
Wilson was a legitimate MVP candidate in 2019, throwing for 4,110 yards, 31 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 342 yards and three scores.
As a result, the 31-year-old finished fourth among all quarterbacks in total fantasy points, coming in behind Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott and Jameis Winston.
Wilson did this in spite of entering the season without a clear-cut No. 2 wide receiver after Tyler Lockett. Obviously, rookie wide out D.K. Metcalf emerged as a legitimate threat, and Wilson surely deserves a ton of credit for that.
What's amazing about Wilson's production is that he was able to post those numbers in spite of being sacked an NFL-high 48 times. That is nothing new for Russell Wilson, who has been sacked over 40 times each year since 2013. In 2018, he was sacked 51 times. Yet, he still manages to produce at a high level. It's pretty incredible.
Given Seattle's lack of depth at wide receiver and tight end in 2019, it's truly a testament to Russell Wilson that he performed as well as he did.
2020 Fantasy Projections
There is some uncertainty heading into 2020 for the Seahawks.
The club's top two running backs, Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, are both coming off of major injuries, and whether or not they are ready for Week 1 remains to be seen. To combat the health issues in the backfield, Seattle signed Carlos Hyde, who is coming off of a very solid year with the Houston Texans.
How much that affects Russell Wilson remains to be seen, but it could mean that the Seahawks—typically a run-heavy offensive club—will end up throwing the football more in 2020.
This could result in bigger numbers for Russell Wilson.
Seattle didn't do add a ton of pieces this offseason, but it did bring in Greg Olsen to shore up its tight end spot. Plus, Metcalf could be in for a monster year, so the Seahawks could end up having one of the top one-two receiver punches in the NFL with Lockett and Metcalf.
Russell Wilson doesn't have the embarrassment of riches that Tom Brady will have in Tampa Bay, but he should have more than enough to continue producing given his talent level.
The Cincinnati native racked up a career-high 35 touchdowns in 2018, and it would not be surprising to see him top that mark this coming season. Also, Russell Wilson has not yet hit the 4,500-yard plateau in a single campaign, but with the weapons in Seattle's receiving corps and potentially a longer green light to throw the football, Wilson may finally reach that milestone in 2020.
Rank at Position
There aren't many quarterbacks I would take over Russell Wilson heading into a big game. It's probably Patrick Mahomes, Brady and maybe Aaron Rodgers. That's it.
But Fantasy Football is not about how you perform under pressure; it's about cumulative statistics.
For that reason, Russell Wilson will at least be behind Mahomes and Lamar Jackson going into 2020. Mahomes was limited to just 14 games in 2019 due to a knee injury, but you have to expect him to bounce back with a bigger year so long as he stays healthy.
Meanwhile, Jackson will probably tally 1,000 rushing yards again, something Russell Wilson is not capable of doing.
As for Prescott? The Dallas Cowboys signal-caller has a plethora of weapons in the form of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliott, so there is a chance he finishes ahead of Wilson once again.
Wilson will be likely fighting with guys like Prescott, Deshaun Watson and maybe even Drew Brees, Brady and Kyler Murray for a top-five spot in the rankings. Brees missed a good chunk of 2019 with a thumb injury, and Murray seems likely to improve in his sophomore campaign, especially now that he has DeAndre Hopkins at his disposal.
Look for Russell Wilson to finish in a similar range to 2019, possibly even a bit lower with Mahomes getting healthy.
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