Tyler Lockett has been one of the most consistent fantasy options at wide receiver over the past few seasons. He was one of Russell Wilson's favorite targets in the passing game, and he could get himself open at all three levels of the field. When he's able to stay healthy, Lockett had been a top 15 wide receiver in the league, although he would be closer to a top 10 wideout in some cases too.
The 2022 season will look much different for Lockett, though. Wilson is out of the picture after he got traded to the Denver Broncos, and it seems as if Geno Smith will be under center for Seattle come Week 1. That drop off in production cannot be overexaggerated, and figures to impact Lockett greatly from a fantasy perspective.
However, Lockett still has some value as a consistent receiving option, and after all, Smith is going to need someone to throw the ball to on offense. But how much of a drop off will Lockett experience, and will he be a viable fantasy option behind Seahawks star wideout DK Metcalf? Let's take a closer look at Lockett's fantasy outlook for the 2022 season and see how much the veteran wideout can be counted on for the upcoming campaign.
Tyler Lockett's 2022 fantasy football outlook
Lockett has been a staple of the Seahawks offense for seven seasons now, but it's clear that his 2022 season will look different than the rest of his career has. Not having Wilson under center as previously mentioned will affect Lockett greatly. How much it will impact Lockett remains to be seen,
Lockett had arguably the best season of his campaign in 2021 (73 REC, 1175 YDS, 8 TD) despite catching passes from an injured Wilson who was playing most of the season at less than 100 percent. Those numbers helped Lockett slot in as the 11th best wide receiver in terms of fantasy scoring, right behind his teammate Metcalf who came in at 10th.
Lockett ran very hot or cold during the 2021 season though. He had seven games where he had less than 35 yards receiving, making him a complete bust most of those weeks. He made up for it the rest of the way out, though, and ended up as one of the top wideouts as a result.
The problem is that Lockett may not be able to survive in an offense led by Smith. With Metcalf ahead of him on Seattle's pecking order, Lockett is already losing his targets to someone else. Granted, Lockett has excelled alongside Metcalf in recent years, and there is really no significant pass catching talent behind these two stars.
The main problem is Smith, who is a complete wild card at this point. Smith filled in for Wilson in four games last season, and went 1-3 in those contests, although he largely held his own. Smith could potentially be an effective quarterback, but his four game starting stint was the most we've seen of Smith since 2014; we really have no idea how good or bad he will be as a result.
During that four game stint, Lockett's production wavered dramatically. Lockett had a mediocre performance in Week 5, was invisible for most of Weeks 6 and 7, and then put together a 12 catch, 142 yard peformance in Week 8. For an already confusing situation, Lockett's production with Smith under center from last season makes it even more confusing.
Lockett is obviously going to fall down draft boards as a result, and is probably somewhere between a top 30-35 wide receiver heading into 2022 as a result. He's probably not going to hit the highs he hit during his time with Wilson under center, but Lockett is still consistent enough to make his mark for fantasy owners.
Lockett still has some things working in his favor. Nobody aside from Metcalf is going to consistently take targets away from him, and his ability to get open at all three levels of the field makes him a bit more consistent than Metcalf, who is more of a home-run hitter. Lockett also has a nose for the end zone, as he's recorded at least eight touchdowns over the past four seasons. But again, how many touchdowns will the Seahawks limited offense be able to score in 2022?
Lockett still has upside as a FLEX option who could be a WR2 if he and Smith develop good chemistry, but he's not going to be coming off draft boards as early as we are used to seeing him go. Lockett is probably a safe pick in rounds 6-8, but counting on him for production immediately is going to be risky. There are simply too many question marks surrounding the Seahawks offense for Tyler Lockett to be considered a top tier wide receiver this season, and that will unfortunately limit his fantasy outlook in 2022.
Follow Us
Subscribe