Medical tests cleared Sam Darnold of a hip fracture, though the quarterback will miss time following an MRI. Backup Drew Lock steps into the starter role after recording 187 passing yards, one touchdown, and zero turnovers in relief. Seattle will rely on their defensive more than ever to win games while Lock manages the offense.
All offensive pieces from Jaxon Smith-Njigba to AJ Barner will be downgraded slightly for fantasy football until Darnold returns.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed gave fantasy ...
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is not in the...
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is expected ...
Seattle Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed has the opportunity to be a major contributor on the defending Super Bowl champions’ high-scoring offense in 2026. Shaheed will most likely overtake end-of-career WR legend Cooper Kupp as number 2 option in the pass game.
NFL defenses will do everything they can to stop Seattle’s superstar WR1 Jaxson Smith-Njigba and the rest of the 2026 Seahawks offense should see more work as a result. 33 year old Cooper Kupp, with only 593 rec. yds in 2025, is now more of a player-coach than an actual threat. That should leave the door open for big-play speedster Rashid Shaheed. Rashid was traded to the Seahawks early November last season and he mostly made his mark on special teams. He was re-signed by Seattle this offseason and they will try to re-tap into Shaheed’s big play prowess; his ADOT was down from 17.6 in 2024 (#3 in the NFL) to 11.4 in 2025 (#48 in the NFL).
~Justin Teck
Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald refused to clarify the health status of Tory Horton, leaving drafters uncertain whether the second-year wideout suffered a setback from his 2025 shin injury. Horton pairs an 84th-percentile 4.41 40-Yard Dash with a 103.6 Speed Score, but his fifth-round draft capital and modest rookie Target Share restrict his path to consistent volume.
With Seattle under no obligation to release injury details until Week 1, fantasy managers should avoid Horton across standard 12-team redraft leagues. In the meantime, Rashid Shaheed is set to command a greater target share.
Rashid Shaheed earned consistent looks from quarterback Sam Darnold during spring practices as Seattle expands his route tree. Regardless, Seattle self-identifies as a run-first offense, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba anchors this passing game following a massive season defined by an elite 35.9-percent target share and 3.72 yards per route run.
Adding short and intermediate targets to Shaheed’s portfolio raises his fantasy floor after being restricted to a low-volume deep role in 2025. Game scripts will drive Shaheed’s weekly upside. He has significant best ball appeal and is a screaming value in dynasty start-ups as PlayerProfiler’s Dynasty WR55.
The Seattle Seahawks are preparing to heavily deploy pre-snap motion under new play-caller Nick Fleury, a strategic shift that added an average of 0.25 yards per play across the league last season. This versatile alignment directly impacts tight ends AJ Barner, who earned a 15.0-percent target share in 2025, and Elijah Arroyo, who posted a 16.9 college yards per reception on his way to be drafted in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While it remains uncertain how frequently quarterback Sam Darnold target tight ends, the schematic change elevates the overall fantasy ceiling for this entire passing offense. Under Fleury, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed should enjoy more clean releases, and Arroyo will likely see a significantly higher snap share and route participation rate per PlayerProfiler.
More Shaheed and less Kupp is music to the ears of fantasy gamers around the world. This sentiment makes good sense after the Seattle Seahawks re-signed Rashid Shaheed to a three-year, $51 million contract despite an ordinary 59-reception, 687-yard line that yielded just 8.7 Fantasy Points Per Game.
This financial commitment signals a true structural shift in Seattle, directly threatening Cooper Kupp coming off a paltry 7.3 Fantasy Points Per Game season. Shaheed brings a 32.2-percent Deep Target Share to the table, making him the clear choice to take the pressure off Jaxon Smith-Njigba as a more dynamic WR2 for the offense. Shaheed will be a spike week specialist WR3/4 and great ADP value across all fantasy football formats this season.
