Sam Darnold

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.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton is recovering from a shin injury that cut his rookie year short after a mere 8 games. The team has not publicly disclosed the exact medical nature or severity of the shin issue, but head coach Mike Macdonald is tepidly optimistic that Horton would return to the field as early as late spring OTAs.

Given McDonald’s careful word choice, it is safe to expect the 23-year-old speedster and his upper-percentile 38.5% College Dominator Rating back for the start of summer training camp. While he battles newly extended playmaker Rashid Shaheed for targets, Horton’s absurd 5 receiving touchdowns in 2025 to go along with elite special teams versatility make him a high-upside WR5 dart throw in upcoming fantasy drafts. He is an especially intriguing stash in PPR dynasty leagues.

Despite preseason hype regarding a “Taysom Hill” role, Jalen Milroe logged a mere three snaps last season as tight end AJ Barner took over specialized short-yardage duties. His QB-only eligibility and minimal on-field presence currently render him fantasy-irrelevant, though he remains a theoretical vulture for red zone carries.

While his usage in the upcoming preseason inspires intrigue, he hasn’t shown enough to be considered a genuine threat to the backfield’s workload. Though undraftable in most formats, Milroe continues to be a viable dynasty stash in superflex leagues in case he somehow makes a leap as a thrower.

Sam Darnold has not let his oblique injury hamper his production on the road to Super Bowl 60 against the New England Patriots. In his two playoff games, Darnold has gone 37/53, 470 yards and four touchdowns. Darnold has been listed as a limited participant at practices this week.

Head Coach Mike MacDonald has said Darnold has gotten better progressively. ” He’s in a great spot, know he’s really confident, we’ll see how today plays out.” The Seahawks are currently favoured to win the Super Bowl and will rely heavily on Darnold’s efficiency and accuracy against a tough Patriots defense.

Author: Dane Madoche (@FF_DaMaddog)