The Seattle Seahawks have added Fred Jackson to the mix with Marshawn Lynch and those two are strong fantasy football handcuff options for owners this season. Russell Wilson should have another solid offensive unit with Jimmy Graham coming in and players like Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin could be sleeper options for this season.
The Seahawks signed Jackson following his release from the Bills and the team also traded Christine Michael and waived Robert Turbin to shake up the RB position. Lynch obviously remains the starter for the Seahawks, but Jackson is likely going to be an active backup player and that makes him a good fantasy handcuff. According to the Seattle Times, head coach Pete Carroll said that Jackson will "play a lot" on Sunday for the first game of the season.
Carroll said that Jackson "ran the whole offense" and that he should be ready for a full load in Week 1. Lynch will likely end up with the majority of carries in the game, but Jackson also has the chance to play a big role for the offense out of the backfield as a receiver. Carroll said earlier in the week that Jackson would likely get work on third downs and that he likes the "security" that Jackson can give as a pass protector and also as a pass catcher out of the position.
The Seahawks offense should be very good once again this season and Russell now has a new major weapon ion Jimmy Graham. Adding Graham can change the complexion of things in the redzone and his presence could open things up for receivers like Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett and Jermaine Kearse. Expect Graham to be used a lot across the middle and this will be the first time that the Seahawks have a tight end of this caliber.
The Seahawks are confident enough in Jackson that they traded Christine Michael and the team also let Robert Turbin go by putting him on waivers. The Browns reportedly have claimed Turbin and that leaves Jackson and Lynch as the main running backs for the Seahawks moving forward. Lynch has had at least 280 carries in each of the last four seasons and cutting down on that just a little could help him a lot in the long run. Lynch is a hard runner and he has taken some major hits over the past few years, but he has not missed a game since 2015.
Jackson and Lynch were teammates in Buffalo and that relationship is one of the reasons why Jackson ended up in Seattle. Last season Jackson dipped his numbers in rushing yards with 525 from 896 the previous season, but he finished the year with over 1000 total yards and that is what makes him valuable to the Seahawks. Lockett has the chance to be a major sleeper, as he showed in the preseason that he has some explosive tools. The Seahawks may not push him too much early on, but he is a player to keep an eye on.
