Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham, Tyler Lockett Post-Week 7 Fantasy Advice

The Seattle Seahawks defense dominated Thursday night's showdown against the San Francisco 49ers, but the offensive combination of Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett gave a number of fantasy owners an early Week 7 lead.

However, superstar tight end Jimmy Graham did not live up to the elevated expectations that always surround him.

Here is a look at the stats for the offensive playmakers from Thursday's 20-3 victory, as well as some fantasy reaction for each.

Russell Wilson

Completions	Passing Yards	Passing Touchdowns	Interceptions	Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing Touchdowns	Fantasy Points
18-of-24	235	1	2	7	20	0	11.4

At this point, your biggest concern as a fantasy owner relying on Wilson is his long-term health, especially after he was sacked five more times against San Francisco. ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the problem:

Fortunately for the Seahawks and fantasy owners, Wilson is mobile enough to avoid even more sacks and pick up yardage on the ground. While his 20 rushing yards Thursday was a season low for an individual game, the former Wisconsin Badger scrambled away from pressure enough to throw for 235 yards.

He also set up a beautiful 43-yard touchdown to Lockett downfield off a play-action fake that provided fantasy owners with a much-needed touchdown.

The one downside about Wilson’s Thursday performance was the two interceptions he threw, which can largely be attributed to rushing his decisions with the poor pass protection. However, this was the first game all season he threw multiple picks, which means it isn’t a consistent pattern fantasy owners should worry about at this point.

Wilson topped the 200-yard mark through the air every game this season and can pick up yardage on the ground on any given play. He is still a must-start in fantasy circles regardless of Thursday’s turnovers.

Jimmy Graham

Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns	Targets	Fantasy Points
2	31	0	5	3.1

Much like Wilson, Graham is a proven commodity, although fantasy owners didn’t see it during Thursday’s contest.

That is concerning because it looked like the star tight end finally turned the corner as a member of the Seattle attack in Week 6 with 140 receiving yards. It was the first time he cracked the century mark and only the second time all year he topped 51 yards.

Those hoping Graham finally settled into a significant role in the Seattle offense that often uses its tight ends in blocking spots were sorely disappointed Thursday, although it must be noted the Seahawks went ahead early in this game and relied on the rushing attack to run the clock. Graham just didn’t have as many opportunities with Wilson only throwing 24 times (his second-lowest mark of the year). 

You should still start Graham at a tight end position that isn’t particularly deep based solely on his track record, as he topped 1,200 receiving yards twice in the last four years and reached double-digit touchdowns three times in the last four years. Still, he isn’t the surefire fantasy star on his new team that he was with the New Orleans Saints.

Tyler Lockett

Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns	Targets	Fantasy Points
5	79	1	5	13.9

Proceed with caution with Lockett.

It would be easy to marvel at the speed he demonstrated on his long touchdown catch Thursday and rush to pick him up on the waiver wire. However, he is fresh off a zero-catch performance in Week 6, and Thursday's catch was his first receiving score of the year.

What’s more, he is yet to top five targets in a single game this season, which makes him hard to trust in fantasy circles from a consistency standpoint. The Seahawks are going to rely on a rushing attack with Wilson and Marshawn Lynch throughout the campaign, and Graham and even Doug Baldwin figure to get their targets as the year continues.

Perhaps Thursday marked the turning point in Lockett’s rookie season from a fantasy standpoint, but he has more zero-yard games this season (two) than games with a touchdown catch. Monitor Lockett on the waiver wire because of his overall talent and what he showed Thursday, but wait before you automatically pick him up and insert him into your lineup based on one deep touchdown catch.