Greg Olsen Fantasy Outlook with Russell Wilson After Reported Seahawks Contract

Former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is a member of the Seattle Seahawks after signing a one-year, $7 million deal on Tuesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Olsen, who turns 35 years old on March 11, will enter his 14th NFL season. He's a three-time Pro Bowler with 718 catches, 8,444 yards and 59 touchdowns to his name with the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.

The ex-Miami star snatched 52 passes for 597 yards and two touchdowns last year.

Olsen gives the Seattle Seahawks' potent aerial attack another solid offensive weapon after the team's pass offense finished fourth in Football Outsiders' DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) last season.

From a fantasy football perspective, Olsen provides some intriguing value.

First, he's now working with a superstar quarterback in Russell Wilson, who just completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 31 touchdowns and only five interceptions. At his best, Wilson can extend plays by evading oncoming rushes and connect with his receivers downfield for big plays.

Last year, Olsen worked with Panthers backup Kyle Allen, who was thrust into a very tough spot after starter Cam Newton missed the final 14 games due to a Lisfranc injury.

Allen showed promise by completing 62.0 percent of his passes and tossing 17 touchdowns, but he also threw 16 picks and amassed just 6.8 yards per attempt.

Olsen should benefit from Wilson's skill set in Seattle, like he did when he played with another great mobile quarterback in Newton. He averaged 80 catches for 1,062 yards from 2014 to 2016.

Recording numbers like that in 2020 is a tall task, though. Injuries have slowed Olsen down over the past three seasons, and his 16-game average from 2017 to 2019 was 51 receptions for 575 yards and four scores.

Olsen is also entering his age-35 season, so asking him to produce like he did in his late 20s and early 30s is likely asking for too much.

But he's a sure-handed and dependable receiver who was Newton's security blanket for years for some potent Panthers offenses. Furthermore, he was the team's No. 1 target following the release of wideout Steve Smith in 2014.

Olsen won't be the No. 1 target in Seattle with wideouts Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf leading the way, but he could amass more targets with defenses keying in on the Seahawks' top two weapons.

ESPN's Mike Clay offered an early projection line for Olsen to the tune of 38 receptions (58 targets), 443 yards and four touchdowns. He put Olsen in the "TE2 mix," meaning he's a solid choice as a fantasy team's backup tight end.

The question for Olsen is how time will be split up with Will Dissly, the team's starting tight end to begin 2019. Dissly suffered a torn Achilles on Oct. 13 and missed the remainder of the 2019 season.

He showed tremendous promise through his first five weeks with 23 catches for 262 yards and four scores, but the question is whether he'll be good to go and how effective he will be post-injury.

That question's answer will reveal itself later, but for now, Ben Arthur of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer called Olsen an "insurance policy" in case Dissly isn't ready.

Having both in the mix would be great for Seattle on the field, of course. But from a fantasy perspective, their values would likely take a hit.

Overall, Olsen could be a good option at the back end of draft for players looking to add a second tight end.

If he goes undrafted, then Olsen should be a good waiver-wire add for players looking to stream tight ends as needed.