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Russell Wilson is heading into uncharted territory this year as he begins a journey with a new team for the first time since his rookie year. He was drafted in 2012 by the Seattle Seahawks and has spent his entire career there before being traded to the Denver Broncos earlier this year. Wilson won one Super Bowl title with the Seahawks in 2013, and only failed to make the postseason twice during his 10-year stint in Seattle.
Wilson comes into a Broncos team with a brand new coach in Nathaniel Hackett after Denver fired their previous head coach Vic Fangio. Hackett comes into his first head coaching gig after spending years as an offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and most recently the Green Bay Packers. Wilson comes into this season still a top-10 quarterback with plenty of upside as he adjusts to a new team.
2021 season statistics & fantasy finish
Passing: 259 completions from 400 attempts for a 64.8% completion rate through 14 games. He threw for 3,113 yards, his lowest single-season total in his career. He added 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, while being sacked 33 times.
Rushing: Wilson rushed 43 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Fantasy: Finished No. 16 in overall scoring for QBs, with a total of 248.82 fantasy points in 2021.
Broncos offseason moves
As mentioned previously, the Broncos find themselves with a new head coach in Nathaniel Hackett and their new starting QB with Russell Wilson. Denver sent Drew Lock, Noah Fant, and Shelby Harris as well as a handful of draft picks to Seattle in exchange for Wilson. They also re-signed RB Melvin Gordon to a one-year contract back in April, while scoring some decent draft picks in LB Nik Bonitto and TE Greg Dulcich, among others. Since the departure of Harris left a hole in their defensive line, they went out and picked up free agent DJ Jones.
2022 best case scenario
Though he’s coming off of an underwhelming season in Seattle, Russell Wilson will likely be refreshed and ready to go in Denver as he embarks on his journey with his new team and coach. While the Broncos aren’t necessarily considered a real title contender this season across the board, a lot of fans and pundits alike are looking for Wilson to give Denver that boost they need to get them back into the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
2022 worst case scenario
Wilson coming into a new team for the first time, along with Hackett grabbing his first head coaching gig of his career could spell some missteps in 2022 for the Broncos. Worst case means Wilson can’t get anything going with the offensive options he’s given, and the Broncos fall short of the playoffs for the seventh year in a row. Wilson’s addition almost surely won’t mean the Broncos are going to come out as champions his first year, but the 33-year-old will bring a lot of upside immediately, and even more down the line as they continue to build their offense around him in the coming years.
2022 prediction
Russell should still be a heavy hitter in terms of fantasy this season, as he’ll likely come into the season as a top-10 QB. He’s finished in the top six fantasy QBs five different seasons since 2014, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to do that again even if the Broncos don’t see as many positive results as they’re hoping for. Through ups and downs in 2022, Wilson should still be a solid grab for any fantasy lineup as his fantasy points should average a decent amount throughout the season.