The Seahawks knocked off the Falcons in Week 7 and are 4-3 after seven games in sole possession of first place in the NFC West. In that win, though, star WR DK Metcalf ($6,500) had to leave in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. He had to go to the locker room on a cart, but he may have avoided serious injury since he flashed fans the thumbs up and coach Mike McDonald said after the game that Metcalf banged his knee and “doesn’t look too bad.” Even if he did avoid a long-term injury, he could be out or limited this week against the Bills, though, and if he is, Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($6,100) would be poised to step up into the next tier of fantasy production.
The Setup
Smith-Njigba had a down game against the Falcons even with Metcalf’s injury. He only had three catches for a season-low nine yards. He did still get six targets but wasn’t able to make much of them. Instead of JSN, it was Noah Fant ($3,700) and Tyler Lockett ($5,600) who came through against the Falcons.
Fant and Lockett would also get a boost from Metcalf’s absence, but Smith-Njigba has the highest ceiling of the bunch. Before last week’s letdown, the second-year receiver had been on a nice run with three straight games with double-digit fantasy points.
His best game of the year was back in Week 2 against the Patriots, when he caught 12-of-16 targets for 117 yards and 26.7 fantasy points. He was also very busy in Week 4 against the Lions when he hauled in 8-of-12 targets for 51 yards and 13.1 fantasy points. On the year, he has averaged 45.6 yards per game and scored one touchdown.
He ranks second on the team with 55 targets, just six behind Metcalf, and he has more targets than Ja’Marr Chase and Terry McLaurin in the same amount of games. He hasn’t been able to turn them into as much success as those stars, but the chances are there for him and could be even more if Metcalf is limited.
The Skinny
I ranked Metcalf as the No. 19 WR this week if he’s healthy, and I’d slot JSN in just about the same spot or maybe a couple of spots lower if Metcalf is out. Even with no bye weeks, he’s still a starter in most standard season-long leagues this week if Metcalf is out.
For DFS, he would also be a solid play with the extra targets as well in Week 8, including in the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]. The Seahawks have asked Geno Smith ($5,900) to attempt an average of 39.9 passes per week, and they’ll probably have to air it out again this week to keep up with Josh Allen ($7,800) and the visiting Bills.
The Seahawks are three-point underdogs at home against Buffalo, and there could be lots of extra targets if Metcalf’s knee continues to be a problem. Fant would be a sneaky tight end play and Lockett could also bring value in addition to Jaxon Smith-Njigba becoming a very strong start in that scenario.
Be sure to stay tuned to DK Network for updates on Metcalf throughout the week leading up to kickoff.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
