With their blowout win over the Washington Commanders in the rear-view mirror, the Seattle Seahawks are gearing up for a divisional showdown with the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10. One of the most notable names to watch from a fantasy perspective is wide receiver Tory Horton, who is coming off a career-best performance on Sunday Night Football.
Horton was on the field for 72.5% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps in Week 9, up from 38.9% in Week 9. That can mostly be attributed to the absence of veteran wideout Cooper Kupp, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Jake Bobo missed the contest with an Achilles injury, as well.
The fifth-round rookie out of Colorado State made good on his newfound playing time, catching all four of his targets for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Horton is currently rostered in just 7.3% of ESPN leagues and 5% of Yahoo leagues, but those numbers are sure to spike when waivers go through this week.
Is Horton worth a waiver claim or a significant chunk of your free agent budget? And if you land him, is he worth a start?
Horton is about as touchdown-dependent as it gets in fantasy. In the four games when he has found the end zone, Horton is averaging 15.8 PPR fantasy points per game. In the four games where he hasn’t, he has averaged 0.5 with three goose eggs. He has yet to record more than four targets or four receptions in any single game, let alone break 50 yards.
At the same time, Horton is undoubtedly Seattle’s No. 2 option outside the numbers – sometimes No. 1, depending on where Jaxon Smith-Njigba lines up. You also have to factor in Kupp’s injury and age. Plus, beyond Smith-Njigba, Kupp and Horton, no Seahawks receiver has run more than 20 routes total this season. While tight A.J. Barner is a red zone threat, he isn’t getting very many deep targets. Neither Kenneth Walker III nor Zach Charbonnet have factored much into the passing game, either.
Horton’s 15.32 average depth of target is the fourth-highest among rookie receivers, and the highest by any rookie with at least 100 routes run this season. He also ranks fourth across the NFL in average yards per punt return, bringing one back for a touchdown in Week 3.
If Horton is available in your league, value him as a must-add. Clearly, he has a higher ceiling than other waiver options like Malik Washington, Calvin Austin III, Darius Slayton, Christian Kirk and Rashod Bateman. You can also play the long game with Horton, too, since there are always a few rookie wideouts who break out in the second half of the season. With Travis Hunter on injured reserve, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel losing C.J. Stroud to a concussion, Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike stuck in a lackluster Titans offense and Matthew Golden still fighting for looks in a crowded receiver room, maybe Horton can insert himself next to Emeka Egbuka and Tetairoa McMillan.
Starting Horton against Arizona may be a little too bold, considering he posted zeroes in his last two games prior to Seattle’s Week 8 bye. Kupp’s status for Week 10 is also undetermined, meaning there isn’t necessarily a clear path to high volume, either. Still, Horton may emerge as a legitimate FLEX option sooner rather than later.
