At draft time for fantasy football, us Seahawks fans tend to have an advantage when it comes to Seattle's players. After all, no one seems to know much about our team, often even our star players.
The result is Seahawks tend to drop further than their real value where us 12th Men get to greedily snatch them up and reap the benefits.
This year is even better than most. Coming off a 4-12 season, no one is giving Seattle's players much, if any, value.
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So after sharpening my skills in the mock drafts, here's a list of some sleeper Seahawks and what round you can get them in for great value.
Julius Jones
By the time Jones comes off the board, he's surrounded by backups like Buffalo's Fred Jackson and Baltimore's Ray Rice, which is criminally low for a full-time starter.
A perfect fit for the zone-blocking scheme, Jones should show the same effectiveness he put on display in back-to-back 100-yard games in 2008. This time, Maurice Morris won't be around to steal his thunder and carries.
The only concern is well-practiced touchdown vulture T.J. Duckett coming in for goal-line situations.
Speaking of Duckett, he managed eight touchdowns last year and should be in line for just as many, if not more, this year. He may be worth an additional pick later.
Between the two, you're looking at a probable 1,000-yard rusher and double digits in touchdowns. Either one should serve as a solid number-three back and a great number-four. Jones can be had in the 11th round or later.
Seahawks defense
Mark my words. This defense will be vastly improved in 2009. Vastly. With the new coaching staff in charge and a number of players, new and old, ready to improve, the Seahawks defense could be a top-10 unit and at least top-15.
With that said, you can draft the Seahawks unit for the low, low price of dead last.
Personally, I have a policy not to take a kicker or a defense until my last two picks, depending on where I pick. As far as defenses go, the units at the top of the rankings fluctuate so much from year to year that it's just not worth taking one high when you can add depth to receiver or running back instead.
But whether you're looking for a starter or backup, the 'Hawks are there for the plucking. It helps that their first game of the season is at home against the Rams, who did little to improve an awful offense.
John Carlson
It's hard to believe that the record holder for receptions by a Seahawks rookie can be rated so low, but such is the case for Carlson.
This year, he should have a healthy Hasselbeck throwing the ball and also a healthy and improved receiver corps to contend for catches with.
What will likely happen is his receiving yards total of 627 in 2008 will increase maybe a little while his touchdown total of five should rise.
Personally, I like to get in on the tight ends early as there isn't much depth at the position, but should you choose to wait, Carlson is a fantastic pick in rounds 12 and on where the Visanthe Shiancoe's and Vernon Davis's of the world reside.
Matt Hasselbeck
Is it just me or is this guy underrated in fantasy football every year? Other than 2008, he has been a consistent performer since 2003, and there are few quarterbacks in the league you can say that about.
Should you pass on one of the top quarterbacks then it may be worth your while to wait as late as round 11 to get your starter. There, you'll find Hasselbeck amongst other such fantasy studs as Kyle Orton and Eli Manning.
You'll of course want to immediately grab a solid backup, but a healthy Hassselbeck should prove to be a weekly starter and a 3,000-yards-plus, 20-touchdowns-plus performer.
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
