Tyler Lockett continues to help the Seahawks in a number of ways. In last week's win over the Minnesota Vikings, he caught seven balls for 90 yards. Both were season highs. On one play, Lockett made a 29-yard reception down the right sideline, took a big hit from the safety and popped right back up. He has shown the ability to stretch the field and is really slippery on the screens and shorter routes that call for the receiver to pick up yards after the catch.

On the season, Lockett has 35 catches for 436 yards. Both marks rank fourth among rookie wide receivers. He's scored five touchdowns (two as a returner) and has a catch rate of 79.5 percent.

When he was coming out of college, some pegged Lockett as a slot receiver, but according to ESPN Stats & Information, 24 of his 35 receptions have come when he's lined up outside, the story said. Lockett has been targeted 15 times during the last three games. Fourteen of those attempts have resulted in completions for 176 yards. The story said Lockett could very well be targeted more the final month of the season as both QB Russell Wilson and the offense heats up.

Seattle Seahawks

OUT
CB Marcus Burley (hand), RB Derrick Coleman (concussion), DT Jordan Hill (quadricep), C Patrick Lewis (ankle), LB Nick Moody (ankle)

QUESTIONABLE
DE Demarcus Dobbs (shoulder)

PROBABLE
DE Cliff Avril (ankle), G Justin Britt (hip), S Kam Chancellor (shoulder), DE Frank Clark (hamstring), T Garry Gilliam (ankle), WR Tyler Lockett (hip), RB Marshawn Lynch (hamstring), CB Richard Sherman (ankle), CB Tye Smith (hip), LB Bobby Wagner (pectoral)

San Francisco 49ers

QUESTIONABLE
WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring), RB Carlos Hyde (foot), T Erik Pears (back)

PROBABLE
G Alex Boone (shoulder), LB Navorro Bowman (shoulder), LB Ahmad Brooks (shoulder), RB Reggie Bush (calf), TE Vernon Davis (knee), WR Bruce Ellington (calf), TE Vance McDonald (chest), S Eric Reid (chest), T Joe Staley (knee), G Brandon Thomas (ankle)

Marshawn Lynch is probable, so we expect another big workload. Anquan Boldin and Carlos Hyde are both iffy. Given the matchup against a tough Seattle defense, we recommend shying away from both players if possible. It looks like Reggie Bush will make his return, though he has been unable to stay healthy for very long this year.

Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett was electrifying during the preseason, scoring three touchdowns of 60-plus yards in four games -- one on a kickoff return, one on a punt return and one on a reception. During the spring, some analysts labeled Lockett (5-foot-10, 182 pounds) as a slot receiver. But on his touchdown catch in the preseason, Lockett was lined up outside, and coach Pete Carroll said the team won't hesitate to use him in a variety of spots.

"Really, we haven’t seen anything from him where we need to restrict him and not put him outside or match him up in certain ways," Carroll said. "We really like him all around, and he’s still developing with us. He’s still in a big process of developing the things that we can count on from him and learning him and all of that. But right now, we’re not restricting him anywhere. He’ll play in all spots in this game."

Lockett is a player to stash at this point. It's tough to produce in Seattle's run-heavy offense as a receiver, especially with Jimmy Graham in town soaking up targets. But the team is letting Russell Wilson throw the ball more each year, and if Lockett can outplay veteran Doug Baldwin, then there's a path to fantasy relevancy. One thing's for sure, Lockett has made the Seahawks D/ST even more attractive given his ability in the return game.

Bob Condotta on Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett

I think there’s little question he will make a sizeable impact as both a kickoff and punt returner, pulling off long returns for touchdowns of each during the preseason.

What was a little more eye-opening is what Lockett did as a receiver — even if only because that often requires a longer adjustment period — with six receptions for a team-high 129 yards, including a 63-yarder in the finale against the Raiders that was the only touchdown scored by the No. 1 offense in 13 possessions.

Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said this week that the success Lockett had as a receiver has increased the role he figures to have in the offense to start the season.

“For sure,” Bevell said Wednesday. “I think I said up here before, we thought of him, or at least I thought of him as a kick returner. But he’s come in and done a fantastic job of what we’re asking him to do, he’s picked up a lot of the offense. For a young guy, he’s light years ahead of where I thought he’d be. He’s a legitimate threat for us at wide receiver.”

The Seahawks use a heavy rotation at receiver with the one constant being Doug Baldwin over the last few years. But that could change in 2015 if Lockett can prove starter-caliber from the get-go. The team will still be run-first, but they've slowly letting Russell Wilson throw the ball more as he has proven very capable in the passing game.

In May the Seahawks sent four picks to Washington to move from the bottom of the third round to the top, so they could draft Tyler Lockett from Kansas State. Coach Pete Carroll has already proclaimed Lockett the Seahawks’ punt and kickoff returner; at least its his job to lose in training camp, after Seattle suffered with poor returns and lesser starting field positions all last season. Yet Lockett has also impressed his new team with his polished and subtly skilled route running. Expect him to get many chances during exhibition games to catch passes from the slot and outside.

At 5-10, 182 pounds Lockett isn’t the big, physical receiver the Seahawks appear to need as a true wide receiver. Chris Matthews is. He’s 6-5 and 218, coming off his NFL breakout game in Super Bowl 49 with his first catches, first 100-yard game and first touchdown of his career.

Carroll says training camp and the upcoming preseason are the former Canadian Football League man’s chances to prove he is the big, physical wide receiver everyone thought Seattle had to draft in May.

Lockett may have a tougher time getting on the field since his size doesn't differentiate him from incumbents Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse. Matthews brings size that none of the other Seattle receivers have.

Seahawks beat writer Bob Condotta (of the Seattle Times) was asked to predict the pecking order at receiver:

If you go with just two receivers, then I’d still go with Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse being the two starters for the opening game. They are the two most experienced and proven receivers on the team and also excel at a really underrated aspect of the game that is hugely important to the coaches — blocking. That’s one reason you rarely saw those two come off the field last season. Teams obviously often run three-receiver sets. And if what we saw in OTAs and mini-caps is any indication, then the starting 3-WR sets would well include Baldwin, Kearse and Chris Matthews. Tyler Lockett projects as Baldwin’s backup, with the other spots sort of a jumble at the moment. But as of now, I’d go with Kevin Norwood and Ricardo Lockette as the other backups. As you note, Paul Richardson could well being the year on the PUP list. If he’s healthy by opening day, I’d put him on the second unit. As for the Kearse and Matthews, there’s no question that what Matthews did in the Super Bowl creates a lot of excitement going forward. But Kearse is one of the team’s most versatile receivers and as noted, also excels at blocking. For now, I think he holds on to a role as being more of an every down receiver.

Matthews is a deep sleeper this year despite a great performance in the Super Bowl. Baldwin should be usable in fantasy leagues, but with the addition of TE Jimmy Graham, there will be fewer targets available to the Seattle receivers.