Geno Smith Keeps the Seattle Seahawks Offense Afloat

Seemingly out of nowhere, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has taken real-life and fantasy football by storm in this 2022 season after his placement on the roster was up in the air as recently as this Summer. Following a quarterback controversy that many called one of the worst battles in NFL history, Smith would beat out Drew Locke as the starter and has now become the eighth QB to earn his first Pro Bowl selection in year ten or later. The news seemingly comes as no surprise to the former West Virginia Mountaineer, even though he has been a backup player since being taken out of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.

Images of Geno Smith in a Jets uniform invoke more off-the-field memories than on-the-field memories and likely fueled much of the skepticism from fans of the sport when the Seahawks announced that he would be the team's starting QB following the Russell Wilson departure after the 2021 season. Not many could have predicted the season that the former Giant and Charger would be putting together this year.

A Career Year, Ten Years In

After trading Russell Wilson in the offseason, head coach Pete Carroll advocated for Smith to return to the Seahawks throughout the Winter and Spring months. When Smith re-signed, Carroll made clear the starting job was his to lose, though he wouldn't report on it, leaving it up to the news cycle to decide who they thought would take the helm. This drove the veteran's fantasy stock down considerably, as he often went undrafted in standard, single-QB redraft leagues.

Those Summer fantasy drafts are a lifetime away now, as Geno sits comfortably as the QB7 in fantasy, with his 260.9 points. The Geno Smith stats tell a story of someone who would have never needed to sign a one-year, $3.5 million contract in April but someone who could be making well into the eight-digit realm as soon as next year. He ranks top-10 or very near that in all of the essential counting stats, including passing yards (3,671 - eighth), touchdowns (26 - fourth), completion% (71.4% - first), and interceptions (eight - 16th). Let us not forget about his 281 rushing yards, the most single-season yards he's had on the ground since his 2013 rookie year.

Fantasy Playoff Implications

This offensive production train started in the first week of the season when the Seahawks decided to switch things up from their typical, risk-averse nature and allow Geno to cook. Smith has had boom weeks in fantasy throughout the year, besting 19 fantasy points in eight weeks, including his Offensive Player of the Week performance in the team's Week 5 game in New Orleans when he threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Typical fantasy playoff schedules will see two more games from Geno, one against the Chiefs in Week 16 and one against the Jets in Week 17, who rank 28th and fourth, respectively, in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to the quarterback position.

Though Week 17 will be a difficult matchup against a Jets team who may be scratching for a playoff bid, Seahawks wide receivers will have a cushy matchup against the Chiefs this week as well, as they rank 21st in aFPA to the wide receiver position. Geno and DK Metcalf should be started in all fantasy lineups against Kansas City, as there should be a lot of throws between the two, regardless of victory or defeat.