Russell Wilson

Week 2 vs. Houston Texans
It was an uneven start to the season for the Broncos offense in Week 1 as they moved the ball consistently but botched multiple goal line possessions and only scored 16 points in an upset loss to the Seahawks. Russell Wilson himself had a solid game with 340 passing yards and a long touchdown to Jerry Jeudy on 42 attempts. There is no way the Broncos' RBs fumble away most of their red zone possessions in Week 2, meaning the offense should experience some positive regression in the scoring department and a matchup against Houston's weak defense is the perfect opportunity for Russ to take advantage. It should be noted that Wilson only rushed one time for two yards, another sign that his days of rushing production could be over. That being said, things went about as poorly as they could for the Broncos in Week 1, but fantasy managers starting Wilson can expect a better fantasy output in Week 2 as the Broncos return home looking for a rebound. Wilson is again a QB1 heading into Week 2.

2022 Fantasy Upside
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about Russell Wilson's move to Denver after a decade under center in Seattle. For starters, Wilson is finally freed from the conservative clutches of Pete Carroll and his "run-at-all-costs" offensive mentality. Nathaniel Hackett will pair with Wilson after three seasons coordinating high-powered offenses for Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. It's difficult to envision the coaching change doing anything but bolstering Wilson's passing volume as Carroll regularly insisted on deploying one of the most run-heavy offenses in the league unless backed into a corner (the Seahawks have called a run on 52.5% of snaps the last three seasons, the fourth highest rate in the league). A second reason to be excited is Wilson's plethora of weapons in Denver. Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick constitute a formidable receiving core, Albert Okwuegbunam is an exciting prospect at tight end, and second-year running back Javonte Williams has shown serious chops as a pass catcher working alongside Melvin Gordon in the backfield. It's true Wilson is coming off the worst season of his career, but he was limited by a serious finger injury suffered in Week 5 which cost him multiple games and affected his throws in several others. Wilson doesn't run as much as he used to, but he still boasts one of the best deep balls in the NFL and had been a QB1 in fantasy his entire career before last season. If anything, the offseason trade only increases Wilson's odds of remaining a useful QB1 in fantasy for several more seasons. Wilson's pedigree and surrounding circumstances make him a solid low-end QB1 at worst and worthy of drafting after the elite dual-threat options are off the board.

2022 Fantasy Downside
As alluded to above, Wilson has had some concerning stretches over the last two seasons. The Seahawks offense fell apart in the latter half of 2020 after starting red hot, and Wilson ended up throwing a career-high 13 interceptions and logged the second-lowest yards-per-attempt of his career (7.5 YPA). Last season, Wilson broke his finger in Week 5 and missed three games, only to return in Week 10 and post multiple subpar performances, leading to claims he had rushed back too soon or was beginning to decline. Wilson managed some strong performances down the stretch against a weak schedule, but it is about time to start wondering if we have already seen the best from Wilson at this point in his career. The durability and efficiency concerns that have sprung up over the last two seasons cannot be ignored entirely, especially when coupled with the fact that Wilson's rushing contributions will only decrease with age. While Wilson should still have some strong seasons left in him, we have almost certainly already entered the latter stages of his career.

2022 Bottom Line
Wilson should be a viable QB1 yet again in 2022. While age and durability may be questioned more than ever when it comes to Wilson, he still has the ability to light up a defense down the field and collect a few rushing touchdowns to bolster his fantasy profile. Wilson is not an elite option, but he is more than capable of leading a fantasy team to a title in the right situation.

Week 16 vs Bears

Russell Wilson was shut out from the end zone last week against the Rams for the third time since returning from injury. The loss effectively ended the Seahawks season at 5-9. At least they have a chance to bounce back this week and gain some pride. The Bears are a mess and are actually ranked 28th against opposing fantasy quarterbacks. Wilson may have some streaming value this week. (It is so weird writing Russell Wilson and streaming value in the same sentence, but here we are.)