Fantasy Football: Why you shouldn’t draft DK Metcalf over Tyler Lockett
By Ben Grivas
The Myth
DK Metcalf will supplant Tyler Lockett as the WR1 for the Seahawks because he’s the better prospect.
I will concede that DK Metcalf has more potential than Tyler Lockett. He’s a giant man that looks like Julio Jones or Calvin Johnson and he’s started his development off well. He would be the best receiver on many other teams in the NFL. However, he’s won’t be the alpha dog just yet due to Lockett’s beyond-impressive connection with Russell Wilson.
Tyler Lockett had the 2nd highest catch rate amongst qualifying wide receivers last year with 74.5%, only bested by Michael Thomas. Third was Chris Godwin, with 71.1%. In 2018, Lockett had a 81.4% catch rate, again only second to Michael Thomas. The next highest receiver with at least 70 targets was Danny Amendola with 74.7%. Do you think that the Seahawks are going to give up on a connection between quarterback and wide receiver that is only rivaled by Drew Brees and Michael Thomas’ telepathic connection?
These numbers shouldn’t be criticized for being in a low-volume passing offense. Lockett may only have had 181 targets in the past two years, but he’s caught 18 touchdowns and averaged 14.5 yards per reception. He’s arguably the most efficient receiver in the league, and the fantasy numbers prove it, finishing as the WR16 in 2018 and the WR13 in 2019 despite averaging just 90.5 targets those years.