Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
4. What’s the deal with Jimmy Graham? Why did the Seahawks trade for him if they’re not going to throw him the ball? Is Sunday his breakout game in a Seahawks uniform? What’s your fearless fantasy prediction for Jimmy Graham?
The lack of productivity by Graham is an overplayed story so far. Graham averaged 7.8 targets and 4.9 receptions in 2014 with the pass-happy Saints. He had 8 targets and 6 catches in Week 1 with the run-heavy Seahawks.
Week 2 was a completely different outcome for him though. The reason for Graham only getting 2 targets against Green Bay was the topic for my tape study this week. Turns out it was a combination of the Packers double-teaming Graham and Russell Wilson just making some questionable choices with the football.
I do think that this is the game where we see a breakout performance from Graham. We should see Wilson look his way without double-digit targets. 8 catches for 80 yards and TD wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
5. Who’s one under the radar player that the Bears should be on the lookout for on Sunday? Who’s going to surprise Bears fans?
Part of returning most of your starters on a team that’s been to back-to-back Super Bowls is that there are very few “under the radar” players in Seattle. Even the two rookies who play a lot: WR/KR Tyler Lockett and DE/DT Frank Clark have gotten a lot of national attention.
One player that comes to mind is reserve NT Jordan Hill. Hill replaces Brandon Mebane in the nickel, and is excellent at collapsing the pocket from the inside. His presence on passing downs prevents teams from being able to double team Michael Bennett when he moves inside.
Will he surprise? Probably not. Though he’ll likely be in Clausen’s face a lot, Hill’s impact doesn’t typically show up on the stat sheet. He makes things easier for Bennett and Cliff Avril, which makes him a valuable role player for the Seahawks.
Many thanks to Keith for his answers to give us a Seahawks’ view of Sunday’s matchup.
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