Fantasy Football Sleeper: Seattle Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin
This one is a very deep sleeper: low risk with possible high rewards. It an average league of 12 teams and a 16 round draft, it is not unusual for Baldwin to go entirely undrafted, although someone may pick him up in rounds 12 – 16. That someone should be you.
In his 3 years playing for the Seahawks, Baldwin has been reliable but not exciting, never recording more than 800 yards or 5 touchdowns in a single season. In the 2013 regular season the electric Percy Harvin was out most games but even still Baldwin played second-fiddle to Golden Tate and failed to register any 100-yard games, his best performances in Week 7 versus Tampa Bay (6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 touchdown) and Week 15 against the New York Giants (6 receptions, 71 yards, 1 touchdowns). Those were solid performances, but as far as absolute best over a season goes, it’s a low ceiling. So why should you take him?
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and Baldwin developed some chemistry when it mattered most, late in the playoffs. In the NFC Championship game Baldwin was crucial to the Seahawks’ victory with 6 receptions for 106 yards. In the Super Bowl, Baldwin also proved valuable with 5 receptions for 66 yards and touchdown. This could indicate that Baldwin is due for bigger numbers in 2014.
In 2014, the WR situation looks much different for Seattle than it did in 2013. Golden Tate is now in Detroit. Percy Harvin is healthy (for now). Behind Harvin, Baldwin is the Seahawks’ next most dangerous receiving threat.
It is true that in the last draft Seattle invested two picks in WRs, a 2nd-rounder in Paul Richardson and a 4th-rounder in Kevin Norwood, but it should take a year or two of development before these rookies produce fantasy-relevant numbers.
If Harvin misses time from injury, which seems almost a certainty given his history, Baldwin would suddenly become Seattle’s No. 1 receiver. Couple that fact with the chemistry Baldwin found with Wilson late last year, and you get a player well-worth a late round flyer.
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