Fantasy Football: Should You Draft Or Pass On Tyler Lockett?

Tyler Lockett's fantasy value is rising, but is he worth a high pick?

BILL ENRIGHT: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett had a breakout season in 2019 with career highs in catches and yards, and his first thousand yard season. So where are we drafting him in fantasy for 2020? Let's play draft or pass with Jaime Eisner and Frank Taddeo, our fantasy and gambling insiders here at Sports Illustrated. Jaime, I'll start with you. When it comes to Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks number one wide receiver, are you drafting or are you passing? 

JAIME EISNER: Despite all of the hype you tried to push in there in that intro, Bill, I am passing. Right now his current early adp is end of round three, early round four. Not for me. Look, you mentioned he had a career year last year, he's caught 18 touchdowns over the last two years, and still he has not been a top 20 wide receiver on a fantasy points per game basis in either of the last two seasons. He finished as wide receiver 23 last year after finishing wide receiver 24 the year before. He's a good player, but he's not going to get a high target share. And to me, he's not a guy that I look at as a solid WR2. He's a low end WR2 at best. I'm not taking that guy in the third round.

BILL ENRIGHT: I can't disagree with that more because I think he is a solid WR2. What more do you want than 80 catches, 1000 yards, and 8 to 10 touchdowns from your WR2? I think that is a lock for him this year. Frankie, I'm interested to hear what your take is when it comes to a Lockett. 

FRANKIE TADDEO: Yeah. I think that Jaime's smoking something on this one. I mean, he had over 1000 yards last year. He had 8 touchdowns in a year when they were predicated more upon running the ball as opposed to throwing the ball and putting the ball in the hands of Russell Wilson. And he still was able to put up decent numbers, but he was injured and he wasn't even able to perform in all of the games. So imagine him being fully healthy playing a 16 game season. I think there's a tremendous opportunity for growth in 2020. I think there's a strong chance that he not only finishes as a WR2 on a weekly basis, but there's a chance that both him and Metcalf have WR1 potential on a weekly basis. I think, Jaime, you're completely off base here. Tyler Lockett, he is a guy I would invest in. And I think he's a guy that can totally reward fantasy owners in 2020. It scares me that I tend to agree with Bill and oppose Jaime, but Jaime, listen, I need some of the stuff that you're smoking.

BILL ENRIGHT: Jaime, Tyler Lockett's ADP is of end of the third. Would rather have TY Hilton Deebo Samuel, Calvin Ridley or D.J Chark? 

JAIME EISNER: I might take Ridley in that spot. I don't know if I really want to believe in Chark in that value there, but to me it's just more about who keeps getting pushed up draft boards and I get it. But his best ability has been his availability. He only missed one game in his career. That's great. But wide receiver twenty three, you said all of those nice things and on a per game basis last year he was barely a WR2. They're not going to throw at him any more than they have been. He's not a high target volume guy. They're going to continue to be a run first offense. Like I said, I don't like him. I just don't like him as this upper end WR2 low end WR1 that you guys think that he is.

BILL ENRIGHT: Jaime, Frank, appreciate your analysis, plenty more fantasy football debates just like this one. You can find it all at SI.com/fantasy.

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