The Seattle Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl LX champions. Let that sink in. Sam Darnold — the same Sam Darnold who got “Darnold’d” out of New York and Carolina — lifted the Lombardi Trophy in February 2026. Jaxon Smith-Njigba won AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Kenneth Walker III was the Super Bowl MVP. And Mike Macdonald, entering just his third season as head coach, has built the most complete roster in the NFC. For fantasy managers, Seattle presents one elite lock, two high-upside weapons, and a quarterback situation that is genuinely confusing to evaluate. Here is everything you need to know before your draft.
Mike Macdonald, Year Three: Defending Champions, New OC
Mike Macdonald enters his third season as Seahawks head coach with a new offensive coordinator. Klint Kubiak left after the Super Bowl LX championship season to become the Raiders’ head coach, and Seattle hired former 49ers run-game coordinator and tight ends coach Brian Fleury as his replacement. Fleury is a first-time NFL play-caller, but his Shanahan-tree background gives the Seahawks a foundation for continuing many of the motion, play-action, and misdirection principles that helped fuel their 2025 offense.
Seattle’s backfield has changed substantially. Kenneth Walker III won Super Bowl LX MVP with the Seahawks before signing a three-year, $45 million contract with Kansas City. First-round rookie Jadarian Price is positioned to lead the backfield early in 2026 while Zach Charbonnet recovers from a torn ACL suffered during the playoff run.
Devon Witherspoon is no longer in extension talks; Seattle signed him to a four-year, $132 million deal. The Seahawks play home games at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
Fantasy football implications: Smith-Njigba remains the elite Seattle skill player, while Price has the strongest early-season breakout path because of Charbonnet’s recovery timeline. Shaheed is a volatile deep-threat option, and Kupp’s role requires monitoring because Seattle’s receiver room is crowded. Seattle can remain a productive offense, but Fleury’s first season calling plays introduces more uncertainty than the 2025 system had under Kubiak
Sam Darnold: Super Bowl Champion, Fantasy QB24
Sam Darnold enters 2026 as the defending Super Bowl champion quarterback, but his fantasy profile remains more modest than his real-life success. Across the last two seasons, he ranks third in yards per attempt at 8.2 and fourth in success rate at 52%. In 2025, he averaged QB24-level fantasy scoring on a per-game basis because Seattle ran at the league’s third-highest rate and Darnold contributed little on the ground. 2177
Darnold threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025, but he also had 14 interceptions and six lost fumbles. His efficiency is real, but he should not be described as a low-mistake quarterback until he reduces that turnover total.
Fantasy verdict: Darnold is a late-round QB2 and matchup-based streaming option in standard one-quarterback leagues. His QB20–QB24 ADP is reasonable because of his limited rushing production and the uncertainty of a first-time offensive coordinator. He has more value in superflex and two-QB formats, where a stable NFL starter with 4,000-yard passing potential is a useful roster asset.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: The Safest WR1 in Fantasy Football
Jaxon Smith-Njigba enters 2026 after one of the best receiving seasons in Seahawks history. He won AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year after catching 119 passes for a league-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 21.2 PPR points per game ranked second among wide receivers, while his 33.9% target share led the NFL. 2181
Smith-Njigba remains Seattle’s clear No. 1 receiver despite the change from Klint Kubiak to first-time offensive coordinator Brian Fleury. His 2025 73.0% catch rate and 3.61 yards per route run demonstrate exceptional efficiency, although his historic target share is likely to regress somewhat as Seattle uses Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp alongside him
Fantasy verdict: JSN is a high-end WR1 and a first-round pick, with consensus ADP around WR3 and eighth overall. He has overall WR1 upside, but a new play-caller, Sam Darnold’s limited rushing and passing-volume profile, and likely target-share regression make “safest receiver in the draft” too absolute.
Jadarian Price: The Most Intriguing Rookie RB in Fantasy
Jadarian Price is an intriguing rookie running back after Seattle selected the Notre Dame product 32nd overall, the final pick of the first round. Price was commonly projected as a late-first- or second-round prospect, so Seattle’s decision reflected its need to replace Kenneth Walker III after his departure for Kansas City. 2196
The 5-foot-11, roughly 203-to-209-pound Price projects to lead Seattle’s backfield early in 2026 because Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a torn ACL. George Holani and Emanuel Wilson are the leading healthy depth options, while Charbonnet could eventually re-enter the committee if cleared.
Fantasy verdict: Price is a Round 6 RB2 with upside, not a Round 3–4 pick. He has a plausible path to 200-plus carries and early-down scoring opportunities, but his college receiving production was limited and projections are closer to 26 catches than 40–50. Draft him for early-season workload upside while recognizing that Charbonnet’s eventual return could reduce his role.
Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed: The Supporting Cast
Cooper Kupp enters his second Seahawks season at age 33 after posting 47 receptions for 593 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games in 2025. He remains a reliable short-area receiver, but his 16% target share and limited fantasy production show that he is no longer the focal point of an offense. 2210
Kupp’s realistic fantasy range is a late-round depth receiver, not a Round 7–8 WR3. ESPN projects 472 yards and three touchdowns, while current rankings place him around WR67–WR76. He is best drafted only as a low-cost bench option in deeper leagues. 2216
Rashid Shaheed re-signed with Seattle on a three-year, $51 million deal after arriving from New Orleans at the 2025 trade deadline. He is Seattle’s leading deep-threat candidate and a potential breakout player, but his late-2025 Seattle sample was limited to 15 catches for 188 yards in nine games.
Fantasy verdict: Shaheed is the more appealing late-round Seattle receiver behind JSN. He carries volatile WR3 upside if he earns a full-time role, while Kupp is a deeper-league bench selection and Barner is a two-tight-end or late-round streaming dart.
2026 Seattle Seahawks Schedule
The Seahawks open with a franchise-record six primetime games — the most in team history. The season opens on Wednesday, September 9 — the earliest regular-season game in NFL history — against the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl LX rematch. The bye falls in Week 11. Seattle hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day at Lumen Field in Week 16.
| Week | Opponent | Location | Day/Time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New England Patriots | Home | Wed 5:20 PM PT | NBC |
| 2 | Arizona Cardinals | Away | Sun 1:25 PM PT | — |
| 3 | Washington Commanders | Away | Sun 10:00 AM PT | — |
| 4 | Los Angeles Chargers | Home | Sun 1:25 PM PT | — |
| 5 | San Francisco 49ers | Home | Sun 1:25 PM PT | — |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | Away | Thu 5:15 PM PT | Prime |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | Home | Sun 5:20 PM PT | NBC |
| 8 | Chicago Bears | Home | Mon 5:15 PM PT | ESPN |
| 9 | Arizona Cardinals | Home | Sun 1:25 PM PT | — |
| 10 | Las Vegas Raiders | Away | Sun 1:05 PM PT | — |
| 11 | BYE WEEK | — | — | — |
| 12 | San Francisco 49ers | Away | Sun 1:25 PM PT | — |
| 13 | Dallas Cowboys | Home | Mon 5:15 PM PT | ESPN |
| 14 | New York Giants | Home | Sun 1:25 PM PT | — |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | Away | Sat 2:00 PM PT | FOX |
| 16 | Los Angeles Rams | Home | 🎄 Fri 5:15 PM PT | FOX |
| 17 | Carolina Panthers | Away | Sun 10:00 AM PT | — |
| 18 | Los Angeles Rams | Away | TBD | — |
Fantasy note: The Week 11 bye is perfectly placed before the fantasy playoff push. The Wednesday night Super Bowl rematch opener is the most anticipated game of Week 1 on the entire NFL calendar. Four consecutive primetime games in Weeks 6-7-8 and Week 13 represent the most nationally-featured stretch of any team in the NFC. The Christmas Day game at Lumen Field against the Rams in Week 16 falls directly in most fantasy championship weeks — JSN and Price are in play for titles. Seattle closes with three NFC West opponents in Weeks 14-18.
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FAQ
Who is the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator in 2026?
Brian Fleury, hired from the San Francisco 49ers offensive staff after Klint Kubiak left to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. Fleury inherits the same weapons and quarterback that won Super Bowl LX.
Is Jaxon Smith-Njigba worth a first-round fantasy pick in 2026?
Yes—draft JSN in Round 1 as a high-end WR1 with overall WR1 upside. His new coordinator and the difficulty of repeating a 34% target share add enough risk to prevent treating him as an automatic top-five overall player in every scoring format.
Is Sam Darnold a good fantasy quarterback in 2026?
Darnold is a late-round QB2 and matchup-based streamer in standard one-QB leagues. He is more valuable in superflex and two-QB formats because he remains Seattle’s established starter and has 4,000-yard passing upside.
Is Jadarian Price worth drafting as a rookie running back?
Draft Price as a Round 6 RB2 with upside. He could lead Seattle’s backfield early, but Charbonnet’s eventual return and Price’s unproven receiving volume make a 300-touch projection too aggressive.
Does Seattle play on Christmas in 2026?
Yes — the Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) at Lumen Field on FOX in Week 16.
What is the Seattle Seahawks’ bye week in 2026?
Week 11 — perfectly placed before the fantasy playoff stretch.
What stadium do the Seahawks play in?
Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
How long has Commish Kit been making fantasy football draft boards?
Since 2002 — Commish Kit started in Daly City, California, and moved to Austin, Texas in 2012, making 2026 its 24th season in business.
