By The Hudsonian, Joshua Hudson
Transaction: The Seattle Seahawks sign TE Ed Dickson to a 3-year deal
2018 Fantasy Outlook: In eight years playing in the NFL, Ed Dickson has only produced more than 400 receiving yards twice. Fortunately for him, one of them occurred this past season, just in time to secure a new contract. The NFL really is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of league. Dickson was able to secure a new three-year deal worth up to $14 million from Seattle. The Seahawks clearly had no intention of paying the recently departed Jimmy Graham upwards of $10 million per year so Dickson becomes their consolation prize.
You should already be aware of what Graham was able to do during his time in Seattle. Dickson has never been a standout fantasy option, though he did have a few nice games last year filling in for the injured Greg Olsen. Dickson has mainly been used as an inline blocker with enough athleticism to be an option in the passing game. I can’t imagine the Seahawks got even an attempted block out of Graham so this signing is already a win for them considering how inept their offensive line has been in recent seasons. The Seahawks rarely used TEs as a main cog in their offense before Graham arrived, and I imagine they’ll return to that thinking with Dickson in the fold. He’ll serve as more of a sixth offensive linemen on most downs.
That being said, this is hardly a signing fantasy owners need to be excited about. Dickson likely won’t surpass 300 receiving yards or 3 TDs, which barely puts him in the 20s, not even a backup tight end option. Seriously, if you’re debating on drafting Dickson, you’re either in a 16-team league or you’re a homer for former Oregon Ducks that have now entered the NFL. Neither of those options are particularly glowing.