Big Fantasy Football Questions - T.J. Houshmandzadeh

My first edition of Skeller's Big Fantasy Football Questions was a big hit, especially with angry Chiefs fans who were very unhappy at even the hint of criticism about Matt Cassel.  Boy, it's going to be a long summer.

There was another blockbuster NFL free agent move in the past few weeks that I hadn't mentioned, so now it's time to annoy another team's fans. 

Skeller's Big Fantasy Football Questions

QUESTION #2: Can T.J. Houshmandzadeh's rejuvenate the horrible Seattle offense?

Players Heavily Affected:  QB Matt Hasselbeck, RB Julius Jones, RB Maurice Morris, WR Deion Branch, WR Koren Robinson, WR Michael Crabtree, TE John Carlson

TJ Houshmandzadeh was the premier free agent WR available this year, and the Seahawks got him on a $5 year, $40 million contract.  That's a lot of money, but considering the Seahawks played the entire 2008 season without any wide receivers, it was probably a smart move.  

OK, you think I'm being facetious with that comment, right?  The Seahawks top three wide receivers last year (Bobby Engram, Koren Robinson and Deion Branch) combined had fewer receptions than Wes Welker.   That's bad news.  The team's leading receiver was rookie TE John Carlson with 55 catches for 627 yards and 5 TDs.  Great numbers for a rookie tight end.  Terrible numbers for your leading receiver.

Housh (I'm just going with that from now on) instantly becomes the WR1 that QB Matt Hasselbeck never had last year.  The problem is that Housh has never BEEN a WR1.  He's always had Chad Johnson playing across from him, ensuring that the opposing defenses couldn't focus solely on him.   He will need -- not just want, but need -- Deion Branch to step up in a way he hasn't done in his career so far.   If he doesn't, defenses will blanket Housh every single game and he'll be the biggest Seahawk bust since..um..Deion Branch.

Notice that I listed still-to-be-drafted college WR Michael Crabtree as a player impacted by this signing.  Several mock drafts had the Seahawks taking Crabtree with the #4 overall pick, but that was before the signing.  Will Seattle consider him at #4 anyway?  A combination of Housh and Crabtree could be enough to vault the Seahawks from NFC Joke to NFC Wild Card in a single season, Falcons-style.   It would be a bold, high-risk, high-reward move.

I have no idea if the Seahawks will do it.  The draft will go a long way towards answering this Big Fantasy Football Question.

Image via nfl.com