From a fantasy football standpoint, the 2011 Seahawks were sort of a mess.

Outside of Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks team was pretty much irrelevant. The highest point scorer at receiver on the team, Doug Baldwin, didn’t even reach 100 fantasy points. That was good for 40th best among receivers.

Entering 2012, the NFC West team looks like it’s going to have another mediocre fantasy season. They signed quarterback Matt Flynn and are now in the midst of a quarterback competition, but will it even really matter for us as fantasy football owners?

The player on the Seahakws to watch is…

Robert Turbin. It’s been reported that he’s been the best rookie in the Seahawk’s camp (that includes Russell Wilson), and running back Marshawn Lynch has been under major scrutiny after another run-in with the police. The pick here is more of a “what if Marshawn Lynch gets suspended?” or “What if Marshawn Lynch gets another DUI?” kind of selection. If anything does happen to Marshawn, Turbin is the guy (as long as they don’t sign anyone in free agency).

A player I’m not touching is…

Marshawn Lynch. It’s partially because of what he does off the field, but I also don’t like what he’s done throughout his career.

He’s like sesame chicken at a Chinese restaurant. Sometimes he’s unbelievable, surpassing all expectations. But other times…he tastes like roadkill with a little sweetener.

There was a big gap in his career from a production standpoint. After his first two seasons in the NFL, Lynch was really a mediocre running back. It wasn’t until Week 8 or 9 last year when he really turned his game up, allowing him to sign a new contract with Seattle.

But my hesitation, from strictly a football standpoint, is the consistency factor. At least we know the kind of production we can get with injury prone guys like Darren McFadden. But Lynch had a significant part of his career while averaging under 4 yards per carry.

Many people forget that he was a huge talent coming out of school. In fact, his ADP in a lot of leagues was higher than fellow rookie Adrian Peterson in 2007. But he hasn’t been consistent enough, in my opinion, to be worthy of a first round draft choice. There’s too much “stuff” off the field going on, too.

The guy not enough people are talking about is…

Sidney Rice. It’s not as though I’m necessarily going to draft him, as he has plenty of injury issues, but the 10th or 11th round for this guy is a potential steal.

There’s two reasons for this. First, the quarterback competition in Seattle, in my opinion, will make the resulting starter more effective. I also expect that player to be Matt Flynn, who has potential.

Second, Rice was unbelievable during his last full season played in the NFL. In 2009, he had 83 receptions for 1,312 yards and 8 touchdowns. I understand that was with Brett Favre, but Rice has some talent.

See how he does in the pre-season (as long as he plays), andthink about taking a shot with Rice at the end of the draft. He has upside, but is a crazy big health risk.

The one word to describe the 2012 Seahawks is…

Mediocre. From both a real and fake football perspective, I can’t expect a whole lot from this team.

Marshawn Lynch, the go-to stud on the team, is a gamble in the first round. You’re not only taking on his off the field issues, but his inconsistency on the field. Remember, he was really only an every week starter during the second half of 2011.

Aside from Lynch, not many Seahawks stand out. Rookie Robert Turbin could get some playing time if Lynch ends up getting suspended, and once stud wide receiver Sidney Rice could be a steal if he’s healthy. I’m probably still not banking on that, though.

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