Should I Drop Geno Smith In Week 7? Fantasy Football Outlook

October 19, 2023

Should I drop Geno Smith? Is Geno Smith a safe player to cut? Read Andrew Ball's fantasy football outlook for the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback.

Geno Smith is not the quarterback that fantasy managers were hoping for when they drafted him in 2023. That much we know, at least so far. Last year's QB5 is QB23 this year, based on weekly averages. That's behind names like Desmond Ridder, Joshua Dobbs, and Baker Mayfield, all of whom are rostered in under 30% of Yahoo! leagues.

Smith isn't making the money plays for fantasy football: deep passes, rushing, and touchdowns. His deep ball attempts rank 21st in the league. Last year, that metric was eighth overall. He's scrambling 1.5 fewer times per game than he did in 2022 and Kenneth Walker III is outpacing him in touchdowns, six to five.

Is it time to write off Geno Smith (although we know he won't write back)? Or is there fantasy magic still to be had?

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What Did Geno Smith Do In Week 6? 

The 2013 second-round pick actually had one of his best passing days of the season against Cincinnati, at least in terms of yards. His 323 passing yards was his second-best total through five games. Unfortunately, it came with two interceptions and zero touchdowns.

As mentioned above, the lack of deep passes is one of Smith's biggest issues in 2023. With deep balls come touchdowns. It's not that he can't make those throws anymore. His deep ball completion percentage ranks 10th in the NFL. However, it's difficult to connect with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf when there's not enough time for the routes to develop.

Starting tackles Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross have been out of the lineup more often than they've been in it. Cross returned in Week 5 but the unit was without guard Damien Lewis. With a rotating lineup, Smith's protection rate dropped eight percentage points from 2022. It ranks 30th in the NFL.

Can I Drop Geno Smith in Fantasy Football?

Patience is a virtue.

It's fair to say that Smith has dropped a tier, from a starting fantasy quarterback to a streaming candidate. It just so happens that he's a bonafide streaming option this week. The Arizona Cardinals surrender the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Sam Howell, Daniel Jones, Brock Purdy, and Joe Burrow all had at least two touchdowns against Big Red.

Give Geno Smith one more shot in your fantasy lineup this weekend. Whether he has another down game or not, scour the waiver wire for another streaming option. Seattle welcomes the best defense in football, the Cleveland Browns, to town in Week 8.

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