Who Should I Start? Josh Downs or Rashid Shaheed

Friday, May 29, 6:03 AM

Following a mid-season trade from the Saints, Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed saw most of his impact in Seattle come on explosive special teams plays, while he was limited to only 15 receptions for 188 yards in his first nine games with the team. Prior to the trade, Shaheed's 17-game pace with New Orleans was for 943 yards on 83 catches, and in signing him to a three-year, $51 million deal this offseason, the belief in Seattle appears to be that he can return to similar form with a full year in the system. The Seahawks had two or fewer receivers on the field at one of the league's highest rates in 2025, so the spot opposite Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba can be incredibly fruitful for fantasy. Shaheed's primary competition for the job is a soon-to-be-33-year-old Cooper Kupp and 2025 fifth-round pick Tory Horton, who showed promise as a rookie but saw his season ended by a lingering shin injury after only eight games. Shaheed is RotoBaller's dynasty WR83, but with long-term security within one of the league's most well-run organizations and a high-value fantasy role seemingly his to win, he could be viewed as one of the most underpriced buy candidates heading into 2026.