Rashid Shaheed puts the ball on the ground twice

It wasn’t a ton of volume, but it was easily Shaheed’s biggest offensive day of the year. He took a pitch for a touchdown for his first score of 2026. He was once again not involved in the passing game, however, and he didn’t do much as a returner again, as well. Shaheed will be back in action — and should not be in lineups — against the 49ers in Week 5.

Once again, Shaheed didn’t make an impact, with his biggest play being a drop that resulted in a first down because of a questionable personal foul after the play. The 28-year-old also hasn’t made an impact on special teams, and while his big-play ability is almost assuredly still there, fantasy managers can’t count on it right now. A chance to get going comes in Week 4 versus the Chargers at home.

The Seahawks tried to get Shaheed involved early on, but he largely made his presence felt on special teams, returning two kicks for 47 yards and three punts for 29 yards. Shaheed was unable to haul in his first target on the Seahawks’ second drive. He got open on a post route from the slot on the ensuing drive, and QB Drew Lock hit him for a 23-yard gain. He caught a four-yard pass in the flats immediately after that. Later, on the sixth drive, Lock fired a pass at Shaheed 34 yards downfield, but the coverage defender grazed the ball, altering the trajectory and leading to an incompletion that went off Shaheed’s fingertips. Shaheed also fumbled the second half’s opening kick return, but Seattle recovered it and advanced the ball 30 yards downfield. Shaheed remains a big-play-dependent FLEX against the Commanders next week.

Shaheed caught multiple passes in 4-of-12 games as a Seahawk last year. He stayed the course in Week 1 with another single-catch outing. Shaheed simply can’t earn targets in an offense that revolves around getting Jaxon Smith-Njigba the ball at all levels. His versatility and elite skills on both punt and kick returns are valuable for the Seahawks in real life, but they don’t put fantasy points on the table. He is not on the FLEX menu headed into Week 2.

Destin echoes what ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler forecasted late in June. It’s nice to know that training camp performances have not altered expectations. Whether Shaheed can be more than a big-play-based FLEX option remains to be seen, but his ADP is hardly prohibitive. Stashing him on benches in Weeks 1-2 while monitoring his usage is a fairly low-risk move, though he is not a priority add.

Frankly, it is tough to trust this statement. The Seahawks kept things quiet almost all offseason about Horton’s season-ending shin injury. They do not have to disclose anything until Week 1 practices begin. Were he to miss time in the regular season, WR Rashid Shaheed might be able to earn an extra target or two, operating as the team’s uncontested field stretcher.

The Seahawks shut Horton down after trading for WR Rashid Shaheed last year, citing a new shin injury. The trade came as a surprise. He and Shaheed possess similar skill sets, and Horton had already set two franchise records, so replacing him in the lineup due to poor play did not add up. Apparently, Horton played through discomfort in his shin for five games until the pain led to imaging, revealing a crack in his shin. Horton attempted to avoid surgery, but it was ultimately deemed necessary in February 2026, delaying his return. Bell adds that the coaching staff is “excited and curious to unleash” Horton and Shaheed in the same formations, “challenging the deep coverage of defenses.” Stressing the defense vertically should open up the short-to-intermediate areas of the field as well. Shaheed will likely be the more reliable boom-bust FLEX and could even ascend to WR3 status, but it is nice to know that the coaching staff still views Horton positively after the surprising in-season trade last year.

Shaheed reportedly had “major” performances throughout spring practices, hitting it off with QB Sam Darnold. Per Fowler, the Seahawks will continue to use WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba on PPR-friendly short and intermediate routes that helped him finish as the overall WR2 in total PPR scoring. But, rather than keeping Shaheed stuck in a field-stretching role, they plan to direct more short-to-intermediate stuff to Shaheed as well. Shaheed still has to go out and score more points this season, but this is the exact type of role change he needs to elevate above a frustratingly volatile fantasy profile.

Good. Many of us expected Shaheed to hit the ground running after the Seahawks traded for him last season, reuniting him with former OC Klint Kubiak. He posted an 18/266/0 receiving line from Weeks 10 through Super Bowl LX, yet the Seahawks re-signed him to a three-year, $51 million contract this offseason. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar said he believes Shaheed’s deal “suggests a demotion” for WR Cooper Kupp. Shaheed possesses big-play ability. Putting him in the WR2 role is logical. It will be interesting to see how the team splits up reps between the two of them in training camp.

Kupp’s 2026 cap hit is $17.4 million, fourth-highest on the team behind Sam Darnold, Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu. The Seahawks can’t clear much of it via a release, but they could trade him and save roughly $9.4 million if they found a taker. That sounds like a lot to ask. With a full season to implement Shaheed into the offense, we may just see Kupp become WR5 background noise for fantasy purposes.