Percy Harvin, Seattle Seahawk.

Why doesn't that sound as strange to me as I think it should?

The Minnesota Vikings have traded the talented, but troubled WR to the Seahawks in exchange for Seattle's 1st and 7th round picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, plus an undisclosed middle round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. That's a pretty good score for a player who, while possessing a wealth of talent, has yet to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards or 6 receiving TD's in 4 NFL seasons. He probably would have reached the yardage milestone though in 2012 if his season hadn't been cut short by an ankle injury.

I'm not saying that Harvin doesn't have the potential to become a top level WR in terms of production, but his lack of maturity and list of off-field issues have detracted him from fulfilling the promise of his talent. Of course, it didn't help that for the last 2 seasons Harvin's been plagued by poor play from the Vikings QB's. Weak-armed Christian Ponder, aged Donovan McNabb, and erratic Joe Webb hardly brought out the best in what we could have seen from Harvin.

But that is now history and only time will tell if the Vikings got more than they should for Harvin, or, as many think, got less than what Harvin is worth.

So what can we expect in Seattle from Percy Harvin?

First, he goes to one of the few teams that possess a rushing attack to rival that of the Vikings. Marshawn Lynch has been outstanding the last two seasons and the addition of Robert Turbin last year just made them deeper at the RB position. Lynch and Turbin will keep opponents honest defending the run.

Second, he gets a young QB in Russell Wilson who just tied the rookie record in passing touchdown passes with 26 in 2012. Wilson started the season slowly as a passer, but progressively got better as the year went on. He possibly could have done much better if not for a WR corps that was mediocre at best and in desperate need of a quality talent. That's what Harvin will bring to Wilson.

Third, he gets a head coach who seems to excel at taking on players who present a challenge. Pete Carroll doesn't discourage his players from having their own personalities. He seems to even somehow create an atmosphere of "team" while also encouraging individual attitude within players. On the surface, this appears to be a way of reaching players like Harvin and getting them to step up their play. Another thing with Carroll: he doesn't seem to care how he lists players on injury reports. Guys can not practice at all, be listed as doubtful, and still end up playing on game days. That should definitely appeal to Harvin as he appears to come up with various injuries/illnesses during the NFL's regular season that prevent him from practicing.

Now for what's important for fantasy football owners: will Percy Harvin step up his production in 2013 now that he is in Seattle?

I say "YES". In my early 2013 fantasy football top 10 WR rankings, Harvin checked in at #10 despite the uncertainty of his situation. Now that I know where he will be playing in 2013 I see no reason to move him out of that spot.

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Posted by Russ Bliss on March 11, 2013 2:57:00 PM MST #