WR Percy Harvin, Seattle Seahawks

HT: 5-11, WT: 192, Born: 5-28-1988, College: Florida, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 22

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 11th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: M Jones-Drew (24), D Murray (25), Percy Harvin (26), R White (27), L Fitzgerald (28)
Position: J Jones (18-WR5), D Thomas (22-WR6), Percy Harvin (26 - WR7), R White (27-WR8), L Fitzgerald (28-WR9)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

PPR Average draft position

Current as of June 11th. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: M Jones-Drew (21), A Rodgers (22), Percy Harvin (23), A Johnson (24), R Bush (25)
Position: J Jones (17-WR5), D Thomas (18-WR6), Percy Harvin (23 - WR7), A Johnson (24-WR8), L Fitzgerald (27-WR9)
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Outlook

Percy Harvin was the first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings just four years ago, and has already become one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league. He is a versatile offensive threat: he will line up out wide, in the slot, or even in the backfield; and while he can go deep, he especially excels on bubble screens, or even as a runner (on reverses or on direct hand-offs from the quarterback). In short, the Vikings sought to get him the ball in the open field as many different ways as they could think off, and the Seahawks will likely do the same. The only real cause for concern is that Harvin is an above-average risk to miss time. He struggled with migranes early in his career, missing many practices because of it, and suffered an ankle injury last season that landed him on Injured Reserve (and was reported to be slower in healing than was initiall expected). Moreover, Harvin has a volatile personality: he is intense in his desire to win, but doesn't always keep his temper in check, even when interacting with his coaches. All told, Harvin is a riskier pick than most other recievers who will be considered in the early rounds of fantasy drafts, but even in light of that risk, his tremendous upside potential makes him a legitimate fantasy WR1.

Latest News

Seahawks | Percy Harvin moving around (Tue Jun 11, 08:38 AM) - Seattle Seahawks WR Percy Harvin has seen time in the slot and on the outside during practice. He has also seen time at running back and kick returner.

Our View: Harvin was in the backfield on days Marshawn Lynch missed practice, but this is still a sign that he's going to be moved around quite a bit in 2013. We like Harvin as a top 10 fantasy WR this year provided he can stay healthy. His current ADP is WR7 and he's coming off the board at 3.04 in 12 team PPR leagues.
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Seahawks | Want to get Tate the ball more? (Sun Jun 9, 07:43 PM) - Seattle Seahawks WR Golden Tate may be in for a bigger role this season. Head coach Pete Carroll recently commented on Tate. "Golden is really ready to be a terrific football player. We love what he does, and we just have to get him the ball more and spread it around to him." Carrol said.

Our View: Interesting note for fantasy owners here. With the addition of Percy Harvin we should see more coverage roll away from Tate. He's entering the final year of his contract and may not have peaked at the pro level. Tate's current ADP is WR68 and he's coming off the board in the middle of round 14 in most 12 team leagues.
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Seahawks | Percy Harvin in good shape (Fri Jun 7, 09:46 PM) - Updating a previous report, Seattle Seahawks WR Percy Harvin (hip) sat out organized team activities (OTAs) this week due to what head coach Pete Carroll said was 'a little bit of a hip flexor' issue that has been bothering the receiver. However, Carroll doesn't seem concerned, and said Harvin's fitness was good. 'We're trying to get him back next week, so we rested him a couple days. He's done tons of work and looks great. We have no question what he can do and where he's fitting and he understands the offense,' Carroll said.

Our View: Harvin is going to be the key piece for the team's passing game in 2013. They should feature him on short routes to allow his run after the catch ability to make plays. Harvin is no doubt a WR1 for fantasy owners but his durability history is a concern. His current ADP is WR7 and he's coming off the board early in the third-round of 12 team fantasy drafts.
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Seahawks | Percy Harvin sits out (Wed Jun 5, 05:06 PM) - Seattle Seahawks WR Percy Harvin (hip) did not participate in practice Wednesday, June 5, because of a sore hip flexor.

Our View: The Seahawks are going to be careful with their superstar WR. If healthy Harvin can be a top 10 fantasy WR in 2013 and is an every week starter. His current ADP is WR7 and he's coming off the board at 3.04 in non-PPR leagues. Bump those numbers up a bit if you play in a PPR league.
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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Harvin wanted to be involved, so the Vikings involved him. As per usual, he hauled in most of his targets an consistently hurt the Jaguars with added yards after the catch. He couldn’t break away from tacklers to get a long touchdown though and was kept out of the end zone. While there were other players for Christian Ponder to throw to, nobody pulled any coverage off Harvin and that limited his overall effectiveness.

Week 2 - Harvin wanted more involvement in the offense and as of right now, he has it. He caught 12 of his 13 targets and was very effective running after he had the ball in his hands. While he didn’t get into the end zone, Harvin continually made big plays to keep the chains moving and the Indianapolis defenders were unable to shut him down for most of the game, save on the last two plays when the Vikings were desperate to move down the field and it was obvious Harvin was their big target for it.

Week 3 - he Vikings lined Harvin up in numerous positions to get him the ball in space, throwing end-around swing passes, handing him the ball in the backfield, setting up wide receiver screens, anything to get their most potent receiver involved. Harvin ended the day with 9 receptions on 11 targets for 89 yards, as well as a run for 9 yards in which the receiver burst through a well blocked hole. On his longest catch of the day for 24 yards, Harvin eluded Carlos Rogers after the catch and would have been in a foot race to the end zone had he not stepped out of bounds. His readjustments to coverage were also impressive, as he often found the soft spot of the zone or was able to find space when Ponder scrambled.

Week 4 - It is very hard to top opening with a 105 yard franchise record kickoff return touchdown and he never really did. The Lions defense was not fantastic, but Christian Ponder and the offense was happy to take what they were given and run Adrian Peterson the rest of the time. Still, as with the return (which exploited a hole in the Lions’ special teams coverage exploited by the Titans in week three), Harvin repeatedly showed his dangerous ability after the catch, often dancing for an extra yard or two before the defense brought him down. The Lions were so gun-shy, they stopped giving him any cushion at all and started hitting him as soon as he caught the ball. Harvin also did a great job of delivering hits on would-be tacklers, contributing to the overall exhaustion which permeated the defense by the third quarter.

Week 5 - Harvin had a sensational game against the over-matched Titans defense. His quickness off the line and speed in the open field posed all kinds of problems for the Titans, who were unable to slow him down despite playing both zone and double-coverage man on the speedy receiver. He finished the day catching 8 of his 10 targets for a game high 108 yards. Harvin is used all over the field and primarily runs go-routes, curls, and drag routes across the middle of the field. Harvin's best play came on a touchdown rush in the first quarter. On the play, Harvin was lined up left of the quarterback in a shotgun formation. He took the handoff and ran right, darting between the tackle and the guard untouched for the score. Harvin also added a ten yard touchdown reception in the third quarter to put the Vikings ahead 23-0.

Week 6 - Harvin had a nasty fumble/bobble in the first quarter which luckily bounced back into his hands, but the play resulted in no gain. Aside from that, Harvin was once again the focal point of this passing offense, though the Vikings also went out of their way to get him the ball any way possible (which is how the fumble resulted for him on a run play). He returned kicks, including a beauty of a return for 39 yards (45 if you count the fact he caught the ball six yards into the end zone. Harvin left the end zone and cut right, then hit the afterburners leaving multiple tacklers on the grass. He made it to the 39 yard line before being taken down. Harvin was targeted early and often and he often showed his speed and agility on every catch. Harvin is more than just wheels and moves though—he can make tough catches. In the fourth quarter when the Vikings were trying to get back into the game, Harvin ran a deep route down the middle. Ponder delivered a sharp pass which Harvin caught—and held onto despite being hit low and hard. Harvin was one of the few Vikings players—Adrian Peterson being the other notable offensive player—to bring the same physicality to this game as the whole team had previously, something which really seemed to hurt the Vikings in the game.

Week 7 - Harvin began the game with a kick return for a touchdown that was negated because of a block in the back. Arizona did their best to avoid kicking to Harvin after that. He showed great patience during his carries out of the shotgun, following blockers and hitting the hole when it appeared. His largest contribution came in the red zone however, with a clever play call that identified Patrick Peterson in single coverage and sent Harvin underneath the offensive line. This gave Harvin the separation he needed to catch a ball in space and sprint towards the end zone, cutting past one defender and diving in for the score. The rest of the game, Harvin was tightly covered by Peterson and wasn’t able to get much separation. On a few specific plays, such as a play action roll out or a well-executed crossing route, Harvin was able to get enough space to catch the ball and do his best to gain extra yardage, but those plays were few and far between. The excellent coverage and non-stop quarterback pressure cut short a lot of opportunities Harvin and Ponder had to connect.

Week 8 - Tampa Bay had Harvin’s number most of the game. His typical use in the short passing game was not as effective as in earlier games this season. Harvin did make plays down the field in 1-on-1 coverage. He adjusted well to a deep pass for a red zone touchdown. It was a display of his great ball-tracking skills. On another occasion, Harvin had a potential long completion taken away from him by a defensive back. It was an on-target throw by Ponder on third-and-long, where the defender ripped the ball away as both players were going out of bounds. Luckily for Harvin, it was ruled that neither player had possession in-bounds on the play. It was a rare play where Harvin did not show the willingness to win the ball in the air a la Steve Smith. As the game progressed and Minnesota trailed in the second half, Harvin’s involvement dwindled to a few short targets that Tampa Bay contained to ten yards or less. Harvin is Minnesota’s biggest advantage on offense. While Peterson is an elite talent at running back, Harvin is the moveable chess piece that, when given a large role, gives the Vikings an advantage at every level of the field.

Week 9 - With Ponder’s immense struggles, Minnesota attempted to get Harvin the ball in as many ways as possible, handing off to him in the backfield and running routes in the flat. Though Harvin showed great speed and good navigation of traffic when running with the ball, the Seattle defense crunched Harvin at the end of every run, including the 1st quarter hit by Bruce Irvin and Marcus Trufant that forced Harvin to lose a fumble. The hits finally caught up with Harvin when two defenders hit him at the same time and the receiver came up limping with a hurt ankle. In the passing game, Harvin was able to beat Trufant down the sideline, but Ponder under threw the route and Harvin had to adjust. Though the play resulted in a pass interference call, an accurate throw would have resulted in Harvin streaking down the sideline for a touchdown. The only passes that Ponder could complete to Harvin were passes close to the line of scrimmage; any throw downfield was wildly inaccurate and Harvin’s route running and speed were squandered for most of the game.