I’ve written this sentence before in my work:  In the world of fantasy football, much like life,  success is often predicated upon a player having both talent and opportunity...

Sometimes, a player finds himself in a better than expected situation due to an injury (Tom Brady, for instance or Matt Cassel) or is drafted to be a part of the offense but evolves into a larger contributor than expected (Frank Gore is an example).
 

Then, there’s what happened last season in Seattle.  Call it “The Curious Case of John Carlson”.
 

A tsunami of injuries struck the Seahawks’ receiving corps.  Wideout after wideout (Nate Burleson, Deion Branch and Bobby Engram were just a few of those who missed significant time) went down and, pretty soon, Carlson was just about the only guy left standing.  It’s hard to envision a better opportunity for an NFL player to excel in when virtually all his serious competition is rendered unable to play.  Even better for the former Notre Dame star is the fact that he has the requisite talent to take advantage of such an event.
 

Seattle’s 2008 second round pick led the ragtag Seahawks in receptions, receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns.  Even more impressive was the fact that he finished ninth among all NFL tight ends in terms of receptions with his 55 catches outperforming better known players like Heath Miller and Kellen Winslow.  He even added five touchdowns to the mix.
 

Carlson definitely rewarded fantasy players who gambled by adding the rookie to their rosters.  Is it possible that he does the same again this year?
 

While Carlson still has his developing talent, he has a few obstacles in the way of using it to benefit his fantasy owners, the biggest of which is Seattle’s offseason acquisition of PPR stud T.J Houshmandzadeh.  Since 2006, the man has caught nearly 300 passes and will be commanding the lion’s share of action.
 

Another major impediment to success is the fact that there will likely be fewer passing attempts to divvy up.  New offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is installing a scheme that will utilize the running game early and often.  Therefore, even with Matt Hasselbeck back under center, it seems as though Seattle is not planning on reaching 500 passing attempts for the season once more..
 

Finally, could the Seahawks really see such a devastating spate of injuries two years in a row?  While at least some adversity is inevitable, it’s hard to imagine such a thing.  Therefore, a small amount of opportunity will get even smaller.
 

The good news, though, is that Hasselbeck, who has completed 60.1% of his career passes, should be more accurate than Seneca Wallace was last year.  Carlson caught 69% of his targets (one of the best percentages among all tight ends, by the way) and has a year of learning at the pro level under his belt.  He should see more connections this year despite fewer opportunities.  He was also the sixth most targeted tight end in the red zone last season, so his touchdown levels should stay steady as well.
 

The bottom line is that Seattle knows what they have in Carlson and won’t ignore his standing in the offense.  While you shouldn’t expect massive improvement due to his situation, he should produce comparable stats to last year.  Draft him as your starting tight end....he won’t win too many games for you by himself, but he’ll help you avoid the dreaded “zero” that too many tight ends post on a weekly basis.