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It was the perfect storm. The Saints were coming into town with Teddy Bridgewater at the helm. Rashaad Penny was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Chris Carson, who was already seeing the majority of RB snaps for Seattle, was going to have the backfield all to himself. But then, that huge wave came and crashed down on our fantasy football hopes and dreams.
That was in Week 3. But in Week 4 we finally got that clearing and had a chance to fish for all the fantasy points our hearts desired. In a smash spot vs. the Cardinals, the Seahawks’ lead back posted 104 yards on 22 carries with four receptions for 41 yards and 21.5 fantasy points. Carson was in on 48 of 63 offensive snaps in the victory over Arizona, the only other players receiving carries being QB Russell Wilson (2) and C.J. Prosise (3). Seattle didn’t have to throw much, but when they did, Carson was looked at, a trend we hadn’t seen since Week 1 vs. the Bengals.
Fantasy football analysis, Seattle Seahawks RB Chris Carson
So Carson is most likely a RB2 heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Rams. His upside will be heavily tied to whether Penny can make it back on the field. Even if Penny plays, I think Carson is someone you have to start, though the matchup isn’t great. Los Angeles has a solid defensive front anchored by Aaron Donald. Other than Christian McCaffrey, the Rams have done a decent job shutting down RBs like Nick Chubb and Alvin Kamara. Plus, if Penny comes back and the game-script plays in favor of passing, we could see fewer targets for Carson, which would make him a TD reliant RB2 who would need 20-plus carries to really reach his ceiling. Still, I don’t think you can leave him out, even with it being Thursday.
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“All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS contests.”