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Several years a fantasy afterthought behind Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin and most recently Fred Jackson, third-year running back Christine Michael is reportedly getting a new opportunity with the Dallas Cowboys.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has the details of a trade:
Dallas trading for former Seattle RB Christine Michael, per league source. Michael returns to Texas, where he starred at Texas A & M.
Dallas is trading a conditional draft pick to Seattle for RB Christine Michael, per source. RB help for Dallas.
Michael, a second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2013, was never able to carve out a significant role for Pete Carroll’s team, but a move to Dallas should certainly pique fantasy interest.
There’s a lot to like here. First, Michael has tantalizing physical gifts. He’s 5’10”, 221 pounds, has impressive athleticism and has averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 52 totes in his career. Second, Dallas has the best offensive line in football. Third, Joseph Randle and the current stable of Cowboys running backs have done nothing to distinguish themselves after the departure of DeMarco Murray, who racked up over 2,200 total yards in this offense last season. Finally, Michael, a native of Texas, should feel comfortable being closer to home.
Success in fantasy football is often half-part talent and half-part opportunity. Michael potentially has both, and as ESPN’s Eric Karabell touched on, the upside is tremendous here:
All that said, we should probably pump the brakes on the hype train just a little. It’s concerning that Michael could never surpass Turbin on the depth chart in Seattle, and it’s concerning the ‘Hawks felt comfortable letting him go (for a seventh-round pick, at that) after undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls made the 53-man roster Saturday. Most notably, he has struggled with fumbling and hitting the right holes with consistency.
When it comes down to it, the sky-high potential of a back as athletically gifted as Michael running behind Dallas’ crushing offensive line is certainly worth a speculative add in most formats. However, the uncertainty of Dallas’ depth chart combined with Michael’s inconsistency early in his career means you shouldn’t break the bank to add him.
In terms of daily fantasy leagues, Michael is a rock-bottom $3,000 on DraftKings for the Cowboys’ Week 1 contest against the New York Giants. He should have good value moving forward, but until his role is better defined, he’s not a suggested pick on the daily fantasy circuit.