Getty Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks
If you’ve been living under a bridge, I’m here to inform you that Chris Carson has a case of fumble-itis. The Seattle Seahawks running back has fumbled the ball three times this season, once in each game. To make matters worse, the Seahawks failed to recover any of those fumbles, amounting to turnovers on each occasion.
Yet, for all the struggles Carson has had keeping a grip on the football, Seattle continues to give said football to said running back. Will the latter trend continue this week or will the former creep up in Week 4, giving Seattle no choice but to turn elsewhere in their run game.
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Chris Carson Fantasy Outlook vs. Arizona Cardinals
Chris Carson is as physical a running back as there is in today’s NFL. With the type of punishment Carson doles out on a weekly basis, you’re bound to be on the receiving end of a few yourself, including a handful of hits that will dislodge the ball from your grasp. With that being said, Carson has already matched his fumble total from a year ago, despite 212 fewer touches.
Regardless of his woes, Seattle has not wavered on their faith in their starting running back. Head Coach Pete Carroll stated this week that “you’re going to see absolute support for our guy. He’s a great football player. We love him.” Carroll’s belief in Carson has shown up in the stat sheet as the former Oklahoma State Cowboys has out-carried all other Seahawks backs 45-20.
There is, however, a glaring wrench that could be thrown into the Seahawks backfield soon, one that pushes Carroll’s hand. Rashaad Penny will be a game time decision this week vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Penny has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but returned to practice in limited fashion on Thursday. Carroll stated that “he said he feels pretty good, he’s dying to play.”
While Penny may be ready to go soon, it seems as though there will be at least one more week for Carson to prove his worth to the coaching staff. No better way to do so than with a matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona has been horrendous on defense this season. They currently rank as the third-worst defensive unit in all of football. They’ve also allowed 88 total points through three weeks of play, the fifth-most in the NFL. According to Yahoo Sports, Carson has averaged 102.2 yards from scrimmage per game since Week 13 of last season. Over that same time span, the Cardinals have allowed running backs to average 174.1 yards from scrimmage, the most in the NFL.
If that’s not enough to get you excited about Carson this week here’s a reminder that Christian McCaffrey went off for 188 total yards and a touchdown vs. the Cards just one week ago.
Should You Start or Sit Chris Carson in Week 4?
Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks continue to show faith in their bruising workhorse, and you should too. Despite his fumbling issues, Carson is a solid RB2-lock vs. Arizona, and that may be being cautious. I currently have him ranked as a top 10 play at his position for Week 4.
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Chris Carson Fantasy: Start or Sit Seahawks RB in Week 4?