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Another year, another Seattle Seahawks running back entering the fantasy football landscape.
In 2015, it was Thomas Rawls. In 2016, it was Christine Michael, then Rawls again, then CJ Prosise for a while, then Rawls another time. This year, Eddie Lacy drew some interest for a while, and then Rawls again, but now it seems that seventh-round rookie Chris Carson is the back you want to own in Seattle.
If he’s available in your league (he’s owned in just 7.9 percent of ESPN leagues and 40 percent of Yahoo leagues at the time of writing this), though, his price is much higher now after handling 21 touches (20 carries, one reception) for 100 yards (93 rushing, seven receiving) in Seattle’s Week 2 win over the 49ers.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll put it rather simply after using Carson to close out San Francisco in the waning moments of the fourth quarter:
As the game went on, @chriscarson29 got stronger. 💪
Though he was only a seventh-round pick, Carson’s talent has been clear from training camp. He was the Seahawks’ best back during preseason when he tallied 166 yards and two scores on 28 touches, and he was clearly the best back on Sunday. More importantly, it appears the Seahawks have finally accepted that fact, as Eddie Lacy was a healthy inactive, Thomas Rawls was out-snapped by Carson, 50-16, and CJ Prosise (17 snaps) was used primarily on passing downs.
There’s always concern when it comes to the Seahawks’ backfield. Not only could Carroll seemingly go with the hot hand at any given time, but there’s plenty of downside when you’re running behind an offensive line that would struggle to block a bunch of statues in an offense that has scored one touchdown through two games.
Nevertheless, Carson drips with upside. He’s an explosive talent with a now sizeable lead for a 20-touch role in an offense that shown in the past it’s capable of putting up lots of points even with offensive line issues. He’s a legitimate RB2 with the potential for more.
Even if there’s some risk built in, this is the exact type of player you hope to find on the waiver wire. It’s not out of the question that he could be a league-changer.
Waiver Wire Advice: 35-40 percent of FAAB or use your waiver-wire pick if you’re 1st or later
Editor’s note: The Checkdown brings you live, interactive fantasy football advice every Sunday morning from 10 a.m.. to 1 p.m. Eastern on Heavy’s YouTube channel. Rick Rosen takes your questions and helps you fill out your lineup. Watch a replay of the Week 2 episode in the player below, and check out the live show right here on Sunday morning.