The Seahawks' running back room has been plagued by injury.
Chris Carson (neck) is already on injured reserve, and now Alex Collins is dealing with hip and glute injuries that are putting his status for Week 7 in question.
With Rashaad Penny reportedly nearing return from his calf injury, how should fantasy football managers approach this backfield for the foreseeable future? Our analysts weigh in below.
Fantasy Outlook For Alex Collins, Rashaad Penny & DeeJay Dallas
Sean Koerner: The Seahawks face the Saints in a brutal matchup for running backs, leaving me interested only in Collins as a RB3/Flex play if he is healthy enough to be the lead back.
With Penny likely returning, it could cut into Collins' workload. Penny is worth an upside flier in deeper leagues as it looks like Carson could miss multiple more weeks.
However, with Russell Wilson on the shelf until Week 10, I’m less interested in investing in this backfield.
I am eyeing Collins as a RB2/Flex in Week 8 against the Jaguars, though, so be sure to hang onto him no matter what happens with him this week.
- Advice for Week 7: Avoid this backfield unless Collins is near 100% and Penny remains out.
- Advice for Week 8: I will be interested in this backfield against the Jags. I’m guessing Collins will be a low-end RB2, with Penny starting to eat into Collins' role. How Penny looks should he play in Week 7 will obviously impact my Week 8 projections.
Chris Raybon: Pete Carroll doesn’t seem to like Rashaad Penny. It was more of a front office pick than a Carroll pick, which explains why Penny has never even gotten 50% of offensive snaps in a game when healthy in his entire three-plus year career.
If Penny has to “start” for Collins, I wouldn’t expect Penny to be effective — the Saints allow just 2.8 yards per carry to RBs — nor play many more than half the snaps, as Carroll would likely work in Dallas and Travis Homer more. Both have started for Seattle more recently than Penny and are more trusted as dual-threats, while Penny has seen only 3.9% of his career touches come on third downs.
It’s Collins or bust for me in this backfield. It would become a frustrating quagmire in his absence, and I’m not even sure Penny would lead it (or stay healthy if given the chance).
Samantha Previte: Dallas was fairly involved this past Sunday night, recording four rushes for 17 yards and catching 5-of-5 targets for 33 yards behind Collins.
Collins did leave the game with a hip and glute injury, and with Carson on IR for at least the next two weeks, Dallas and Penny could have appeal based on situation alone, though I'd consider both relatively low-priority adds.
