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Seattle Seahawks Fantasy Focus: The RB’s

By Dan Viens

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As a fantasy football owner you know the annual struggle when it comes to Running Backs.  Get two early or you’re forced to mix and match with unpredictable role players each week.  If you’ve got an elite QB and two stud WR’s you can compete this way, but it’s better to have at least one RB you can count on week in and week out.

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The Seahawks are in the rare, and enviable, position of having a guy they can certainly count on every time the whistle sounds. After that, it’s a mish-mash of question marks.

THE STUD:  Marshawn Lynch

Beast Mode is now 29, with over 2,000 carries under his belt.

Two.

Thousand.

Carries.

And as we all know, many of these are violent, brusing, crushing carries.  The question is, when will we see all that wear and tear start to affect his production? Well judging by his 2014 season and the fact the team was willing to invest $12 million annually in a new deal this offseason, we should be able to count on at least one more elite season from Lynch.

As a fantasy owner, there’s no question how valuable he is.  He’s the unquestioned focal point of the offense, and the Seahawks invested a ton of draft capital in Offensive Linemen this year to try and bolster the offense up front.  The arrival of TE Jimmy Graham provides a legitimate threat to the passing game, particularly in the red zone.  Can you imagine being a defensive coordinator and trying to figure out how to stop Lynch inside the 5 when the Hawks spread out wide with Graham on the field?  He scored 17 total TD’s last year (4 receiving) while racking up nearly 1,700 total yards.

I see now reason to shy away from him now as a fantasy player.  Draft him high.

THE ENIGMA: Christine Michael

We’ve all salivated over his talent since Seattle took him in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft, but he languished on the bench his rookie year and provided only brief glimpses of potential last year. It’s his quickness and breakaway speed that tantalizes, but ball security and ability to break tackles are major question marks.  The team clearly wants a return on their high draft investment, and tried using him more last year.  But how many oppportunites can you really find for him when Lynch is dominating the offense?

Don’t count me among those who still thinks this guy can be a starting caliber RB in this league.  I wouldn’t even have him on my fantasy roster as a deep backup.

THE HANDCUFF:  Robert Turbin

Despite recurring back issues, Lynch has been remarkably durable over his career (knock on wood, NOW!!!!!), but taking Turbin to protect yourself in the event he does go down isn’t a bad idea. He’s shown an ability to break long runs and catches the ball well.  Obviously you can’t expect Lynch-like production, but if you believe in the handcuff philosophy, Turbin could be a safe bet.

Next: Is Russell Wilson Making Things Harder On Himself?

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