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First it was Marshawn Lynch. An injured abdomen. Likely out for the season. Then, Thomas Rawls. Rushed for over 200 yards in one game, but fractured his ankle three weeks later. Out for the season as well. DuJuan Harris was supposed to get the call, but was subsequently released by the Seahawks after a relief appearance against the Baltimore Ravens. Now, three more running backs in Seattle are fighting for the drivers seat. Two with seemingly more control over the starting job. All with a slight boost in their fantasy value. Who will emerge?
Bryce Brown will likely be the starter this week versus the Cleveland Browns. Head coach Pete Carroll indicated that Brown should inherit about 15-20 carries, according to ESPN.com, favorable against a Browns defense that surrender 131.3 rushing yards a contest, fourth most in the league. Although, Brown has not seen the field at all this season and his last NFL carry came in December of 2014.
Brown had a rather unproductive 2014; 126 yards on the ground and 176 in the air over a seven game span. He did score two touchdowns in his final two games of 2013, including back-to-back games of 150+ rushing yards and two touchdowns in his 2012 rookie campaign. Moments of success followed with relative nonexistence. Although, his control of the starting job is now suddenly in jeopardy.
According to ESPN Seahawks reporter, Sheil Kapadia, Christine Michael is now expected to share early-down carries with Brown. The Seahawks signed Michael on Wednesday, after he was released by the Cowboys earlier in the season, after being traded to Dallas in August by...Seattle. He only rushed for 51 yards on 15 carries this year with the 'Boys, and has zero touchdowns in his short three-year career.
And then, there's Fred Jackson. Jackson's stats on the ground this season aren't even worth mentioning but he does have 24 receptions for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson will be featured as Seattle's third down and passing-down back. He is also the most established out of the three, as he has one 1,000-yard rushing season and three more of at least 900 on his resume. He's also scored 30 touchdowns in his nine year career.
My nod goes to Jackson here, especially in PPR formats. He's the only one out of the three that I don't feel I'd be taking a huge risk on, during fantasy playoffs. It's difficult to trust Brown and Michael simply because they have done next to nothing this season. Relying on short spurts of past production would be silly. There is no beef with stashing away Brown or Michael but both are wait-and-see backs. There is a possibility that neither find success, even against a leaky Browns defense, where Carroll will then call on the veteran Jackson to carry the load. Seattle rushes the ball 52.4% of the time inside the red zone; an assignment that could and should go to Jackson.
