What is Marshawn Lynch's Fantasy Value on the Seahawks?
Marshawn Lynch unretired for the second time at the end of last season. Lynch was brought in to help an injury-depleted Seahawks' backfield down the stretch. In their two playoffs games, Lynch carried the ball 13 times for 33 yards and scored three touchdowns.
When the season ended, the thought was that Lynch would go back to a retiree's life, but Lynch and the Seahawks plan to keep it going.
Lynch will be suiting up for the Seahawks again this season. If you are a Seattle fan, this is good news, but if you have an interest in the Seahawks running game from a fantasy perspective, this is a nightmare.
Last season, Chris Carson was Seattle's feature back. He ran for over 1,200 rushing yards, caught 37 passes for 266 yards, and scored nine total touchdowns. Carson is on track to make a full recovery and be good to go for Week 1. The problem is Carson has an injury history, so Seattle may want to lighten his workload, especially with Lynch being so formidable around the goal-line. Seattle also has another injury-prone back in Rashaad Penny. Penny, unlike Carson, will have a tougher time getting much playing time. Seahawks beat writer Corbin Smith shared with us when speaking of Penny:
"Recovery from knee reconstructive surgery typically takes at least nine months, if not longer, and that timeline makes it seem unlikely he'll be ready by September."
If Lynch returns to Seattle like many think he will, his role would be to provide insurance for Carson. He won't have any fantasy value besides being a handcuff or goal-line touchdown vulture.
The Seattle running back that I am interested in is rookie DeeJay Dallas from the University of Miami. Dallas is a dual-threat running back who ran a 4.5 forty at the combine. He is an excellent back, but he has a fumbling issue. If he can get past that problem, he could turn into a fantasy asset as a late-round flier this season.
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