Mike Davis (RB, SEA) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

November 27, 2018

Seattle running back (RB) Mike Davis is a waiver wire pickup and add target in leagues for Week 13 of the 2018 NFL season. Brady Grove recommends Davis for his mostly consistent output from the backfield and in the passing game despite a non-existent week twelve.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 30% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Between week four and week ten of the 2018 NFL campaign, Mike Davis performed at an admirable level for the Seattle Seahawks to the tune of 52.2 yards-per-game and three touchdowns across 75 carries in six games. However, over the past two weeks against the Packers and Panthers, Davis has slowed down considerably. Over that span, he has only gone for scoreless with 40 yards on just eight carries out of the Seattle backfield. Having said that, Davis is still the second-most reliable running back for a Seahawks team that leads the league in rushing yards-per-game with 147.1. He ranks second on the team in carries with 86, second on the team in total rushing yards with 386, and second on the team in ground-trips across the goal-line with three (not to mention the second-longest run of the year for Seattle at 37 yards).

However, Davis has something that sets him apart from other Seattle backs like Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, and that is his role in the Russell Wilson pass-attack. While Penny and Carson have combined for only 19 receptions on 25 targets for 163 yards and zero touchdowns; Davis has caught 23 passes out of his 29 targets for 134 yards and a touchdown. In fact, before his poor week twelve performance against Carolina, he had averaged 4.3 receptions out of 5.3 targets for 30.3 yards-per contest between weeks nine and eleven (with his one receiving TD on the year coming in this time-span). This involvement in the passing game as compared to other Seattle backs provides a solid safety net on weeks where Davis receives a reduction in carries. With 13 red-zone carries so far on the year, this makes Mike Davis a player all the more capable of putting up solid performances from the backfield and the passing game on a team committed to handing the ball off a lot. Moving forward, even with all-three Seahawks running backs active in the game, Davis is a nice option in deeper formats.