X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

Will Rashaad Penny Be A Fantasy Football And NFL Starter in 2022?

Rashaad Penny - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Recently, fantasy football players have been discussing a topic where they might not get what they want next season. An article from The Athletic pointed out that the Seahawks may bring both Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny back for the 2022 campaign.

That is certainly not what fantasy players want to hear after Penny looked like a fantasy RB1 to finish the 2021 season. But the analysis on why Penny could be used in a time share cannot be dismissed.

Michael-Shawn Dugar is a standout reporter who is very well respected. Knowing how the Seahawks have historically viewed Carson and Penny, it won’t be surprising to see both of them on the roster next season, which would significantly cut into Penny’s fantasy appeal.

Featured Promo: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off and win big in 2023. Exclusive access to our Premium articles, 15 lineup tools, new Team Sync platform, Lineup Optimizer, Premium DFS tools and cheat sheets, and much more! Sign Up Now!

 

Fantasy Players Not Happy With Rashaad Penny Reports


As the story from Dugar continues to build some momentum on social media even well after it was posted, fantasy players are reacting with frustration. We all know the story of Penny’s 2021 season by now, in which he looked like arguably the best running back in the league from Weeks 14 to 18. He rushed for 135-plus yards four times with six rushing TDs during that span.

Penny finally stayed healthy for a stretch where Carson was out and took full advantage of the opportunity to be the clear feature back. The Seahawks wanted to give him another chance to spark the running game, because their other options besides Carson were unlikely to boost the outlook. Plus, the team could once again evaluate Penny heading into an offseason where he is a free agent.

Penny obviously busted out and fantasy players are wondering if he will return to Seattle and get a chance to build on his tremendous success from late in the 2021 season. Penny has always displayed open-field explosiveness when healthy. He was an even more of a complete runner for much of the five games to finish last year. Penny was more physical, too, as Adrian Peterson reportedly coached him up to improve in that regard.

Penny helped many fantasy leaguers win championships in 2021, and they want to see him get an opportunity to build on what he displayed late last season. But published reports have indicated otherwise. The Seahawks still have Carson under contract, and they still like what he can provide when available.

 

Sticking With a Dual Backfield?

In December of 2018, I covered the Seahawks home game against the 49ers and witnessed just how Carson and Penny were intended to be utilized. Carson banged his way to 69 yards, and Penny rushed for 65 yards and scored on a 20-yard rushing TD. Afterwards in the locker room, both RBs confirmed to me that the aim was to batter the opposition with Carson’s physical style, while Penny operated effectively on the perimeter.

“I feed off of him,” Penny said. “He’ll get the defense tired and then all I have to do is run by them.”

Having two good RBs sharing carries, Carson said, further burdened the defense.

“You can’t prepare for just one back,” he said. “When one guy gets tired, the next guy goes in and you don’t lose a beat.”

The vision for the Seahawks running game was clear that day when both Carson and Penny performed well in an easy win. They wanted to utilize both RBs to overwork opponents with their distinctive styles, while keeping both players fresh. But Penny’s extensive injury battles over the past four years often prevented him from either threatening Carson’s workload when he was available or showing what he was more capable of when Carson was out. Consider this excerpt from Dugar on The Athletic.

Carson remained healthy the remainder of the 2018 season. He suffered a cracked hip in Week 16 of the 2019 season, but Penny was already on injured reserve with a torn ACL suffered a few weeks earlier. Carson missed Weeks 8 to 11 of the 2020 season, but Penny was still nursing that knee injury. Carson hurt his neck in Week 4 of this season, but Penny was once again on injured reserve, this time with a calf injury. How could Seattle evaluate Penny’s potential as a lead back if whenever the original lead back was injured, Penny was, too?”

Finally, late in the 2021 season, Pete Carroll gave Penny another chance to display his potential, and was rewarded. Now the Seahawks are reportedly considering keeping Carson while re-signing Penny. It is likely they are revisiting their earlier vision of having an outstanding pair of RBs to hammer defenses with. Also, if one gets injured, the other could clearly function as a very effective lead RB.

But Carson missed 13 games in 2021 and four the year before. Penny has missed 20 games over the past two seasons. We can obviously see that bringing back both Carson and Penny could again lead to situations we have seen in recent seasons, where Seattle had to bring Marshawn Lynch back and turn to DeeJay Dallas as a starter. The Seahawks need assurances that they can field a consistent running game if they want to at least get back into playoff contention in 2022.

 

The True Outlook For Rashaad Penny In 2022?


Penny has said that he is naturally more effective when he gets regular work, yet he has also stated he wants to remain in Seattle. There are no current indicators that the Seahawks will move on from Carson, although they did let him test free agency last offseason before bringing him back.

Penny could surely get the chance to start elsewhere if he decides to take an offer with another team. Fantasy players would much prefer that scenario, or one where Seattle decides to move forward with Penny over Carson. Given Penny’s injury history, the Seahawks could replace Carson with a younger or more durable RB to serve as insurance for any more Penny health issues.

Carson has played near a fantasy RB1 level very frequently when available and is an admirable and versatile starter when he is on the field. But the Seahawks could be courting danger by bringing back two RBs that have not been able to consistently stay healthy. What the team is indicating publicly and what they are considering in-house could be different narratives.

For now, the story of the 2022 Seahawks RB situation still seems to be a developing one. Even if both Carson and Penny return next year, one could go down at any time, pushing the other into a featured role again. But it’s not unrealistic to see Penny sign elsewhere. He would not be a pure “backup” in Seattle, yet he could certainly land a starting job on another team.

From fantasy perspectives it is risky to trade for Penny right now in dynasty or keeper leagues with his 2022 role so uncertain. In early Best Ball drafts, he should be taken as a upside RB3 type. For seasonal purposes, we can wait and see how the situation plays out without overreacting to it early. We have more to learn about the immediate future of the top two Seattle RBs in the weeks and months ahead.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!




Win Big With RotoBaller

Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:

More Fantasy Football Analysis




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

Carter Hart15 mins ago

Starting Tuesday Against Montreal
Johan Oviedo25 mins ago

To Start Season In Rotation
Tyler Heineman41 mins ago

Yerry De Los Santos Sent Down
Sandy León53 mins ago

Sandy Leon Re-Signs With Rangers
Jurickson Profar57 mins ago

Has Visa Issues Resolved
Keston Hiura1 hour ago

Outrighted To Triple-A
Andrés Giménez1 hour ago

Guardians, Andres Gimenez Finalizing Long-Term Extension
Lamar Jackson1 hour ago

Texans Not Expected To Pursue Lamar Jackson
Desmond Ridder2 hours ago

Preparing To Be Falcons Starter
Los Angeles Rams2 hours ago

Rams Re-Sign Marquise Copeland
Thomas Detry2 hours ago

Continues To Impress In Rookie Season
Trey Sermon2 hours ago

Eagles Like Trey Sermon's Potential
Kyler Murray2 hours ago

No Timeline For Kyler Murray
Buffalo Bills2 hours ago

Von Miller On Schedule In His Recovery
Buffalo Bills2 hours ago

Sean McDermott To Call Defensive Plays
Aaron Rai2 hours ago

Brings Positive Momentum To Valero Texas Open
Javonte Williams2 hours ago

Making "Great Strides" In Recovery
Akshay Bhatia2 hours ago

Looks To Stay Hot In Texas
Hobie Harris2 hours ago

Makes Opening Day Roster
Tyrone Taylor3 hours ago

Hoping To Return In Mid-May
Adrian Houser3 hours ago

Likely To Open On Injured List
Jeff Hoffman3 hours ago

Released By Twins
Kris Bubic3 hours ago

Named Royals Fifth Starter
Sean Doolittle3 hours ago

Tanner Rainey To Continue Rehabbing
Hunter Gaddis3 hours ago

Expected To Enter Rotation
Josiah Gray3 hours ago

To Make Season Debut Saturday
Devin Duvernay3 hours ago

Expected To Return In 2023
Matthew Stafford4 hours ago

Won't Have Any Limitations
Trey Lance4 hours ago

Has A Chance To Regain Starting Job
Odell Beckham Jr.4 hours ago

Giants A Long Shot For Odell Beckham Jr.
DJ Chark4 hours ago

Undergoes Ankle Surgery
Michael Thomas4 hours ago

Making Progress In Recovery
Aaron Rodgers4 hours ago

Trade Could Involve Two Second-Round Picks
Irv Smith Jr.4 hours ago

Agrees To One-Year Deal With Bengals
César Hernández4 hours ago

Tigers Release Cesar Hernandez
James McCann5 hours ago

Likely To Open On Injured List
Mychal Givens5 hours ago

Headed To Injured List
Leody Taveras5 hours ago

Out Another Week
Sergio Romo5 hours ago

Officially Retires With Giants
Cristian Pache5 hours ago

Won't Be On Opening Day Roster
Daniel Hudson5 hours ago

Could Return In Late April
Nicolas Batum5 hours ago

Drops Eight Three-Point Bombs On Chicago
Nikola Jokic6 hours ago

Logs His 29th Triple-Double Of The Year
Tyrese Maxey6 hours ago

Leads Sixers Offense With 29 Points
Immanuel Quickley6 hours ago

Scores Career-High 40 Points
Bennedict Mathurin6 hours ago

Breaks Out Of Slump Monday
Jaden Ivey6 hours ago

Fills The Box Score Monday
Khris Middleton6 hours ago

Has Season-High 34 Points Monday
Lawson Crouse6 hours ago

Delivers Three Assists Monday
Leon Draisaitl7 hours ago

Takes Point Streak To Nine Games
Connor McDavid7 hours ago

Hits 140 Points For The Season
Cale Makar7 hours ago

Helps To Set Up Two Goals
Marc-Andre Fleury7 hours ago

Returns To Form Monday
Matthew Boldy7 hours ago

Scores Another Hat Trick
Trevor Zegras7 hours ago

Suffers A Lower-Body Injury
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander16 hours ago

Questionable Versus Charlotte
Ja Morant16 hours ago

Doubtful Versus Orlando
Terry Rozier16 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday Evening
Gordon Hayward16 hours ago

Unlikely To Play Against OKC
Daniel Gafford17 hours ago

Dealing With A Sore Foot
Kyle Palmieri17 hours ago

Records Three Points Monday
Monte Morris17 hours ago

Uncertain For Tuesday Night
Kyle Kuzma17 hours ago

Remains Out Versus Boston
Gustav Forsling17 hours ago

Scores Twice Despite Florida Loss
Bradley Beal17 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk17 hours ago

Logs Two Points In Ottawa Win
New England Patriots17 hours ago

Jerod Mayo To Be Bill Belichick's Successor?
Buffalo Bills18 hours ago

Taylor Rapp Signs One-Year Deal With Bills
Jarrett Stidham18 hours ago

Broncos Think Jarrett Stidham Has Starting Potential
Gardner Minshew18 hours ago

To Compete For Starting Job
Mac Jones18 hours ago

Not Guaranteed To Start In 2023
Maxi Kleber20 hours ago

Questionable On Monday
Jrue Holiday20 hours ago

Ruled Out Monday
Marcus Morris21 hours ago

Sr. Sitting Out On Monday
Karl-Anthony Towns21 hours ago

To Sit Out On Monday
Tyrese Haliburton21 hours ago

Won't Play On Monday
Myles Turner21 hours ago

Unavailable On Monday
Reilly Smith21 hours ago

Ruled Out For At Least Three Games
Erik Gudbranson21 hours ago

Won't Return This Season
Todd Gilliland21 hours ago

Impressive At COTA
Ville Husso21 hours ago

Could Be Done For The Season
Ty Gibbs22 hours ago

Finds His Footing At COTA
Robby Fabbri22 hours ago

Likely Finished For The Season
Troy Terry22 hours ago

Sits Out Monday's Game
Chris Buescher22 hours ago

Continues To Shine On Road Courses
Frank Vatrano22 hours ago

Returns To Ducks Lineup
NASCAR22 hours ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Seventh
Tage Thompson22 hours ago

A Game-Time Call For Monday
Austin Cindric22 hours ago

Has A Solid Day
Jonas Johansson23 hours ago

Tends Twine Monday In Anaheim
Sergei Bobrovsky23 hours ago

In Goal Monday Against Ottawa
Ilya Sorokin23 hours ago

Starting Monday
Marlon Vera1 day ago

Has Four-Fight Winning Streak Snapped
Cory Sandhagen1 day ago

Dominates Striking Department
Yana Santos1 day ago

Dominated In Decision Loss
Holly Holm1 day ago

Dominates In Co-Main Event
Austin Lingo1 day ago

Suffers Submission Loss
Nate Landwehr1 day ago

Shines With Second-Round Submission Win
Andrea Lee1 day ago

Suffers Defeat In Close Matchup Saturday
Maycee Barber1 day ago

Takes Close Matchup On Saturday
Chidi Njokuani1 day ago

Takes Close Loss In Split-Decision Showing
Albert Duraev1 day ago

Holds Off Opponent In Tight Split Decision
William Byron1 day ago

Rounds Out Top Five At COTA
Ross Chastain1 day ago

Caught Up To Fourth At COTA On Sunday
Alex Bowman1 day ago

Brings Home Third Place Finish At COTA
Kyle Busch1 day ago

Scrambles Up To Second At Austin
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Dominates And Wins At COTA
Jordan Taylor3 days ago

Making NASCAR Debut At COTA, Will Start 4th
Austin Cindric3 days ago

Excited To Showcase Speed At COTA This Weekend
Austin Dillon3 days ago

Starts 28th At COTA For Sunday
Ricky Stenhouse Jr3 days ago

. In Middle Of Pack For COTA
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Rough Patch In Qualifying On Saturday
Kyle Busch3 days ago

Starts Ninth For COTA Race On Sunday
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Could Be A Wildcard On Sunday
Noah Gragson3 days ago

Finds Way To Qualify 10th At COTA
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

A Few Seconds Off the COTA Pace
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Begins 38th For Sunday's Race At COTA
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

Just A Little Off At COTA On Saturday
Cory Sandhagen4 days ago

Can Earn Back-To-Back Victories
Marlon Vera4 days ago

Finds Himself In Main-Event Spotlight Saturday
Yana Santos4 days ago

Looking For Biggest UFC Win Of Her Career
Holly Holm4 days ago

Seeking First Victory Since 2020
Austin Lingo4 days ago

On Verge Of Three-Fight Winning Streak
Nate Landwehr4 days ago

Hoping For Third Straight Strong Performance
Maycee Barber5 days ago

Can Continue Her Flyweight Ascent
Andrea Lee5 days ago

In Need Of Victory To Keep Momentum Going
MMA5 days ago

Manel Kape On The Hunt For Fourth Straight Victory Saturday
Alex Perez5 days ago

Seeking First Victory Since 2020
Albert Duraev5 days ago

Can Rebound With A Victory
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF