The Seattle Seahawks have Bryce Brown, Christine Michael and Fred Jackson ready to step in with Thomas Rawls and Marshawn Lynch dealing with injuries heading into Week 15. Rawls is out for the season, while Lynch is hoping to return soon after having surgery.
The Seahawks used a combination of DuJuan Harris and Jackson last week after Rawls was injured, but Harris is now gone and the team has brought back Brown and Michael. Michael was traded to the Cowboys earlier in the season and Brown has also spent time with the team this year. According to Pro Football Talk, the Seahawks felt more comfortable bringing back players familiar with their offense over signing other free agent running backs that were available.
According to the Seattle Times, Brown is "in line" to be the starting running back for the Seahawks, while Jackson likely will remain in his spot as the primary third down back. Michael has the chance to contribute after not really fulfilling his potential in his first run with Seattle. Brown is the best option for fantasy football owners this week, but Michael could be a high upside option with Rawls and Lynch on the sidelines.
Seattle has been getting some amazing play rom Russell Wilson over the past month, but the team also wants to make sure they balance things with the rushing game. The Seahawks have a fairly easy matchup with the Browns and that could give Brown, Michael and Jackson the chance to put up some points for fantasy owners. Rawls had been playing very well while coming in for Lynch and now the Seahawks will have to find a way to keep things going until Lynch can return.
Head coach Pete Carroll said that Lynch does not have a set timetable to return for the team and there is a chance he could be out until the playoffs. The Seahawks are in good position to make the playoffs in the NFC as a wild card and Lynch potentially could return for the first round of the playoffs. Lynch had surgery for a nagging abdomen injury and is considered week to week, but he likely will not return for Week 15 and at this point Week 16 looks like a long shot.
The Seahawks have had Russell Wilson playing at a very high level over the past four games, as the quarterback has thrown for 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions in that span. Missing Lynch has not hurt the offense much, but that was because of the solid play of Rawls and now Brown and Michael will try and keep that going. Doug Baldwin has been performing very well with Wilson, scoring eight times in the past three games. The offense should have a field day with the Browns and that is a good matchup for the running backs (Brown and Michael) to get their feet wet after joining back with the team.
