Chris Carson remains the Seahawks starting running back

Despite the emergence of running back Rashaad Penny Week 12, Chris Carson remains the Seattle Seahawks starting running back for now.

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson struggled last week against the Philadelphia Eagles while Rashaad Penny posted one of the better games of his career. But for now, it appears there is no starting running back controversy in Seattle.

“I mean, Chris is our guy,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Friday. “We know that. He’s playing terrific football as well. But, like what happened last year some, each week, sometimes different guys step up. It happens that way in the passing game. Different receivers step up. Happened in the running game.

“Of course, we want to get Rashaad his touches, get him in the game – in terms of forcing it to happen, we’re not going to do that.”

Against the Eagles, Penny finished the day with 14 carries for 129 yards and a career-long, 58-yard touchdown run.

Penny’s off-season work paid off for both him and the Seahawks and Schottenheimer has noticed a real difference in the second-year running back.

“I think he feels better, I think he feels like his conditioning is better” Schottenheimer explained. “I think that’s part of the confidence of a young player. Hey, I feel better. I feel like I can do more. It’s cool to see him get rewarded for that when he goes out and performs the way that he did.”

So for now, Seattle will continue to utilize the one-two punch of Carson and Penny, playing whoever is hot at the time. The Seahawks running backs’ next chance to square off is Monday night against the Vikings in primetime.

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7 fantasy football wavier wire claims to make ahead of Week 13

Fantasy football wavier wire claims ahead of Week 13 of the NFL season.

Need a fresh face for your fantasy football roster this week?

It’s never too late for a few extra points to add to your win column.

QB Sam Darnold

Another week, another 34 points, another addition of Sam Darnold on the waiver wire player to pick up list. Folks still aren’t pick up on Darnold, but he’s now a huge add and immediately start with the Bengals en route. It’s easy to envision the Jets and Darnold not putting up 34 point for the fourth-straight game, that’s because they have a look at surpassing that, easily. In those three games, he has seven touchdowns, one interception and 838 passing yards. He should stay out of the tabloids, though.

Percent owned in ESPN fantasy leagues: 18.9%

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7 waiver wire pickups in fantasy football for Week 13

Waiver wire pickups for Week 13.

Week 12 in the NFL brought a lot of teams that were flying high down to reality. With many talented players on a bye week, it provided lineup issues and possibly even last second waiver wire adds.

Some leagues have playoffs starting this week while others will begin over the next few weeks. Even so, the waiver wire will be important with handcuffs and injuries at the most important positions.

With trade deadlines having passed, here are the top waiver-wire pickups for Week 13:

RB Rashaad Penny — 29.1% rostered (ESPN)

Penny finally had his breakout career game on Sunday against Philadelphia as he finished with 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks have shown to give a lot of attention to the run in recent weeks but with Chris Carson still having issues holding on to the ball, Penny will be a more focused piece of this offense.

We aren’t at the point where the former first-round pick will be taking over the backfield, but head coach Pete Carroll hinted that more of a timeshare could be on the way in Seattle.

With a Monday night matchup against Minnesota on the horizon, look for Seattle to use Penny and other offensive pieces as they try to keep pace with San Francisco in the division race.

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The good, the bad, and the ugly from Seahawks’ win over Eagles

The Seahawks moved to 9-2 on Sunday with a sloppy win over the Philadelphia Eagles, in which the defense shined and the offense struggled.

The Seattle Seahawks moved to 9-2 on Sunday with a sloppy 17-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, remaining just a game behind the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West divisional race. This was a somewhat topsy-turvy outing for the Seahawks, who saw some of their biggest strengths and weaknesses switched around – however, some things just don’t change. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Week 12’s matchup.

THE GOOD

The pass rush: Seattle’s defense stymied Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz throughout the entire game, with pressure causing no fewer than five fumbles and setting the stage for two picks. Even with lead rusher Jadeveon Clowney sitting the game out due to a hip injury, the defensive line was more than up to the task – Ziggy Ansah notched 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble, Rasheem Green forced another fumble (recovered by Al Woods), and Quinton Jefferson scooped up yet another fumble by the flustered Wentz. One of Seattle’s weakest units in the first half of the season has taken a giant step forward (although defensive tackle Jarran Reed sprained his ankle in Sunday’s contest) and will face their next test against Kirk Cousins and a struggling Vikings o-line.

The defense in general: The defensive backs had a nice day as well, with safety Bradley McDougald and cornerback Tre Flowers each adding an interception to their resumes. Flowers also posted three passes defended, the most on the team, and the unit as a whole only allowed one “explosive” (greater than 16 yards) pass play, a 30-yarder to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside with 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Rashaad Penny: Number-one back Chris Carson was quiet on Sunday morning, but Penny rose to the occasion as he posted the biggest game of his young Seahawks career with 129 yards and a TD on 14 rushes. The score came early in the fourth quarter as Penny ripped off a 58-yard beauty of a run for just his second touchdown of the season. If this is an indicator of things to come, coach Pete Carroll might finally have the “one-two punch” he hoped for at the beginning of the season.

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Seattle Seahawks offensive player of the game: RB Rashaad Penny

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny rushed for a career-high 129 yards on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

For the second season in a row, Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny exploded for a huge game at an entirely unexpected time. This time, however, his performance helped lead his team to a victory.

Last year, Penny hardly contributed through Seattle’s first eight games before taking off for 108 rushing yards (on 12 carries) against the Rams in Week 10, a game the Seahawks narrowly lost, 36-31.

This year, Penny was even quieter through his first seven games, but he had a huge game on Sunday against the Eagles, carrying the ball 14 times for a career-high 129 yards.

Most of his damage came on a 58-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, which gave Seattle a 17-3 lead and put the game on ice.

Penny exploded through the tackles on a first-and-20, and used his blazing speed to outrun the rest of the Philadelphia defense.

The second-year running back out of San Diego State has been frustrated with his lack of playing time this season, but instead of sulking he has worked hard to improve his conditioning, and his work impressed coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer enough to give him an extended look this week.

“We expect our guys to be frustrated,” Carroll said after the game. “They all want to play. They all deserve to play, sometimes it just doesn’t happen. It’s how you deal with it. What he did is he got better, he’s trimmer, he’s faster, I mean look how fast he looked today, he looked like he was shot out of a cannon. That’s because of the hard work.”

Penny’s performance merited our offensive player of the week award, and it will be interesting to see if it gives him more opportunities going forward, especially after starter Chris Carson fumbled twice in a row and only finished with 26 yards on eight carries.

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Fantasy football waiver wire targets after Week 12: A top QB is largely available

A middling quarterback has emerged as a fantasy football star.

Don’t quit the waiver wire now.

The fantasy football season is almost over, but the waiver wire is producing a few gems for your final push into the playoffs. There are top-tier quarterbacks and defenses on the waiver wire in most leagues. And a few younger players are benefitting from fatigue and attrition. It’s not time to stop paying attention to the waiver wire, even it’s easy to feel set with the players you have (especially if you’ve been winning).

Make sure you find the piece that gets you into the playoffs or, even better, gets you into the championship game. Here are six waiver wire targets to consider after Week 12 of NFL and fantasy football action.

6. New York Jets defense

ESPN: 27%. Yahoo! 23%.

The Jets see the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 and the Miami Dolphins in Week 14. It’s a nice schedule as folks close out their regular season, and perhaps begin their playoff run. The issue is that the Jets get the Ravens in Week 15, which is when you’d want to get a different streamer. But the Jets defense shouldn’t really be a streamer. They’ve been a top scorer in standard with the fourth-most point.

5. Rashaad Penny, RB, Seahawks

ESPN: 29%. Yahoo! 19%.

You can’t expect him to replicate his Week 12 stat line with regularity. He had 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. Chris Carson is, of course, the top back. But perhaps Penny can compete for more touches if Carson continues to have fumbling issues. Penny is worth owning, though I’m not sure he’s been consistent enough to feel good about starting.

4. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Titans

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN: 15%. Yahoo! 26%.

He’s the rare case of a bad real-life quarterback being a good fantasy quarterback. (Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is another obvious example.) Tannehill has averaged almost 24 points per game over the last for weeks. That has made him QB4 during that span. He had his best performance in Week 12 with 259 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.

3. Benny Snell, RB, Steelers

ESPN: 3%. Yahoo! 5%.

Snell has been an opportunist in 2019, with a few games as a starter and, in turn, a few fantasy-relevant performances. He had 21 carries for 98 yards and a reception for 10 yards. Without a touchdown, Snell didn’t turn many heads from a point total. But he was solid in relief of James Conner, whose shoulder injury seems to be a significant issue after he made things worse by playing a few weeks ago. Snell might take a big role in the next few games.

2. A.J. Brown, WR, Titans

ESPN: 16%. Yahoo! 16%.

He finished with four catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. With a merely competent quarterback, Brown can clearly be a star. Marcus Mariota wasn’t putting together enough passing production for Brown to thrive. But Tannehill — and I can’t believe I’m writing this — has been crucial in making Brown a playable option in fantasy football. He’s still a risk, but it’s clear he’s a big play threat that the Titans want to feed.

1. Bo Scarbrough, RB, Lions

ESPN: 45%. Yahoo! 43%.

After tinkering with running backs Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic over the last few weeks, the Lions signed Scarbrough, a move which has not disappointed. In fact, Detroit seems to have found its new lead back, with Kerryon Johnson on IR. Scarbrough finished with 18 carries for 98 yards. He didn’t manage to get into the end zone, but in a way, that might be a blessing in disguise. That’ll make him easier to get off waivers. He’s a rare workhorse, who seems to be running well. He’s must-own, and a likely flex-play.

3 Studs and 2 Duds from Seahawks’ defeat of Eagles Week 12

A look at who stood out and who didn’t in the Seattle Seahawks sloppy win over the Philadelphia Eagles Week 12.

There are no style points in the NFL, and the Seattle Seahawks are certainly grateful for that. On Sunday the Seahawks tied a franchise record with their sixth road win of the year, remaining unbeaten away from Seattle, with a sloppy 17-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not only did the Seahawks continue their winning ways on the road, they also continued their 30-year win streak in Philadelphia. The Seahawks have not lost in the City of Brotherly Love since September of 1989.

It was an ugly affair in the cold, windy Sunday afternoon, but the Seahawks walked away with an important victory to stay on pace with the rest of the NFC and keep their hopes of a division title comfortably alive. As a result, here are 3 Studs and 2 Duds from Sunday’s game.

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5 takeaways from Seahawks’ gritty 17-9 victory over Eagles

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense.

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense. Seattle secured a winning record for the eighth consecutive season and can take the division lead if the San Francisco 49ers (9-1) lose to the Green Bay Packers (8-2) on Sunday night. Here are five takeaways from the game.

Defense holds firm and totals five turnovers

The defense had a solid day even without Jadeveon Clowney, limiting the Eagles offense on Sunday. In addition, they had five total turnovers that were crucial to that accomplishment, often setting Seattle up in field goal range. The tackling was generally strong and the defensive backs mostly provided great coverage on their respective assignments, notching two interceptions off of Carson Wentz. They gave the offense multiple opportunities to put points on the board. However…

Missed opportunities on offense

The offense failed to capitalize on most of the chances given to them by the defense. Wide receiver DK Metcalf had three drops, including a brutal one on a surefire touchdown pass from Russell Wilson. After Quinton Jefferson recovered a fumble and took it deep into Philadelphia territory, the Seahawks turned a first and 10 into a first and 20 with back-to-back false start and delay of game penalties. This turned into a third and 25, leading Wilson to throw his third interception of the season. They did enough to win the game, but the missed opportunities were plentiful and Seattle cannot afford them later in the season.

Rashaad Penny shows improvement

Penny had his best game in quite some time, recording 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. That TD came on the longest run of his career, a 58-yard run. It was also the longest rushing score for Seattle in the past three years. After being outshone by Chris Carson for most of the season, Penny came through when his team needed him to. This game could be a momentum shift in the season for the much-maligned second-year running back, and he will likely receive more carries going forward. Seattle could certainly use bigger contributions from Penny, so hopefully he builds on this.

Chris Carson fumbles twice in a row

Carson had a pair of egregious fumbles on back-to-back plays, the second of which Philadelphia recovered. The second one may have been attributed to Wilson as a botched handoff, but Carson was still at least partially to blame for not securing it. His ball-security issues continue to hamper the Seahawks offense. On top of that, he only had 26 rushing yards on eight carries. This, combined with Penny’s solid day, could give Carson less playing time for the remainder of the season.

Russell Wilson turns in a hot-and-cold performance

Wilson completed 13 of 25 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was the victim of a few unfortunate drops, most prominently by Metcalf. However, it was not the best game by Wilson’s lofty standards. His interception was a bounce to Rodney McLeod off a solid play by Ronald Darby. His touchdown pass to Malik Turner off a trick play was a thing of beauty, but he took quite a few sacks in crucial moments and his 75.4 passer rating is his lowest since the Seahawks’ Week 7 loss to the Baltimore. In the end, Wilson did enough to win and his performance shows how high his standards have become after largely playing at an MVP-caliber level through the first ten games.

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Rashaad Penny reemerges as offensive weapon for Seahawks Week 12

After very little production over the last three games, Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny logged an impressive Week 12 against the Eagles.

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny has finally come to life. Penny had a banner day Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing the game as the team’s leading rusher with 14 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown.

Penny, who has been relegated to a minor backup role as of late, actually got more touches than starter Chris Carson on Sunday. Entering the matchup, Penny had only posted 14 carries over his last three outings and just 26 total on the year.

Penny’s impressive 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the Eagles is a career-long and his second score of the season.

MONEY. 💰💰💰💰@pennyhendrixx with the 58 yard touchdown run!

Q4: SEA 17, PHI 3 pic.twitter.com/tnSJvX9iwG

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 24, 2019

Penny, unlike Carson, has just one fumble in 2019, which came Week 10 in San Francisco.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had said just last week the plan was to get Penny more involved in the offense.

“But for us to go where we want to go, I think Rashaad will help us win games and he’s chomping at the bit,” Schottenheimer told reporters Thursday. “We just don’t ever plan exactly how it’s going to play out. Chris has been playing so good right now but, when Rashaad get his chances, I think he’ll play well.”

Luckily for the Schottenheimer, the Seahawks and Penny, the plan worked flawlessly.

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Instant analysis of Seattle’s 17-9 victory over Philadelphia

In one of the uglier games of the season – even by Seattle’s standards – the Seahawks’ defense stifled the Philadelphia Eagles and helped lead them to a 17-9 victory.

Seattle is now 9-2 on the year.

A 58-yard touchdown run from Rashaad Penny early in the fourth quarter gave Seattle a two-touchdown lead, and an interception by Tre Flowers late in the fourth was the final nail in the coffin of an Eagles team that struggled all game against Seattle’s defense.

Penalties were a huge part of the game story, with Seattle getting penalized a whopping 12 times. They were penalized 10 times before Philadelphia received their first penalty late in the third quarter. They finished with two penalties for 15 yards, nothing compared to Seattle – who struggled with discipline upfront on the line of scrimmage all day long.

The wind had a huge impact on this game as well, with both quarterbacks struggling to generate yards through the air. Both Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson missed wide-open receivers throwing against the wind, and punts and kicks were considerably less effective all day long.

Seattle scrapped their way to a 10-3 lead at halftime, although they should have been up by multiple scores. A rare miss from Wilson to tight end Jacob Hollister in the end zone cost them four points (they converted a field goal instead) and a dropped catch by DK Metcalf, also in the end zone, cost them seven.

After the Eagles struck first on a short field goal midway through the first quarter, Seattle responded quickly on a flea-flicker from Chris Carson to Russell Wilson that worked perfectly, as Wilson hit Malik Turner in the end zone on a dime for a touchdown.

It was Seattle’s first flea-flicker of the season and gave them an early lead.

Later in the half, Ziggy Ansah forced a fumble that was negated by a Shaquill Griffin holding penalty, but Seattle forced a turnover a few plays later on an interception from Bradley McDougald.

The interception was part of a disastrous game from Wentz, who lost two fumbles and threw another interception – this one by Flowers – which sealed the game late in the fourth.

Wentz finished 33-45 with 256 yards, one garbage-time touchdown, two interceptions, and two lost fumbles.

Shaquem Griffin was the catalyst behind one of Wentz’s fumbles on his first big play of the season as a member of the defense, drilling Wentz and forcing a fumble that was recovered by Branden Jackson.

Griffin had a really solid game, flashing excellent disruption as a pass rusher and finishing with four tackles and one pass defended.

The Seahawks moved to 6-0 on the road this season, and will now root for Green Bay on Sunday night against San Francisco, Seattle’s NFC West rival.

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