Eddie Lacy should cause fantasy owners to steer clear of Seahawks' backfield
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Here are the fantasy repercussions of RB Eddie Lacy joining the Seattle Seahawks:
For the #Seahawks and RB Eddie Lacy, it's: 1 year, $5.55M with $3M fully guaranteed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2017
Lacy was limited to just five games for the Green Bay Packers in 2016, his fourth year in the league. After a full offseason of jokes regarding his 'conditioning' Lacy ran for a career high of 5.1 yards per carry, allowing him to total 360 rushing yards on 71 attempts, while adding 28 yards on four receptions. He failed to score a touchdown either through the air or on the ground. He has averaged 4.4 yards per carry on 788 attempts for his career.
Lacy is a stereotypical ground-and-pound rusher, having totaled just 900 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns through 51 games. He enters what was already a crowded backfield in Seattle, one where roles will be overlapping.
Too Many Cooks
And you don't want Lacy near a kitchen ...
— Dave Richard (@daverichard) March 14, 2017
Here's a look at how the Seahawks' backfield was divided last season:
| NAME | ATT | YDS | TD | REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christine Michael | 117 | 469 | 6 | 20 |
| Thomas Rawls | 109 | 349 | 3 | 13 |
| C.J. Prosise | 30 | 172 | 1 | 17 |
| Alex Collins | 31 | 125 | 1 | 11 |
Michael didn't finish the season with Seattle but the other three all remain, with Prosise and Collins entering their sophomore seasons. Rawls, Prosise and Collins all missed time with injuries in 2016, leading to a grand total of 18 players receiving at least one carry for the Seahawks.
In terms of yardage, Prosise was the team's leading receiving last season. With Rawls, Lacy and Collins all lacking in pass-catching ability, Prosise's role in the passing game should be the most concrete for fantasy purposes. While the other three compete for carries, Prosise will have a steady and appealing role for PPR leagues, with the potential for 30 receptions, 400 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
(Photo courtesy Getty Images)
Running into a Wall
Further taking away from the appeal of the running game in Seattle, is the very questionable offensive line. Per Pro Football Focus, C Justin Britt had a great 2016 season, receiving an overall grade of 83.9, but he dropped to a grade of 77.8 as a run blocker. G Mark Glowinski received the next highest grade on the O-line at 53.6, 66.1 as a run blocker.
They did add G Luke Joeckel from the Jacksonville Jaguars via free agency, but he struggled to a grade of just 68.3 last season. There is still time to improve the line but their current outlook leaves much to be desired. Seattle's team average of 3.9 yards per carry last season ranked 32nd.
The porous line requires runners with a quick burst out of backfield who are able to rack up a few yards before contact. This isn't a trait of either Rawls or Lacy.
(Photo courtesy Getty Images)
Where to take them?
Per Fantasy Football Calculator, here's where the running backs are being selected in early drafts:
| NAME | RB | PICK |
|---|---|---|
| Rawls | 16 | 3.07 |
| Lacy | 21 | 4.05 |
| Prosise | 34 | 7.09 |
Collins wasn't being drafted in standard-depth leagues, and this shouldn't change with the addition of Lacy. Lacy's contract and pedigree should give him first shot at the starting job, as Rawls has had just a partial quality season in the NFL and is coming off a sophomore season derailed by injury.
Neither is an RB1, while Lacy can be viewed as a back-end RB2 but ideally as an RB3. Rawls falls into RB4/5 territory, serving primarily as the handcuff for Lacy.
Prosise can be a back-end RB2, front-end RB3 in PPR leagues, but he doesn't warrant consideration in standard leagues unless one of the other two suffers an injury.
Here's a look at the aftermath of Lacy's Green Bay departure.