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Russell Wilson, Thomas Rawls, Jermaine Kearse Post-Week 4 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 5, 2015

The Seattle Seahawks escaped Monday night’s game against the Detroit Lions with a 13-10 victory. Such a low-scoring contest doesn’t lend itself to many fantasy points, although quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse turned in solid outings.

The same cannot be said about the team’s rushing attack without Marshawn Lynch (hamstring), as Thomas Rawls failed to live up to the high expectations that were in place following his impressive showing the last time out.

With that in mind, here is a look at the fantasy totals and reactions for some of Seattle’s key playmakers.

Russell Wilson

Wilson’s ability to run is something fantasy owners don’t get from many other quarterbacks, which automatically makes him a weapon.

He is also carrying the offense right now without Lynch, whom the team ruled out of Monday’s game because of a hamstring injury. The fact that the ball was in Wilson’s hands so often led to two worrisome lost fumbles, which cut into his overall fantasy production.

It is important not to be dismissive of the lost fumbles, but Wilson has never tallied more than eight in a single season and didn’t have any in 2015 before Monday, per ESPN.com. Don’t hold him out of your lineup because of the two against the Lions.

While the read-option is not as explosive when opposing defenses don’t have to focus on stopping Lynch, Wilson proved Monday he is shifty enough to create running lanes when the pocket breaks down and pick up additional fantasy points with his legs.

The signal-caller also has 127 passing attempts in four games this season, or 31.75 per outing. By comparison, he threw only 17.81 times per game in 2014, which was a career high. It is clear the Seahawks are trusting Wilson to air it out more in his fourth year in the league, which makes him a must-start in fantasy circles.

The former Wisconsin Badgers star threw for more than 3,000 yards in each of his first three years without nearly that many passing attempts per game. Combining those additional opportunities with Wilson’s ability to run makes him a potential fantasy stalwart for the rest of 2015.

Thomas Rawls

This is Rawls’ backfield as long as Lynch is out, which is valuable in its own right for fantasy owners. Fred Jackson sprained his ankle Monday, per Stephen Cohen of SeattlePi.com, and Rawls had 17 carries, while Jackson had only three.

Touches were not a concern Monday, but fantasy owners were not pleased that Rawls did not take full advantage of those carries and failed to follow up his breakout showing in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears.

While Rawls did notch 104 rushing yards in that Chicago game and became a waiver-wire darling after Lynch’s injury, most of those came in the second half of a contest that was out of hand. Chicago’s defense wore down because its offense punted on all 10 possessions and kept sending it back on the field without adequate time to rest.

Rawls’ numbers were of the garbage-time variety, which still counts in fantasy but is also not sustainable.

With Lynch likely to come back soon and Rawls’ lack of a track record as a rookie, it is too early to overreact to the one impressive showing against the 1-3 Bears defense. Don’t put Rawls in your lineup unless he shows more in the coming weeks.

Jermaine Kearse

Kearse took full advantage of his two targets Monday yardage-wise, although he failed to reach the end zone. Of more long-term importance is the fact he only saw two targets in a game that Seattle played without its offensive workhorse in Lynch.

That left Kearse behind Doug Baldwin, Jimmy Graham, the injured Jackson, Tyler Lockett and even tight end Luke Wilson in targets. Baldwin and Graham are proven playmakers in this league who will see throws every week, while Lockett is an emerging speedster who was heavily involved in the game plan as a kick returner and receiver and even saw a carry off an end-around.

It’s clear the Seahawks see a high ceiling for Lockett because of his speed. He was a second-team All-American in his final collegiate season at Kansas State and is getting the opportunity to demonstrate his skills at the NFL level. While that will likely work for the Seahawks, it is unfortunate news for fantasy owners who are relying on Kearse.

Kearse is still a viable receiver in this offense, but there are only so many passes to go around. He has never topped 537 yards in a single season and doesn’t have an extensive track record that indicates he will put up guaranteed numbers this year.

Kearse is worth a bench spot in case some of your receivers are on bye weeks or injured, but he is not an automatic start at this point with other playmakers in Seattle.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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