Chris Carson Injury Update Gives Travis Homer Huge Fantasy Football Value for Week 17 and Playoffs

Travis Homer runs the ball in Week 13 against the Vikings.
Travis Homer runs the ball in Week 13 against the Vikings. / Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
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When Chris Carson went down with a hip injury Sunday night, it wasn't clear just how serious the injury was. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has now confirmed that Carson is done for the year, joining Rashaad Penny and C.J. Prosise on the sidelines.

This leaves the Seahawks with an absolutely barren backfield, positioning Travis Homer to step up as a workhorse back almost by default.

Travis Homer Fantasy Value Week 17

Through the first 15 weeks of the season, Carson had averaged 19.3 rush attempts and 3.3 targets per game. Penny had added a total of 65 carries and 11 targets, and Prosise tallied 23 carries and 12 targets on the year. That's a ton of volume to vacate, and even if the Seahawks take a more pass-heavy approach sans Carson, they really don't have anyone to cut into Homer's touches.

We saw that come to fruition on Sunday, when Homer saw five carries and eight targets in relief of Carson. That receiving-heavy workload was in part because the Seahawks were playing from behind, and it's a great indicator that Homer will be heavily involved no matter what direction the offense takes.

For Week 17, Homer draws a tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, who rank second in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA metric. He's likely in line for 20-plus touches though, which keeps him firmly in play as a viable fantasy option for the week.


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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.