Rashaad Penny Fantasy Outlook Explodes Following Chris Carson's Two-Fumble Performance in Week 12

Chris Carson has been a top-tier fantasy asset this season, averaging the 11th-most fantasy points per game among running backs in standard-scoring leagues. However, he's struggled with fumbling issues, losing the ball seven times this season, which is the most among all RBs.

That has opened the door for his backup Rashaad Penny, who took the opportunity and ran with it, tallying 129 rushing yards and a score on 14 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12.

Rashaad Penny played 78% of the Seahawks' snaps in the 4th quarter. Chris Carson's fumbles finally catching up with him?
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) November 24, 2019

Carson played 35 snaps to Penny's 30, but Penny played 78 percent of the snaps in the fourth quarter, marking a clear shift. That's considerably different from Week 10, in which Carson played 96 percent of the snaps, while Penny played just 4 percent.

If Carson's fumbling issues have helped create a larger opportunity for Penny, then both backs can become fantasy viable. The Seattle Seahawks are one of just five teams that have run the ball more than 330 times this season, so there's likely going to be enough volume to sustain two solid running backs.

Of course, Carson remains the preferred play in all formats, but Penny has quickly gone from an elite handcuff option to a player capable of offering standalone value down the stretch.

Pete Carroll to @710ESPNSeattle on Rashaad Penny at RB: "There's no reason not to get him back in there next week," while saying Chris Carson is a "big part" of his #Seahawks program
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) November 25, 2019

Given that he's available in 81 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues, Penny should be a priority waiver add in all formats, and his emergence has a chance to hurt Carson's rest-of-season outlook going forward.

Join FanDuel Sportsbook Today. New users get a risk-free bet up to $500. Join Now.

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. 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.