DON’T LOAF, GRAB PENNY

IT CAN be surprising and fun when an unexpected development develops unexpectedly. Like, maybe you thought the main character was going to be one person in “Psycho” or “1917” or “Scream,” only to have the narrative shift to someone else.

Remember when Chris Carson was going to be the Seahawks’ lead running back? Of course you do, because that has been the default plot line every season for quite some time. When he went down with a neck injury, having played just the first four games, it was a guessing game who would step into his role, and if that running back would be productive.

There was Alex Collins, Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer, Deejay Dallas. Collins was the presumptive heir, and he did get the lion’s share of the work load in the immediate aftermath of Carson’s injury. In fact, Collins got a long runway to prove his worth. He led Seattle in carries from Weeks 5-12. The other guys were available most of the time but got spotty work if any, including Penny. Then came last week, when Collins missed a game due to a groin injury. In his absence, Penny and newly signed Adrian Peterson split the workload. Neither was impressive. But that wasn’t big news, since Collins was a huge dud when he had the reins — averaging an abysmal 6.7 PPR points in that span, including five straight games with fewer than 6.0 fantasy points.

This stretch also included an injury to Russell Wilson. The running game struggled in his absence, even if backup QB Geno Smith did surprisingly OK. Then when Wilson returned, he looked like he came back too early, showing rust and inaccuracy common to his history.

In the past two weeks, he has looked better, adding offensive balance, so maybe there is hope the running game isn’t going to be the same garbage down the stretch that it has been most of the season. And the best evidence of this was Penny’s performance Sunday.

Collins was back but got just seven carries for an embarrassing 16 yards. Dallas got two scant touches, producing the same yardage as Collins. Peterson was dealing with a back injury and didn’t play.

It was Penny who was the bell cow for the first time this season. He got 16 carries and made the best of them, racking up 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Considering the lack of consistency in the Seattle running game this season, is it safe to trust Penny after just one strong outing?

Safe? No. But the Madman thinks it is worth the risk. Coach Pete Carroll has historically leaned on the run game, which has helped Wilson reach his highest production as well. So now that they might have found something that works, it makes sense for them to go back to it. And how often do you find a potential bell cow RB on waivers right before the fantasy playoffs?

Grab Penny if you can, even if you don’t start him right away.