Fantasy Football: 4 Things We Learned From Week 8
C.J. Prosise May Be Fantasy Relevant After All
C.J. Prosise entered the 2016 season with a lot of fantasy football hype. But he has battled a series of injuries, from separate preseason hip and hamstring injuries to a broken hand suffered in Week 1, that have kept him off the field for most of the season.
And last week, you could be forgiven for not even realizing Prosise was active, having only registered 2 catches for a meager 17 yards.
But against the Saints, we finally got a taste of the upside Prosise brings to the table. He notched an impressive 80-yard receiving effort on 4 catches, including a 43-yard reception on a trick play that had wide receiver Tanner McEvoy delivering him the ball.
And it isn't crazy at all to think Prosise’s role as the passing-down back should continue. The receiving capabilities of other Seahawks' running backs leaves much to be desired.
| Player | Reception NEP per Target | Reception Success Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Rawls (2015) | 0.36 | 55.56% |
| Christine Michael (2016) | 0.04 | 61.11% |
| C.J. Prosise | 1.04 | 100.00% |
While only on 8 targets compared to Christine Michael's 24 so far this season, Prosise is averaging a full point above expectation higher than Michael when he is targeted. And both Michael (in 2016) and Thomas Rawls (in 2015) each have fallen short of the league average (62.48%) among running backs in Reception Success Rate, which is the percentage of receptions that positively contribute to NEP.
When Rawls comes back from injury, he and Michael may be dueling for carries on 1st and 2nd downs. But don't be surprised if Prosise's role remains fixed given the success he's had in the passing game so far. And don't be surprised if that translates to fantasy viability for Prosise in PPR leagues.
