Fantasy Football: One Running Back to Target in Each Round of Your Draft

Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

ADP 7.02 (RB32)

Things have gotten weird in Seattle.

As soon as the Seahawks took Rashaad Penny in the first round, the assumption was that they'd ride him as a bell-cow back, which made Penny an enticing fantasy option. But pretty much everything since the draft has gone against Penny, with Seattle's staff -- and reporters -- repeatedly talking up Chris Carson (7.04) and Penny landing on the shelf with a broken finger.

Penny's and Carson's ADPs have gotten to know one another quite well as they're both coming off the board in the early part of the seventh round.

We certainly can't just dismiss all of the offseason chatter about Carson, and if Penny doesn't play again in the preseason (he reportedly has a chance to return for the final preseason contest), Carson should be viewed as the favorite to open 2018 as the starter.

But, based on his draft capital and talent, Penny will likely get his chance at some point.

Seattle, a team with a lot of holes, took Penny 27th overall, burning their lone top-75 pick on a running back. They obviously liked him pre-draft, and it's safe to assume that if they were really head over heels for Carson, they would've addressed one of their many other needs in the first round rather than taking a running back. In short, the 'Hawks didn't invest a first-round pick in Penny to have him stand on the sideline.

At this point in the draft, it's hard to find guys with a clear path to volume -- those dudes go early -- and taking Penny is a leap of faith that he'll jump Carson on the depth chart sooner rather than later. Time will tell if that happens, but if it does, the upside is pretty tasty.

Seattle has finished in the top 11 in points scored in 5 of Russell Wilson's 6 seasons, and the Seahawks' offensive line was better last year after the midseason acquisition of tackle Duane Brown. Plus, Penny checked a lot of boxes as a prospect at San Diego State.

The floor is a wee bit scary here, but there's an awful lot to like about Penny's upside.