Thomas Rawls believers, take heart. You may enjoy a second-straight week of a Rawls-led Seattle Seahawks backfield as Marshawn Lynch is reportedly still dealing with the effects of a hamstring injury suffered earlier this season and which knocked him out of the Seahawks romp over the Chicago Bears last weekend. Per a Wednesday report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, Lynch's status is in doubt and there's now a "50-50" chance Beast Mode will suit up against the Detroit Lions on Monday night.
Lynch, the engine that has driven the Seahawks offense for five seasons now, managed just five rushing attempts for 14-yards against the Bears before the exiting the game with what was later deemed to be a hamstring injury. Rawls took over from there and finished the game with 104-yards rushing on 16 carries.
The undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan steadily made his way up the Seahawks running back depth chart this offseason, pushing past the likes of Christine Michael and Robert Turbin. He even seems to have distanced himself from veteran free agent pickup Fred Jackson as the No. 2 behind Lynch, though Jackson will likely continue to have a role as a versatile third-down option.
If Lynch is on the shelf this week, it doesn't bode well for the Seahawks, unless Rawls is able to continue his expected emergence. Fortunately, it seems Rawls brings a lot of the same skills to the table as the bruising Beast Mode.
"He's quick, strong and runs like Marshawn Lynch," an NFC personnel exec said of Rawls, per Ross Jones of Fox Sports. "Runs with a lot of toughness and has some burst. He runs with short, little strides until he finds a crease and then he hits the hole. He's not afraid to keep his legs churning to push the pile and likes to finish runs."
While Rawls won't be taking over longterm for Lynch any time soon, he's certainly a good pickup for fantasy football owners looking for some good RB2/flex production out of a player they won't have to deal any assets for.
