Chris Carson Week 1 Outlook -

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Fri, Sep 11th 2020, 1:12pm EDT

We don't know how this backfield will shape out, but it's hard to see the Seahawks taking the starting job away from Carson after the year he just had. With that being said, health can be a question mark after he suffered a season-ending hip injury that forced him to miss the playoffs last year. When you add in Hyde and the fact that they drafted a running back (DeeJay Dallas) in the fourth round, it's clear they were preparing for the worst. The Falcons could be described as an average defense last year, as they were around the league average in every major statistical category to running backs: rush attempts (20th), rushing yards (19th), rushing touchdowns (24th), receptions (19th), and receiving yards (23rd). It makes sense that Carson totaled 90 total yards and a touchdown against them in last year's meeting. He was one of 14 running backs who posted top-16 numbers against them. There were three running backs who totaled 100 yards on the ground last year, though nobody was able to eclipse 111 rushing yards. With Hyde on the roster, it's possible they do some sort of 60/40 split, which would hurt both Carson's floor and ceiling. I don't see the Seahawks blowing out the Falcons (neither do oddsmakers), which would play more into Carson/Dallas' role than Hyde's, as Hyde isn't a good pass-catcher. I feel Carson should be considered a mid-to-high-end RB2 in this game who has a little bit more touch concerns than he did in 2019, though not enough to move him out of RB2 territory, especially in a projected high-scoring game. There's a good chance he scores here, though I wouldn't bank on it with cash games now that Hyde's in the mix.