After answering the call to fill in for the Seattle Seahawks last week, Alex Collins entered Week 7 with momentum on his side. However, recent injuries could hamper his fantasy football upside this week. Along with the potential of added touch competition, what is the outlook for Collins on Monday Night Football, and should fantasy managers risk leaving him in their lineups for Week 7?
Alex Collins shined in Week 6 against the Steelers
With Chris Carson (neck) on injured reserve for the Seahawks, Collins carried the rushing attack against one of the better run defenses in the NFL in a prime-time game. Needless to say, he delivered.
Collins rushed 23 times for 101 rushing yards with a touchdown against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. He was a relative non-factor in the passing game, however, recording a reception on his lone target for -3 yards. He started off slow, but as the game wore on, it seemed the Seahawks were wearing down the Steelers’ defense.
Collins found the majority of his success in the third and fourth quarters. He was responsible for 21 of the Seattle backfield’s 33 opportunities while playing on 60% of the team’s offensive snaps. Yet, his heavy workload came at a cost.
Collins missed practice due to a groin injury
According to John Boyle of the Seahawks’ official site, Collins (groin) didn’t practice Thursday [October 21]. With that being said, head coach Pete Carroll was his optimistic self when addressing the media earlier in the day. He stated Collins would practice, but that was clearly not the case. With Seattle having the extra day to prepare due to their game taking place on Monday night, they opted to exercise caution with their current RB1.
Fortunately for Collins, he’ll have two more chances to practice before the Seahawks decide on his availability for their Monday Night Football game against the Saints. But even if they do opt to play him, Seattle might turn to more of a committee approach in Week 7, which only further clouds Collins’ fantasy outlook.
RB Rashaad Penny set to return Monday with “no limitations”
Per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Penny (calf) told reporters Friday [October 22] that he shouldn’t have any limitations on Monday. Penny has been out since Week 1 after the team placed him on IR due to a calf injury he picked up against the Colts in the season opener.
It’s been a long time since we saw a fully healthy Penny on the field. He has played in only four games over the last two seasons after missing nearly all of 2020 due to a torn ACL he suffered in Week 15 of the 2019 campaign. So the question is not only how much Penny will play, but can he even be effective? Clearly, this is not what the Seahawks front office thought would happen when they selected him over Nick Chubb in the 2018 NFL Draft, but I don’t want to ruffle any feathers.
Can fantasy managers trust Collins to play in Week 7?
Trust is a significant word. Outside of a few select players, I don’t fully trust anyone — but maybe that’s a character flaw of mine. The concern for Collins is if he does play, is he under any snap count limitations? Furthermore, what is the likelihood of him further aggravating his calf injury and being forced out of the game early?
It’s not like this is a must-start matchup either. The New Orleans Saints are coming off a bye, which means they have had an extra week to prepare for the Geno Smith-led Seahawks offense. They’re also No. 8 in fantasy points allowed to RBs at just 20.46 per game. Additionally, they allow just 96.6 total yards per game (third-lowest).
Not to mention, should you choose to play Collins, you are locked into this decision with no fallback as this game is on Monday night. You need to be certain about Collins’ status unless you have Penny or potentially DeeJay Dallas to pivot to. I currently have Collins as a low-end RB3 under the assumption he plays. Ideally, I would not have him in a starting lineup in Week 7. I was in the camp of “Chris Carson or bust,” and the return of Penny along with injury to Collins has me staying away from this backfield.
