Week 1 is in the books and we’re onto Week 2 of the fantasy football season. In the opening matchup of the season, we saw rookie halfback Jadarian Price make his much-awaited debut for the Seattle Seahawks, stepping in as the lead option in the backfield. The first-round pick showed promise, but what should fantasy managers expect moving forward?
It begs the question – should Jadarian Price start in Week 2 fantasy lineups?
Jadarian Price Week 2 fantasy outlook
A first-round pick out of Notre Dame, Price earned some significant hype thanks to his draft capital. Typically, spending that kind of premium asset on a running back means they’ll wind up being heavily utilized in the offense, so there was plenty of projection that suggested the rookie would step into a featured role for the Seahawks from the jump.
Seattle opened the new season with a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots, a pretty tough defensive matchup up front. For what it’s worth, Price did emerge as the starter in Week 1 and wound up with 10 total rush attempts for 52 yards. He also saw some usage in the receiving game, picking up two catches on two targets for just six yards. In total, that added up to just 7.8 fantasy points in PPR formats – hardly an inspiring performance as the RB37 on the week.
The rookie didn’t deliver the fantasy output that many managers who played him hoped for. But what should we glean from his debut?
We can start with the positives. First up, Price did operate as the first running back to hit the field for the Seahawks and took the first carry of the game for his team. He’s still the top name on the depth chart, and more importantly, he saw more touches out of the backfield than his teammates. That’s encouraging moving forward, especially since the coaching staff trusted the first-year pro. With an average of 5.2 yards per carry, he was efficient on the day, and he also broke two runs for 10+ yards. His two targets in the receiving game weren’t much to write about, but they were also a good sign moving forward for fantasy relevance in PPR formats.
The difference in the snap counts and usage wasn’t quite as bright for Price, though. He was the starter but actually played just 24 snaps on the day, only one more than second-string halfback George Holani with 23. There wasn’t a huge gap between the two in terms of touches, either – Price recorded two more carries and one more target than Holani did. There’s also the matter of high-value touches, too. Price didn’t record a single touch in the red zone, though Holani saw two carries inside the 20-yard line.
Does that mean Price isn’t worth starting in Week 2? Not necessarily. He does seem to be the top option in the Seahawks backfield and they’re in line for a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, who ranked 25th in rushing yards allowed last season. Just temper your expectations for the rookie to FLEX-level production for the time being rather than expecting anything more.
There is upside, though. With Sam Darnold out for a bit due to a hip injury, perhaps Seattle leans on the run in this game to insulate backup quarterback Drew Lock. If this Arizona defense doesn’t show signs of improvement against the run, then perhaps Price could have a day in his second pro contest.
