The Seattle Seahawks backfield has been nothing if not interesting to start the year. With Zach Charbonnet on IR, rookie Jadarian Price took charge of the backfield, right up until his own injury sidelined him. Third-string back Emanuel Wilson took charge in Week 4 against the Chargers, and figures to be the starter in Week 5 with Charbonnet and Price remaining on the sidelines. Does that make him a must-start in all fantasy formats in Week 5?
Week 4 Analysis
If you got Emanuel Wilson into your starting lineup last week, it had to feel good. The veteran took complete control of the backfield, rushing 21 times for 81 yards and a touchdown while adding 39 more yards and another score through the air. By comparison, backup RB George Holani recorded only 20 total yards on eight touches. With Seattle leading for most of the game, the run game got a big boost in the game script, leading to 24 PPR fantasy points for Wilson.
Snap counts tell a similar story of dominance for Wilson. He picked up 60% of the snaps in Week 4, compared to 37% for Holani. Considered to be the superior passing-down back, Holani got more work in obvious passing situations, but parlayed that into one catch for two yards. With a stranglehold on the running plays already, more passing down work for Wilson could turn him into a true workhorse in Week 5.
Matchup Analysis
As always, we have to consider the matchup here, and the San Francisco 49ers present an interesting one. Let’s look at how they’ve fared as fantasy opponents for running backs. Here’s a list of their opponents and the total PPR points allowed to their backfields.
- Week 1 vs. Rams: 24.3 total PPR points
- Week 2 vs. Dolphins: 14.1 total PPR points
- Week 3 vs. Cardinals: 26.9 total PPR points
- Week 4 vs. Broncos: 32.4 total PPR points
All told, that’s 24.4 PPR points allowed per game to opposing running backs. If Wilson gets the lion’s share of work once again, he should be in for a nice week. Game script may not favor Seattle in Week 5 the way it favored them against the Chargers, but they’ll have him involved on passing downs in some capacity, making up for the loss in production.
It’s also important to consider the 49ers injury report here. They’ve lost their entire projected starting defensive line of Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and CJ West due to injuries. Osa Odighizuwa has done great work to keep things together in their absence, but the front four for the Niners is severely hampered. Their dynamite linebacking duo of Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner will keep a lot of big plays off the board, but things will be soft up the middle for Wilson.
Unless you have a rock-solid lineup to begin, Wilson can get a FLEX look this week. Volume alone will make him productive with Seattle so banged up in the backfield and unwilling to look for free agent help. If you’re a Wilson owner, enjoy his last week in the sun.
