Robert Turbin: Backup RB Is Not Worth Your Fantasy Time

Unless you are in a 45-team league, rookie Seahawks running back Robert Turbin is not worth a spot on your roster at this time. 

This is not a reflection of Turbin's future prospects. He had a solid preseason and he may develop into a fantasy stud. This is about Turbin not having a great enough opportunity to produce in Week 1 as his team takes on the Arizona Cardinals.  

His name is popping up in fantasy news as we approach the opener largely because starting Seahawk running back Marshawn Lynch is struggling with back issues. 

Lynch was held out of practices last week and he hasn't had a carry in the last two preseason games.

He returned to practice on Wednesday, although it appears that was in a very limited role and his status for this game is still up in question. 

Obviously, if Lynch is ready to go then Turbin is fairly worthless this week, but either way, he is a bad choice. Lynch is almost certainly going to be a game-time decision. That means any owner that picks up Turbin will run the risk of having a useless back on their roster, and the potential reward with Turbin is not great enough to warrant that risk.

If Lynch winds up not playing, it does not mean Turbin will slip right into his role. He will wind up sharing duties with Kregg Lumpkin and Leon Washington. I wouldn't expect Turbin to wind up with more than 15 carries in this contest. 

The other big factor here is that the Seahawks will roll into Arizona with a rookie QB making his first start. While this will lead to them relying on the running game to ease the pressure on the rookie, it is also going to allow the Cardinals to stack the box to stop that running game. 

Arizona does not have a great rush defense and finished last season 21st in yards allowed per rush. However, the team has shown flashes and its job will be made easier going against a rookie QB in this game. 

So if you need to find a running back in a hurry for Week 1, it would be best to look away from Robert Turbin.