Fantasy News: Seahawks Reporter Has Chris Carson as an RB1 over Rashaad Penny

The primary storyline for the Seattle Seahawks during the preseason—at least for fantasy football enthusiasts—will be the battle at running back between Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny.

After Seattle used the No. 27 pick on Penny in this year's draft, he became the presumptive favorite to win the job. But Brady Henderson of ESPN.com believes Carson will win the job:

"...Carson has easily been the most impressive of Seattle's running backs. He's added about 10 pounds of lean weight and appears to be all the way back from the ankle/leg injury that cut short his promising rookie season. Penny will play as a rookie—perhaps in a third-down or change-of-pace role—but Carson looks like the favorite to enter the season as the starter."

It won't be surprising if Carson takes it. He did so last year, after all, running for 208 yards on 49 rushes (4.2 yards per carry) before breaking his leg against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. He was good last summer, and he's looked even better during this year's training camp.

As Gregg Bell of the News Tribune wrote:

"Carson has been the most physically impressive Seahawk on either side of the ball. He's not running as much as he is gliding. And this is a thoroughbred. He gained 10 pounds while rehabilitating this offseason. He's listed at 5-11, 220 pounds. But he's moving faster and looking leaner yet more formidable than that.

'He has been remarkably fit,' coach Pete Carroll said.

Then the coach gushed Carson is 'a beautiful looking athlete out here.'"

As Bell noted, Carson has been atop the depth chart all offseason. And Carroll told Bell that he was excited when the team drafted Carson a year ago and that he's pleased with what the running back has shown this offseason.

"He's just worked so hard and so well conditioned and so strong that he really, he's tearing it up," he said. "And so we're real excited about it. Where we left off, he was just getting going last year, and I think he would've been a very impacting football player on our team and we missed him, terribly."

Still, it's hard to imagine the Seahawks won't get Penny involved. And C.J. Prosise is likely to handle the third-down duties, so it wouldn't be shocking if Seattle utilized a committee approach. 

But Carson has looked like Seattle's most well-rounded back. Perhaps that will change if Penny proves he can pass block at a high level. But for now, Carson is the running back to draft for fantasy owners in Seattle's backfield.

Penny is probably the long-term play though. 

And given the possibility of a committee situation—and the chance Penny could earn a major workload as the season progresses—Carson should be considered an RB3. He's the type of player you'll want for your flex spot, but having two safer running backs on your roster is the smart approach.

As for Penny, draft him as an RB3 as well. There's still an excellent chance he will emerge as the team's feature back. But it probably won't be early in the season, which limits his upside.