Beanie Wells Injury: RB Must Start and Perform Big vs. Seahawks

Fantasy owners and Arizona Cardinals fans held their breath after hearing the news that running back Beanie Wells missed parts of practice on Thursday with a hamstring injury.

Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic is reporting that Wells says he fully expects to play in Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

The Cardinals (1-1) have seen a lot of promise out of Wells through the first two games this season.

Although he has only carried the ball 32 times over the course of the first two weeks, Wells has compiled 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Quietly, he has had one of the best starts to the season among NFL running backs.

His 183 yards rank eighth amongst the league leaders. His 5.7 yards per carry is fifth among running backs with at least 20 carries.

Although his potential absence may not have sounded like a huge deal to many fans, it likely would have a bigger impact on this weekend's game against the Seahawks than most of them realize.

The Cardinals are struggling with injuries at the running back position. If Wells doesn't start, that would mean that newly-acquired running back Chester Taylor would receive much of the workload.

Every division matchup for the Cardinals is important this year.

The NFC West will likely have one of the closest finishes at the end of the season. Arizona can't afford to have starters on the bench during these games.

The Seahawks are allowing only 3.1 yards per carry on the ground this season. That ranks among the top five in the league.

It's important that Wells plays against a team that boasts such a stout rushing defense.

The last thing they want is to become one-dimensional and risk losing a game with divisional implications.