As Week 15 arrives, we’ve reached do-or-die time. The playoffs are here in all leagues, and the race for the big money begins in the FFPC.
It’s also the time for new heroes to emerge. Former first-round pick Rashaad Penny gained 137 yards and scored two touchdowns on his 16 carries against the hapless Texans. His 26.8 points trailed only Dalvin Cook and his 205-yard eruption on Thursday night.
This isn’t the first time Penny has looked like a potential playoff hammer. He went off for two RB1 finishes heading into the 2019 playoffs, only to see his season end in true Penny fashion – with injury.
Penny has been a ghost in the interim, but he’s talented enough that the Seahawks – and fantasy managers – keep going back to him. Penny landed on the 2021 Zero RB Candidates Countdown, and Curtis Patrick liked him as a priority pick as well. Unfortunately, those high hopes paid limited dividends. He was drafted in most formats, dropped early, picked up on waivers, dropped, picked up, dropped, and, in many formats, locked.
But for Penny, for the Seahawks, and for best ball drafters, it’s a case of better late than never. I had reason to be personally grateful, as Penny helped our RotoViz Overtime squad (Unauthorized Cinnamon) advance to Round 2 of the FFPC postseason tourney.
We constructed our strategy with the idea of trying to get a Jonathan Taylor squad through his Week 14 bye. Many of the Taylor teams will be eliminated, hopefully providing an advantage down the stretch. (The disappointment of Elijah Moore’s IR placement disappeared quickly on Sunday, obscured by Penny’s rebirth.)
The Seattle situation offers another reminder of the way in which emerging Zero RB league-winners are usually clear plays when a manager needs them the most. Penny was a good option for Week 14, but not a no-brainer. He graduates to clear starter status for the fantasy playoffs.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we want to remember this is still Penny, he still plays in a bad Seahawks offense, and he has one of the 10 worst playoff schedules. Even with those caveats, it’s an exciting time for Penny fans. He could be about to resurrect his career right as it was about to disappear for good.
