- Seattle finally is running backwards: Zach Charbonnet made his season debut after tearing his ACL in the divisional round of the playoffs last season, and rookie Jadarian Price was recently activated from injured reserve.
- Jeffery Simmons doing his Chicago Bears debut: Chicago didn’t ease Simmons into action – he played a key role from the start – and he made his mark in his first game.
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Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks get reinforcement at running back: Zach Charbonnet returned from the PUP list, while Jadarian Price returned from injured reserve.
Seattle spent most of the season with Emanuel Wilson as the early-down back and George Holani as the third-down back. Early in the season, Price played some early-down snaps. Entering the season, many expected a two-man rotation similar to last season, with Price taking Kenneth Walker III’s spot as the early-down back and Charbonnet remaining the receiving and goal-line back.
With the return of two running backs, Robert Henry Jr. was waived. Velus Jones Jr. didn’t practice all week with a hamstring injury and was ruled out on Saturday. That leaves Seattle with four active running backs.
Charbonnet started for Seattle and played 10 of 13 snaps in the first three drives, with Price mixing in for some first-down plays. Seattle turned to Price as the primary back for the next two drives, with Holani playing a third-down snap in place of Price. To end the first half, Holani took a two-minute drill. In the second half, the Seahawks continued to rotate the back, often with a key back on every drive.
Seattle using two backs interchangeably is probably good news for fantasy managers, as it means that the back who is clearly going against the other is likely to get more playing time. If Seattle uses its two-man rotation from last season, it will be difficult to trust either back. Considering this is their first game back, the rotation can change, especially during the two-minute practice. The Seahawks have been rumored to be looking for a running back, and neither back played well enough in this game to put those rumors to rest.
Wilson could be dropped from fantasy leagues after not being involved in the offense. It’s possible he’ll be a healthy inactive when Jones is healthy, given Jones’ special teams value.
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The Seahawks settle for nothing Rashid Shaheed: Shaheed did not train all week with a knee injury and was ruled out on Saturday.
The Seahawks spent the season with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp as their primary receivers in the 11 man, with Shaheed playing 77% of the snaps in the 11 man and Tory Horton the rest. In two-receiver sets, Smith-Njigba led the snaps, while Kupp led the two-man rotation with Shaheed. In single-receiver sets, it’s usually Smith-Njigba or Horton. While most teams use a fifth or sixth receiver at some point, Seattle has given offensive snaps to just four players.
This week, Horton stepped up in terms of playing time, consistently playing in the 11 man while also playing in the two-receiver set when Kupp needed a break. With Horton playing more in the 11, 12 and 21 man, Smith-Njigba played more consistently in single-receiver sets. Seattle continued its trend of not using any of its other backup receivers on offense.
While Horton has a solid target rate, it’s likely that any Seahawks receiver outside of Smith-Njigba will have consistent fantasy value this season, considering how well the All-Pro receiver has played.
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Chicago settles without Cole Farmer: The Bears placed their backup tight end on injured reserve Friday after he suffered a non-contact knee injury last week, ending his season.
Chicago has had a straight end rotation through the first seven weeks, with Colston Loveland as the leading tight end in all situations, Cole Kmet joining him on the 12 man and rookie Sam Roush joining them on the 13 man. Kmet took 29% of 11-personnel snaps on early downs and 13% on third down. Kmet’s occasional use of 11 personnel was enough to keep Loveland out of the top 10 tight ends in route involvement rate.
With Kmet out, it’s almost next man. Roush started with the 12 man, while the Bears activated Stephen Carlson from the practice squad on Monday to play with the 13 man. This means Loveland rotates through 11 personnel less often. Loveland is more of a must-start option regardless of his route usage, but it should give him an extra route or two per week, which helps his fantasy value slightly. It doesn’t seem to affect how often Chicago uses each personnel grouping, given the circumstances Chicago is in.
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Miscellaneous Notes
- Seattle quarterback Drew Lock has missed back-to-back games with a right elbow injury. He was limited in practice all week and was listed as questionable Saturday.
- The Seahawks added wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. on the practice squad on Tuesday and he was activated on Monday.
- Bears running back Kyle Monangai missed practice all week with thumb and foot injuries and was ruled out Saturday, marking his fourth straight absence. Just like the last three weeks, Roschon Johnson is Chicago’s primary backup.
- The Bears signed running back Zavier Scott off their own practice squad on Tuesday.
IDP/Defense Notes
- Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons made his debut after Chicago traded two first-round picks to acquire him from the Tennessee Titans. Simmons led all interior defenders in defensive snaps through the first seven weeks. His snap rate dropped a few percent from normal in the first half, but he returned to rarely leaving the field in the second half.
- Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams suffered a fumble midway through the third quarter. He was initially listed as questionable but never returned. Jarran Reed filled in primarily, while Rylie Mills also saw an increase in snaps.
- Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas returned this week after missing two games with an ankle injury. He returned to consistently playing nickel defenses, as he did the first five weeks, taking over the Will linebacker job from Tyrice Knight. Seattle didn’t use any base defense against Chicago, and Thomas got some snaps from Ernest Jones in the dime, as he did in the first five weeks.
- Bears linebacker TJ Edwards is back after missing two and a half games with an ankle injury. He returned to his every-down role. Chicago started the season with Edwards and Devin Bush playing every down and D’Marco Jackson playing the base. In Edwards’ absence, Jackson became an every-down linebacker while Noah Sewell joined the base. Jackson is doubtful for this game with an ankle injury. While he was active, Sewell remained the base linebacker for this game. While this may have to do with the injury, Sewell graded out better than Jackson, so Sewell may remain the base linebacker ahead of Jackson going forward.