On Wednesday (December 1), the 3-9 Seahawks signed the 36-year-old Adrian Peterson to their practice squad. It perfectly encapsulates what has easily been their most shockingly disastrous season in franchise history. For all you fantasy football managers out there, one question remains — is there any reason (any reason at all) to snag Peterson off the waiver wire ahead of Week 13?
Can Adrian Peterson have a fantasy impact?
Truthfully? No. And like most red-blooded humans, I’m a mammoth fan of AP. My first fantasy football blog launched during his rookie campaign. I measure my fantasy career not in years but in “AP seasons.” So I say, “keep playing as long as you can, AP,” because when he retires, I’ll feel some supernatural pull to retire with him. I know in my bones he’ll appreciate that level of kinship.
But we need to be objective about this. No amount of love for this future first-ballot Hall of Famer changes the fact that Peterson’s signing is both inexplicable and ignorable.
What’s going on with the Seahawks’ RB depth chart?
Seattle has Alex Collins, Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas, and Travis Homer. Although Penny missed Week 12 with a hamstring injury, he was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s “estimated” practice (not a real practice because the team played Monday). Homer missed Week 12 with a calf injury, but the team projected him as a full participant Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Collins (abdomen) is questionable to start the week, leaving Dallas as the one presumably healthy RB on the active roster.
And we can’t forget about Josh Johnson, the undrafted rookie Seattle signed to their practice squad in the spring. At this stage in their respective careers, it’s quite possible Johnson would generate more offense than AP would.
And that brings us to Peterson. To have a fantasy impact, three of their four active-roster running backs would need to be out for Sunday’s game. Then, he’d need to beat out Johnson to become a TD-or-bust option — an RB6 with about a 10% chance of RB3 production.
Should fantasy managers add Peterson off the waiver wire ahead of Week 13?
If you play in a 20-team league that rewards savvy managers for finding 4-point RBs, then yes, drop that WR7 you’ve been stashing for a rainy day and add AP. Or, if you’re in a 16-team league and, because of injuries, are forced to start Collins and Dallas, then at least Peterson can maintain your backfield stack if Collins sits on Sunday.
But for the rest of you, I would advise looking elsewhere for fantasy RB production. AP has played on six different teams in his last 51 starts. He can’t latch on anywhere for long because he’s no longer a top-100 NFL back. In his last 17 games, he’s rushed 162 times for 552 yards (3.4 yards per carry) with only 13 receptions. He would realistically need 20 touches to be startable, and that simply won’t happen. If you’re looking for a desperation RB3, look elsewhere.