Rashaad Penny vs. Alex Collins: Who Has Edge in Seattle's Backfield vs. Texans?
By Peter Dewey
The Seattle Seahawks backfield continues to be a revolving door, as Alex Collins will return this week but Adrian Peterson is out against the Houston Texans. Travis Homer will also miss the team’s Week 14 game.
#Seahawks RB Adrian Peterson won't play this week due to a lower back injury, per HC Pete Carroll. Travis Homer is also out.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) December 10, 2021
That will leave Collins and former first-round pick Rashaad Penny to handle the rushing duties for Seattle, and it appears Penny could have a chance to break out against a poor Houston defense.
RB Rashaad Penny at Houston: "He's going to play a lot this week," Pete Carroll says.
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 8, 2021
That's after Penny's strong game in limited opps vs 49ers. Run, catch and run on screen, key blitz pickup for 17-yard pass.
A bigger role for Penny certainly would benefit a Seattle team that hasn’t exactly thrived on offense since Russell Wilson returned to the lineup from his finger injury.
Penny played 41 percent of the snaps for Seattle in Week 13, carrying the ball 10 times for 35 yards. He also brought in his lone target in the passing game for 27 yards.
Collins is a solid between the tackles runner, but he doesn’t have the explosive ability that Penny possesses. Because of that, the Seahawks may be wise to give the former first rounder the majority of the touches in Week 14.
Do oddsmakers see anyone with the edge ahead of this matchup?
At the moment, Collins is -133 at WynnBET to score a touchdown in Week 14 while Penny is just +200. Collins has played a bigger role this season with Penny banged up, but those odds suggest that the veteran back is still going to lead the way, especially in the red zone.
Penny is certainly worth a shot at +200, and I personally think he is the better bet to score given the value on his prop compared to Collins.
The Seahawks are 8.5-point favorites on the road against Houston this week.