Velus

Jones

Holani split primary change of pace duties with recent practice squad call-up Velus Jones Jr, the latter of whom turned four carries into 20 yards while losing one yard on his lone reception. Both backs appear unlikely to return fantasy value as Zach Charbonnet nears a return from injured reserve.

Holani was nursing a ribs injury on Wednesday and Thursday, but he is now listed with a knee injury as well. This is concerning. He clearly picked up a new injury during the practice week. Velus Jones is the current RB3. Jones is not viable as a FLEX starter if Holani sits, but Emanuel Wilson should take on an RB2-worthy workload regardless.

An inexplicable third round pick for the Bears in 2022, Jones, 29, won’t make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster despite Zach Charbonnet (knee) starting the season on the PUP list. The Seahawks were Jones’ fifth NFL team. He has 197 rushing yards over 37 NFL games. Seattle’s final roster cuts included T Logan Brown, CB Michael Dansby, T Kellen Diesch, DT Deven Eastern, S AJ Finley, CB Andre Fuller, LB Jalan Gaines, WR Emmanuel Henderson Jr., WR Julian Hicks, S Maxen Hook, DE Aidan Hubbard, LB Jared Ivey, S Tysheem Johnson, RB Justin Jones, LB Marvin Jones Jr., C Federico Maranges, WR Rashad Rochelle, DT Uso Seumalo, LB Jamie Sheriff, DT J.R. Singleton, DT Bubba Thomas, CB Jordan Washington, WR Ricky White III, and RB Jacardia Wright.LB Power Echols, T Amari Kight, FB Brock Lampe and LB Aaron Smith were waived with injury designations.

The soreness info comes from a team spokesperson, who evidently opted not to share helpful details. Price has been practicing hard, at times taking reps with the first-, second- and third-team offenses, so a little soreness is unsurprising. We might end up learning that he is dealing with a minor injury at some point, though. The team could simply be playing coy. Until then, don’t panic. Price’s first-team usage is encouraging for his rookie season outlook and we still have a month to go before the season begins. Seahawks RBs George Holani, Emanuel Wilson and Velus Jones all got time with the starting offense in Price’s stead.

Holani will likely see RB2 reps — at least some of them — behind Kenneth Walker against the Rams on Sunday. He’ll be an interesting DFS punt. Velus Jones and Cam Akers are also on the roster, and one of them will probably be inactive on Sunday if Holani is up.

Macdonald’s phrasing suggests Holani, not RB Cam Akers nor RB Velus Jones, would operate as the team’s No. 2 running back behind Walker, with former No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet sidelined by a season-ending ACL tear. Macdonald adds that it is “realistic” for Holani to play this week. He has a chance to take on pass-protection duties while chipping in as a rotational ballcarrier.

Rice, the son of NFL Hall of Famer and former Seattle Seahawk Jerry Rice, was most recently on the Patriots’ practice squad. The Seahawks add him to their practice squad as depth to the pass-catching corps. The 23-year-old Rice appeared in three NFL games for the Chargers last season, but has not recorded a target on offense. The Seahawks also added RB Velus Jones to the practice squad.

Jones was waived to make room for recent signee, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, formerly of the Ravens. Mitchell-Paden caught 1-of-2 targets for three yards this year. He entered the league as a 2022 undrafted free agent but had not taken any live receiving snaps until now.

With Kendre Miller down for the year with a torn ACL, Estime looks like the replacement back between the tackles. Devin Neal is set up to have the first run behind Alvin Kamara, but it’s possible that Taysom Hill gets so many of the carries and gadget plays that Neal has no real ceiling. No need to rush out and claim Estime, but if he impresses the Saints in their building, perhaps he’ll get a shot later in the season. New Orleans re-signed Velus Jones to their 53-man roster as a direct replacement for Miller, but Jones is just a kick returner at this point.

The Saints released Jones just two days ago. His presence on the practice squad gives them an emergency option for backup running back and kick return duties. He is not fantasy-relevant.