Just days before the Seattle Seahawks face the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wildcard Round, a surprise announcement was made. Seahawks' running back Marshawn Lynch, who was expected to play for the first time since November 15, has been ruled out for Sunday's game.
Lynch had been making steady practice and had increased his involvement in practice in the weeks leading up to the Wild Card round, this week he was a full participant in practice Wednesday through Friday. All signs indicated Lynch was set to start in a cold-weather game in Minnesota, but now he will not be suiting up.
Seattle came into the game as a six-point road favorite against the Vikings according to BOVADA, a line that could certainly go down with Lynch out. Christine Michael will get the start in Lynch's place. In Michael's last start against the Arizona Cardinals, he rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries.
Michael will face off against a Vikings' run defense that has allowed 108.1 rushing yards per game this season, placing them 17th in the NFL. Given the number of touches he should receive in what projects to be a low-scoring game, Michael makes for a nice DFS play for Wildcard weekend.