What It Means:

In addition to nominal starter Thomas Rawls, Christine Michael appears to have budged himself into that timeshare. Michael has had a superb training camp by all accounts, and shined in Saturday's preseason opener, parlaying seven carries into 44 yards. The Seahawks Michael he has matured since they reacquired him after he was cut by the Dallas Cowboys late last year. It's beginning to look like Michael could open the season with a role in Seattle's backfield.

Our models expect Michael to be the third option in his own backfield, behind both Rawls and rookie third-round pick C.J. Prosise. We project him to carry the ball 20 times for 89 yards and 1.09 touchdowns this season, adding 10 catches for 69 yards and 0.31 scores through the air.