Chris Carson (neck) is officially “questionable” heading into the Seahawks’ Week 5 Thursday Night Football showdown against the Rams. He missed practice all week, and as always, the short week of rest and preparation makes it feel more likely he’ll be inactive. That said, he hasn’t been ruled out yet, so fantasy football owners will be frantically checking for updates prior to making their first start ’em, sit ’em decision of the week.

We’ll continue to update this article with news on Carson up until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 6:50 p.m. ET. For all the latest fantasy updates, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.

MORE TNF: FD single-game lineup | DK Showdown lineup | Start ’em, sit ’em

Is Chris Carson playing on Thursday night?

UPDATE 1: Seahawks beat writer Bob Condotta reported Thursday afternoon that Carson is, indeed, a “true game-time decision” and we won’t know his status until 90 minutes before kickoff.

UPDATE 2: Carson is officially OUT. 

Carson was absent from practice Wednesday due to his neck injury and will be a game-time decision for Thursday night. We’ll continue to monitor Carson’s status, but as for now, he’s not trending in the right direction. A neck injury is nothing to play around with, so we’ll likely be at the mercy of a last-second ruling on his availability. There’s also a risk he gets limited work if he does play, so even if he’s active, this is a worrisome situation for Carson fantasy owners.

WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

The Rams are often viewed as a stout front seven led by Aaron Donald, but they’ve been in the bottom half of the league against RBs in fantasy thus far. In PPR leagues, they’ve allowed Giovanni Bernard, David Montgomery, James Conner, and Chase Edmonds to score at least 17.9 fantasy points. So, while on paper they should be great against RBs, they’ve allowed plenty of backs to feed on them (though garbage time is responsible for some of that production). However, they did have success shutting down Jonathon Taylor against a struggling Colts’ offensive line. In our preseason offensive line rankings, Seattle checked in at No. 18 in the league. They’ve played to that level, if not worse. They’re in the bottom 10 in sacks allowed and bottom half of the league in rushing yards despite Russell Wilson bringing his rushing acumen to the table.

WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

All that said, Seattle could be overmatched up front, making this an air attack between Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson. Seattle has attempted just 91 runs this season, seventh-fewest in the NFL. Even if Carson is healthy, he may not be a must-start given all of the risks and concerns.

WEEK 5 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

If Carson is inactive, Alex Collins figures to be the lead back for Seattle. However, the Seahawks have opted to use a few backs in the past when Carson has been banged up. Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas could prevent Collins from having a workhorse role, but we still see Collins as a worthwhile flex after he impressed with 78 total yards and a TD on 12 touches last week.

Reminder: If you do decide to start Carson, make sure he’s in the RB spot rather than the flex spot in your lineup. This will allow you to be more flexible later in the week if unforeseen injuries/Covid-19 complications happen.