Devonta Freeman

Week 2 at Oakland
Devonta Freeman was a fantasy dud in Week 1, rushing for just 20 yards on 11 carries while catching four-of-four targets for 20 yards in the Falcons’ loss to the Bucs. The good news is that he still played more snaps than Tevin Coleman. The bad news is that Freeman (36) only had four more snaps than Coleman (32), so clearly Atlanta plans to make good on Dan Quinn’s offseason comments that the Falcons will use more of a RBBC approach this season. (In fact, Quinn said on Monday that the team will continue to use an RBBC moving forward.)

Freeman remains the RB1 in Atlanta and is the team’s goal line back, but if Week 1 was any indication of how Kyle Shanahan intends to use his running backs, Coleman will continue to receive opportunities (especially in the passing game). Ranked as our RB14 for Week 2, view Freeman as a RB2 for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

Fantasy Upside
Devonta Freeman's emergence as the No. 1-ranked running back and the No. 2 overall fantasy player was one of the biggest stories in 2015. He exploded for 1,056 rushing yards on 265 carries with 11 touchdowns, and added 578 receiving yards on 73 catches and an additional three touchdowns. Had then-rookie Tevin Coleman not suffered a ribs injury early in the season, perhaps we would have never seen Freeman emerge as a fantasy star. Nevertheless, Freeman is locked in as the lead back on the Falcons' depth chart and will once again play a significant role as both a rusher and receiver in Kyle Shanahan's offense.

Fantasy Downside
The Falcons' coaching staff expressed this offseason that they want to reduce Freeman's workload in 2016. They maintain that they want Freeman and Coleman to compete for opportunities in Shanahan's offense despite Freeman's emergence last season. After touching the ball 337 times in 2015, Freeman ran out of gas down the stretch, which plays into the notion that he and Coleman will be in a timeshare this season. Keep in mind the current coaching regime in Atlanta didn't draft Freeman. They did take Coleman in the third-round of the 2015 NFL Draft, however, so they'll ensure he's given a chance to succeed. As previously mentioned, had Coleman not suffered an injury early last season, Freeman may have been relegated to RB2 duties throughout the year.

2016 Bottom Line
Freeman remains Atlanta's RB1 but it's unlikely that he'll receive 337 touches again unless Coleman's fumbling issues resurface. Thanks to his pass-catching abilities, Freeman has more value in PPR leagues than standard formats. He currently ranks as our RB5 in PPR but drops to RB14 in standard, so be conscientious of your league's scoring before draft night. If you play in a PPR league, Freeman is a RB1 and worth a second-round investment (his current ADP in 10-team leagues is 2.05, while his ADP in 12-team leagues is 2.03). If you play in standard formats, you'll have to weigh whether or not Freeman is worth a second-round pick when Allen Robinson, Brandon Marshall, Jamaal Charles and/or Jordy Nelson will be on the board at the same time.

Week 16 vs. Carolina
Devonta Freeman rushed 25 times for 56 yards and a touchdown while also catching 7-of-10 targets for 45 yards in the Falcons Week 15 victory over the Bucs. Freeman hasn't come close to rushing for 100 yards since Week 8 when he finished with 88 versus the Bucs. But he continues to be a factor in the passing game and remains a top 5 fantasy option in both standard and PPR formats. The Panthers rank No. 13 against fantasy running backs this season and held Freeman to just 40 yards on 12 carries in Week 14. But the Falcons are a more efficient offense when Freeman is heavily involved and he'll have a heavy volume again this weekend. He ranks as our RB4 for Week 16 and is a RB1 for Sunday's game versus Carolina.