Fantasy Upside
In his first NFL season, Royce Freeman ran for over 500 yards and scored five times. He split time with fellow rookie Phillip Lindsay early on during their rookie campaigns, before eventually being relegated to a backup role. Freeman is the biggest RB on the team, with a 230-pound frame, and will probably again be used in short-yardage situations. With Lindsay out for the season finale versus the Chargers, he recorded his best game, totaling 103 yards on 25 touches.
Fantasy Downside
After being drafted in the third round last year, Freeman was supposed to be the Broncos No. 1 RB of the future. However, his rookie season was a disappointment and he’ll likely be splitting time with Devontae Booker when Lindsay comes out of contests. In the opener of ’18, he was given the ball for 15 carries, but registered double-digit touches just four times the rest of the year. Don’t expect any bust out runs from Freeman, as just two of his 130 rush attempts went for over 20 yards.
Bottom Line
Fully recovered from the wrist injury suffered at the end of last year, Lindsay will be the Broncos starting RB heading into the ’19 season, relegating Freeman to the backup spot, as well as some third-down situations, despite just 14 catches his first season. While the former Oregon Duck showed some promise of being a viable fantasy player early on, Lindsay sparked the offense and will again be the featured ball carrier in Denver.