RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Target in Middle Rounds
CURRENT ADP: 110 STD, 88 PPR
ANALYSIS: Devonta Freeman came into the league with a lot of hype last year as the guy expected to take over for Steven Jackson. I was definitely one of those people saying that. Unfortunately, that never came into fruition, and Freeman was used more as a pass catching back on a team that had one of the worst offensive lines in football. A year later, a new coaching staff has come onboard and of the most important names there is Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan runs the very famous zone running scheme that has made backs like Alfred Morris and Arian Foster into highly productive RB1 backs.
Despite the fact that the Falcons drafted Tevon Coleman, Freeman’s spent all of the offseason running with the first team because Coleman doesn't fit into Shanahan’s zone scheme. Impatient and not willing to set up his blockers, he’s not suited to play the kind of finesse game that Shanahan asks for. While Coleman is likely to play a role this year, unless he unprecedentedly develops the skills required to play in this scheme within the next month, Freeman is en route to see at least 50% of the carries, and maybe more if he proves to be effective since he is an actual fit for this scheme.
Freeman’s ADP is cheap, the ceiling is there because of the scheme and so is the floor since Freeman is now one of only two pass catching running backs on the roster, and the only one of those two who can still run between the tackles. He might not be the safest week 1 fantasy starter, but he can be that surprise RB2 that your team needs.
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