Should I Pickup Royce Freeman For Fantasy Football Week 16? Waiver Wire Outlook

Houston Texans running back Royce Freeman has been on the practice squad for much of the 2022 season, but after an ankle injury saw Dameon Pierce go to Injured Reserve, Freeman is on the active roster and the fantasy football radar.

Of course, Freeman is on a bottom-of-the-barrel NFL team and hasn't scored double-digit fantasy points in a game since the 2019 season, but the running back position is ultra-scarce, and fantasy managers are itching for any production in deep leagues.

Is Freeman worth picking up ahead of Week 16? Let's find out.

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What Did Royce Freeman Do In Week 15?

In a week where fantasy analysts were pointing to Dare Ogunbowale and Rex Burkhead as potential streamers against the Kansas City Chiefs, it was Freeman who led the Texans' backfield in touches. Freeman rushed 11 times for 51 yards and caught his only target for five yards in the loss.

He failed to score a touchdown so he wasn't a strong fantasy play, but the usage was solid enough to earn him a spot on the fantasy football radar.

Should I Pickup Royce Freeman Off the Waiver Wire in Fantasy Football?

Even in leagues of 14 teams or more, it's hard to see Freeman paying off as a flex option in fantasy football. All fantasy rosters that are still alive at this point in the season likely have better options as running back, as even some "backup" running backs on other NFL teams have higher upsides. Freeman is nothing more than a between-the-tackles runner on one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

In Week 16, the Texans are set to match up with the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed the second-fewest rushing yards this season (65 yards per game) and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs. If Freeman were set to face a juicy matchup, he'd be much more attractive. Even then, his upside is still low in the context of the Houston offense.

It's always a good idea for fantasy managers to exhaust all options on the waiver wire, but Freeman doesn't have enough of a bright outlook to consider him in the second round of the fantasy football playoffs.

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