What do we make of Devonta Freeman? Should he be one of the top 3-4 running backs selected in fantasy drafts in August? That’s a question we’ll all be mulling for the next seven months. He started off awfully hot last year – but finished awfully cold.
Freeman is a very good pass catcher. That’s a big plus, and it won’t be addressed this time around.
I will point out, however, that Atlanta’s running game fizzled remarkable last year as the season wore on. They were piling up the yards and touchdowns early in the season, but it just wasn’t the same offense in November and December.
If you look at each team’s rushing production in its first eight games versus its last eight, in fact, the Falcons on the ground were the “least improved” offense in the league, with 50 fewer carries for 410 fewer yards and 9 fewer touchdowns in the second half of the season – worst in all three categories.
In the first half of the season, the Falcons put up the 3rd-best rushing numbers in the league (using 6 points for touchdowns and 1 for every 10 rushing yards). In the second half of the season, they put up the worst rushing numbers.
Freeman might not be used as heavily this year. The Falcons also have Tevin Coleman, and he entered last year as their starting tailback before getting hurt. They drafted Coleman in the third round last year. They selected Freeman in the fourth round the previous season.
In my eyes, Coleman is faster, with more ability to break loose for long runs. But he might be a little bit of a straight-line guy. Freeman seems to be a much better pass catcher and might have better vision and cutting ability.
It’s very early, and I have no idea where these guys will wind up on my board. If I were drafting today, I’d probably have Freeman as a top-5 running back, with Coleman flagged as one of the first No. 2 backs who should be selected – maybe 30-35th overall.
| RUSHING PRODUCTION -- FINAL EIGHT GAMES | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | . | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
| Att | Yards | TD | Pts | Team | Att | Yards | TD | Pts |
| 236 | 1,133 | 11 | 22.4 | Buffalo | 273 | 1,299 | 8 | 22.2 |
| 241 | 1,062 | 8 | 19.3 | Minnesota | 233 | 1,149 | 10 | 21.9 |
| 269 | 1,138 | 9 | 21.0 | Carolina | 257 | 1,144 | 10 | 21.8 |
| 205 | 950 | 10 | 19.4 | Kansas City | 231 | 1,094 | 9 | 20.4 |
| 245 | 1,116 | 3 | 16.2 | Seattle | 255 | 1,152 | 7 | 19.7 |
| 189 | 705 | 5 | 12.6 | Denver | 222 | 1,013 | 8 | 18.7 |
| 236 | 1,055 | 6 | 17.7 | Tampa Bay | 219 | 1,107 | 6 | 18.3 |
| 222 | 1,084 | 7 | 18.8 | St. Louis | 207 | 872 | 9 | 17.7 |
| 222 | 998 | 8 | 18.5 | Arizona | 230 | 919 | 8 | 17.5 |
| 228 | 878 | 6 | 15.5 | Chicago | 240 | 976 | 7 | 17.5 |
| 243 | 963 | 10 | 19.5 | Cincinnati | 224 | 842 | 8 | 16.5 |
| 207 | 1,006 | 7 | 17.8 | Pittsburgh | 181 | 718 | 9 | 15.7 |
| 214 | 703 | 4 | 11.8 | Houston | 258 | 1,028 | 3 | 15.1 |
| 208 | 925 | 4 | 14.6 | Green Bay | 228 | 925 | 4 | 14.6 |
| 225 | 973 | 9 | 18.9 | Philadelphia | 217 | 770 | 6 | 14.1 |
| 241 | 922 | 8 | 17.5 | NY Jets | 207 | 946 | 3 | 14.1 |
| 150 | 557 | 2 | 8.5 | Detroit | 204 | 778 | 5 | 13.5 |
| 201 | 730 | 5 | 12.9 | Washington | 228 | 836 | 4 | 13.5 |
| 211 | 794 | 10 | 17.4 | New Orleans | 186 | 697 | 6 | 13.2 |
| 195 | 672 | 2 | 9.9 | Cleveland | 185 | 857 | 3 | 13.0 |
| 199 | 813 | 4 | 13.2 | Tennessee | 172 | 672 | 6 | 12.9 |
| 229 | 1,029 | 6 | 17.4 | Dallas | 179 | 861 | 2 | 12.3 |
| 196 | 756 | 3 | 11.7 | NY Giants | 207 | 853 | 2 | 12.2 |
| 168 | 826 | 6 | 14.8 | Miami | 176 | 670 | 5 | 12.1 |
| 191 | 758 | 9 | 16.2 | New England | 192 | 646 | 5 | 11.8 |
| 191 | 774 | 1 | 10.4 | Jacksonville | 163 | 699 | 4 | 11.7 |
| 206 | 809 | 4 | 13.1 | San Francisco | 184 | 735 | 3 | 11.4 |
| 188 | 791 | 3 | 12.1 | Indianapolis | 208 | 647 | 3 | 10.3 |
| 188 | 837 | 4 | 13.5 | Oakland | 182 | 620 | 3 | 10.0 |
| 192 | 691 | 2 | 10.1 | San Diego | 201 | 667 | 2 | 9.8 |
| 199 | 794 | 7 | 15.2 | Baltimore | 184 | 684 | 1 | 9.3 |
| 235 | 1,008 | 11 | 20.9 | Atlanta | 185 | 598 | 2 | 9.0 |
—Ian Allan