Getty Devonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman has missed two consecutive games since sustaining a knee injury in Week 10 against the divisional rival New Orleans Saints.
The Falcons have tried their hand at featuring third-year man Brian Hill in place of the injured Freeman, mostly to diminutive returns.
However, Atlanta could be seeing a boost in talent amongst their running back depth chart on Thanksgiving night, as Freeman is trending towards a possible return to the Falcons lineup.
When it’s all said and done, will Freeman suit up for Thursday’s game against, fittingly enough, the same team he hurt his knee against? And if so, should he automatically return to your fantasy football starting lineup? Let’s take a look.
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Devonta Freeman’s Fantasy Outlook vs. New Orleans Saints
Devonta Freeman returned to the Atlanta Falcons’ practice field on Monday, in what has been described as “light” practice condition due to the short week of preparation. The news brought optimism to many fantasy owners worldwide, as well as a Falcons coaching staff who have seen their run game be demoralized for much the 2019 season.
Even better news broke on Wednesday via ESPN’s Field Yates, essentially guaranteeing that Freeman will indeed be good to go vs. the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving.
With Freeman’s availability now a near-definite, what is his fantasy outlook ahead of Week 13? For starters, just because your fantasy team is getting back an NFL starting running back, doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting a bonafide starting fantasy running back.
The Atlanta Falcons have been horrendous in the run game this season, averaging the second-fewest rushing yards per game in football. While many will be quick to point the finger at Brian Hill’s struggles over recent weeks as a reason for the putrid numbers, Devonta Freeman is as much, or even more of a culprit for the team’s inefficient run game.
Freeman has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry this season, while failing to score a single rushing touchdown over his nine games this year. This is a drastic fall from grace from a running back who has two 11 rushing touchdown seasons on his resume.
Chances are likely he will continue to see similar struggles in the ground game vs. the Saints on Thursday. New Orleans has not allowed an opposing running back to eclipse 64-yards rushing in five straight games, and they’ve also surrendered just one rushing touchdown to the position over the team’s past six games.
However, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for Freeman from a fantasy perspective. Freeman has caught three-plus receptions in all but one game this season. He’s also hauled in five-plus receptions three times, while reeling in eight receptions on two separate occasions. Freeman has also found the endzone three times in the passing game this year.
The Saints have allowed five different running backs to record five-plus receptions against them this season, including nine-plus receptions in two of their last four games. Since the Saints’ Week 9 bye, they’ve surrendered three receiving touchdowns to the running back position.
Should You Start or Sit Devonta Freeman in Week 13?
With Mohamed Sanu out of town, and Julio Jones’ availability for Thursday currently in limbo, Freeman’s already high usage in the Falcons passing game could see even more of an uptick in his return to the lineup.
Freeman is a low-end RB2 in PPR leagues for Thanksgiving Day, as the Saints have continually struggled to contain running backs coming out of the backfield as receivers.
With that said, his usability in standard-scoring leagues is fairly minimal. Freeman is a low-end RB3 to mid-range RB4 in standard-scoring formats. Plus, don’t be surprised to see Qadree Ollison, who’s scored TDs in back-to-back weeks, vulture goal-line carries from Freeman.
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