Should I be concerned having Davonta Freeman and not Tevin Coleman?

[lexbaylor27]

I was about to handcuff Freeman with Coleman, but got beaten to it. I keep hearing Coleman might take quite a share of the handoffs. Is it expected that the falcons won't use Freeman like they did last season?

 

EDIT: sorry I didn't realize I should've posted this on Fantasy Football Advice.. I don't know how to delete post

Edited August 29, 2016 by lexbaylor27

[gilthorp]

Yes

[XFlash]

Yes, as stated multiple articles, Freeman was worn down the 2nd half of last season. Could not handle that pace for a full season, not a definition of a true "work horse or cow bell".

 

50/50 workload at least.

[kdko]

Yup! Coleman is Shanahan's guy, and they'll be looking to utilize him.

[Brentastic]

I think the idea of a 50/50 split is ridiculous. I personally can't see Tevin being anything more than relief barring injury.

[Shaft]

I have stashed him away on my bench in 3 of my leagues. Usually around the 130th pick. And I don't own Freeman. People keep forgetting that is supposed to be Coleman's backfield, not Freeman's. But time will tell.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Shaft

[michaelredd9]

I think the idea of a 50/50 split is ridiculous. I personally can't see Tevin being anything more than relief barring injury.

 

Devonta averaged 3.98 yards per carry last year. Tevin Coleman averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Devonta didn't average more than 3.36 yards per carry in any of the last 5 games of the season. He had an great 4 game stretch. Devonta losing the starting job to Tevin is not out of the question.

[BA Baracus]

You should be worried about having Freeman but you shouldn't worry about not having Coleman.

[Shorttynaz]

I'd only be worried cause there's no passing game there anymore

[stethant]

I think the idea of a 50/50 split is ridiculous. I personally can't see Tevin being anything more than relief barring injury.

I drafted Coleman without Freeman and I think this is right. Coleman was a lottery ticket stash for me and nothing more. I know what they're saying but I'll believe it when I see it.

 

If not, easy drop.

[ImNotSoIgnorant]

I kept freeman and handcuffed him with Coleman. Otherwise I'd go for freeman in the 2nd round and coleman after round 12 or so.

[MothAudio]

I drafted Coleman without Freeman and I think this is right. Coleman was a lottery ticket stash for me and nothing more. I know what they're saying but I'll believe it when I see it.

 

If not, easy drop.

 

+1

[knight526806]

You should be worried about having Freeman but you shouldn't worry about not having Coleman.

 

This. Coleman has good linear speed, but doesn't really do anything else well. That being said, Freeman definitely started to show his true colors towards the end of last season. I don't think you need to be worried about Coleman taking the starting job, but he could take enough carries that it makes neither guy are a particularly great fantasy starter.

[gspot]

 

Devonta averaged 3.98 yards per carry last year. Tevin Coleman averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Devonta didn't average more than 3.36 yards per carry in any of the last 5 games of the season. He had an great 4 game stretch. Devonta losing the starting job to Tevin is not out of the question.

 

Yes, it is. Tevin Coleman had ample opportunity to win the job last year. Personally, the idea that Freeman "wore down", while remotely possible, is a bit like the "Sheep" media just reading the average yards per carry and translating that to he "wore down" or Coleman is better because he averaged more with a ridiculously lower amount of carries. Hell, I hit 1000 in college baseball once when I started the season 2-2. :-)

 

After Freeman returned from injury and was absolutely ripping up the league, defenses naturally adjusted and focused on Freeman who was a stud. His average yards per carry obviously went down. Coleman, who was completely pedestrian when given the opportunity came in, defense didn't focus on far less talented back and with substantially fewer carries, averaged more yards per carry. That stat is useless, as clearly Freeman's numbers in the last weeks was going to substantially be reduced with defenses focusing on stopping him. He proved without that focus, he was going to crush it! Coleman did not.

 

This "wore down" narrative is simply the "herd" feeding on itself making stuff up to explain a statistic and make headlines.

 

How anyone who watched any of ATL's games last year can think that Coleman has 50% of the talent of Freeman is simply beyond me. Any objective observer who watches the two can see Coleman was not impressive when given the opportunity and can really run like a bat of hell in a dead straight line, which the only thing he did in college as well.

 

Common sense is not so common!

[gilthorp]

Freeman was nothing short of average after the bye week last year. Only 2 TD's and a low YPC average.

 

Coleman got hurt late in the preseason and got left in the gate.

 

It's weird that the defense wasn't really concentrating on stopping Freeman at the start of the season but they must have really concentrated more at the end.

 

Silly.

[michaelredd9]

 

Tevin Coleman had ample opportunity to win the job last year.

 

Tevin Coleman won the job last year. He had 20 carries in the first game and Devonta has 10 carries. And then Tevin broke a rib in the second game and was sidelined for several games. A broken rib is a serious injury.

 

Devonta Freeman was inherited. Kyle Shanahan and the new Falcons regime drafted Tevin Coleman. It isn't a stretch to think the coaches prefer Coleman.

[BA Baracus]

Also overlooked: Tevin Coleman was a rookie last year.

 

You know who else sucked as a rookie?

 

 

Devonta Freeman in 2014.

[gspot]

 

Tevin Coleman won the job last year. He had 20 carries in the first game and Devonta has 10 carries. And then Tevin broke a rib in the second game and was sidelined for several games. A broken rib is a serious injury.

 

Devonta Freeman was inherited. Kyle Shanahan and the new Falcons regime drafted Tevin Coleman. It isn't a stretch to think the coaches prefer Coleman.

 

 

You could be right. If the offensive line blocks well and Coleman can run in straight line to the goal-line with no need for a jump-cut or juke, he may win the job :-) That said, just watching the two guys, Freeman can cut on a dime and accelerate to top speed in 2-3 steps and Coleman just doesn't have that level of talent. I could be wrong, its happened once or twice before.

 

That's why the play the games. We will see if Coleman lives up to the hype.

 

Despite Freeman's poor rookie season, you could still see he had the God given tools to be good. I just don't see it at all with Coleman.

 

And Thorpie, I am clearly not Ron Jaworski or Gruden, but I did see NFL live break down the Falcons for the first 5 or 6 games of the season, where they clearly pointed out that defenses were only playing 6-7 man fronts with major focus on Julio and the receiving game, while after that stretch of games, they faced at least 8 men in the box down the stretch as the passing game struggled and Julio was hurt. Clearly, the experts in my living room thought the defense focused more on stopping the run in the last half of the season which might somewhat explain Freeman's reduced success. Just saying.

[WildTurkey]

either one would be fine plays if they were a true workhorse RB, it's going to depend on how they're used in weeks 1 and 2. If you see a 50/50 or 60/40 split at the get go, then yeah, you're in a situation if you had either player. If you see Freeman tote the rock 20 times, you're good, and can maybe swing a lowball-ish trade for the Coleman handcuff.

[gilthorp]

Glad to see you admit you've been wrong once or twice.

 

Nobody saw Freeman with the God given tools because he was never on the field to see it. He even looked to be over his head during Hard Knocks.

 

Coleman is elusive before contact, perhaps one of the better ones in this regard. Not sure what you aren't seeing. He is a serious threat to Freeman's numbers because he wore down last year.