It’s a little surprising that we’re already approaching Memorial Day and Devonta Freeman still doesn’t have an NFL home. There are reports that he may be close to signing somewhere, with the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets being the most likely options.
Regardless of which team he signs with, he won’t be the RB1. Is he still worth owning in fantasy? It depends on how much you think he has left in the tank.
The Fantasy Exec, Corey Parson, had this to say about Freeman in a recent Sports Illustrated article:
Freeman has two things that he does well that can help fantasy owners: pass-catching and scoring near the goal-line. In a three-season span between 2015 and 2017, he scored 35 touchdowns. Injuries (foot & knee) have slowed Freeman down. Given his hard-nosed running style, he’s also sustained concussions. Freeman will never be a lead back again. His concussion history is scary, but he could still help in a few select fantasy situations.
Freeman was the RB15 overall and RB12 on a fantasy points per game basis back in 2017. He was the RB6 overall and RB7 on a per-game basis in 2016. He was the top overall running back in both categories in 2015. But that all feels like ages ago.
Freeman played only two games in 2018 and didn’t meet expectations in his 14 starts last season. However, over his last 16 games, he had 1,157 total yards, 6 total touchdowns and 64 catches. Factoring in his two fumbles, that equals 211.7 fantasy points, or a per-game average of 13.23. Last season, that average would’ve been good enough to be the RB22 in PPR formats, right behind James White and in front of Joe Mixon.
Although he won’t be a starter in Seattle, Philadelphia or New York, Freeman still has fantasy value as a bench asset. He might be a handcuff, but an injury to Chris Carson (with Rashaad Penny already hurt), Miles Sanders or Le’Veon Bell could make Freeman a draft steal. He’s also very much worth a flier in best ball formats.
Check back when Freeman signs to find out where he lands among Shawn Childs’ positional rankings. In the meantime, check out our Mock Draft Simulator and see where you can land the former Falcons RB.
What do you think? Let us know over on the Forums.
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