The Atlanta Falcons saw the return of their two most promising running backs on Monday. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman were both dealing with hamstring injuries. Freeman, who is entering his second season, rushed for 248 yards and a touchdown on 65 carries in 2014. Freeman took a backseat to Steven Jackson for most of his rookie campaign. He and Coleman, a rookie drafted in the third round, will compete for a significant workload.
Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman return to Falcons practice, compete for fantasy opportunities
Freeman and Tevin Coleman are returning from injury to sort out the Falcons backfield. We break down the fantasy football implications.
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It’s very possible the two running backs share the workload and develop into a backfield committee. With three weeks of preseason remaining, there’s plenty of opportunity for either running back to emerge as the hot hand.
Fantasy impact: Fantasy owners drafted Freeman in 2014 in hopes of the young rookie delivering upside behind an aging Steven Jackson. Even when Freeman saw opportunities, he fell short of offering up big plays. Most rookie running backs struggle their first season, especially with blocking assignments.
Odds are that the Falcons coaching staff would like to see Freeman take the next step rather than put too much pressure on a rookie. Still, Coleman has a very real chance of getting a fantasy relevant workload. The worst cases for fantasy owners would be a committee approach, as the Falcons haven't delivered a running back with more than 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Michael Turner in 2011.
