Fantasy Football: 8 Players With Easy Early-Season Schedules
Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
| Week | Opponent | Projected Defensive Rush NEP Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bears | 32 |
| 2 | Packers | 11 |
| 3 | Lions | 20 |
| 4 | Bills | 22 |
While Devonta Freeman may have surrendered the bell cow duties he inherited in 2015 after Tevin Coleman got injured, his 2016 timeshare with Coleman proved that he could be just as effective on a more limited workload due to increased efficiency.
His 0.10 Rushing NEP per rush and 46.26% Rushing Success Rate each ranked 3rd among the 27 running backs with at least 150 carries last season. Those were vast improvements over the 0.03 Rushing NEP per rush and 41.67% Rushing Success Rates he posted in 2015 on a heavier workload. And after finishing as the sixth-highest scoring back in the league in 2016, it's clear that Freeman and Coleman can co-exist.
Freeman is a good option to start your season with a bang. Facing off against three straight NFC North teams, only the Green Bay Packers serve as a top-half run defense. And rounding out the first quarter of the season, Freeman gets to square up against the Buffalo Bills' swiss-cheese defense that let Jay Ajayi gash them for 200-plus yards on the ground. Twice.
With Freeman's heavy involvement in the passing game, he's less matchup dependent than most running backs for fantasy production, but the matchups he draws in the first quarter of the season look juicy nonetheless.
