Devonta Freeman Injury Update Improves Fantasy Value With Potential Return in Thanksgiving Day Game

Devonta Freeman hasn't seen the field since Week 10, but no Atlanta Falcons running back has capitalized on his absence. Over the last two weeks, Brian Hill has turned a combined 24 carries into 44 rushing yards, while Qadree Ollison has recorded 12 carries for 31 yards and one score during that span.

With neither player making a significant impact, the lead back role in Atlanta will likely be handed back to Freeman once he's healthy. And according to Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, it looks like that could happen sooner rather than later.

Freeman is far from a sure bet to suit up this week, but him returning to practice is certainly a step in the right direction. If he does manage to return to the field, he'll draw a pretty tough matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving. New Orleans is currently the league's ninth-best run defense, per Football Outsiders' DVOA metrics, and the fifth-best overall unit by DVOA while allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing RBs.

Even if Freeman is cleared to play, he's going to be tough to trust against New Orleans in Week 13. If he's sidelined again, neither Hill nor Ollison are recommended plays either, as no Atlanta running back cracked the top 36 in our Week 13 fantasy football PPR rankings.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.