NFL Draft Fantasy Reaction: Landing In Denver Makes Royce Freeman A Sleeper
By Dave Richard
(CBS SPORTS) - Royce Freeman grew up in San Diego, was a top-5 high school recruit in California, went to college at Oregon and now has a chance to be a starting running back in Denver.
The guy gets around the western half of the United States. He moves around a football field pretty impressively, too.
Freeman was the third-round choice of the Broncos, bringing a no-nonsense, physical style to their backfield. And if he plays anything like he did with the Ducks, he'll be an asset for your Fantasy team.
Perhaps the textbook definition of a workhorse, Freeman is one of four players in the history of the FBS to rush for over 5,000 yards and catch for over 800 yards in their career. He set an Oregon record with 1,836 yards as a sophomore in 2015, adding 19 touchdowns.
He got this done thanks to a punishing blend of power, patience, balance and lateral quickness that should work well when the Broncos use zone blocking. Not a burner or an elusive runner (only three carries of 30-plus yards last season), Freeman is the kind of guy who can create yards after contact and hang in there for a heavy workload.
Of course, being that kind of back is a double-edged sword. Oregon came to rely heavily on him and he had 1,027 touches in 51 games – 20.1 per game on average. When you're a thick back taking on that much work, injuries come with the territory. Freeman was no exception, battling right leg injuries in 2016 and right shoulder issues in 2017 that cost him a bowl game and his participation in the Senior Bowl.
Given that, the Broncos would be wise to manage Freeman's touches, but he might already be the best running back on their roster. After letting go of C.J. Anderson before the draft, all they had left was third-year disappointment Devontae Booker and second-year sleeper DeAngelo Henderson. If this is Freeman's competition, assume he'll be starting sooner than later – making him the only draft-worthy rusher in Mile High Country.
Fantasy Football often comes down to opportunities over talent. This is one such case. Freeman wasn't close to being the best running back in the draft but he's not bad, and should bring the boom to the Denver run game. He's absolutely the kind of running back you want to target past 75th overall. Probably a bit more desirable in non-PPR than PPR, so target him there. He'll also receive first-round consideration in rookie-only drafts.
