Tevin Coleman was expected to do big things in the San Francisco 49ers offense but hasn’t been the star we thought he would be. Is he fantasy fool’s gold?
When Kyle Shanahan became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, it was only a matter of time before he was able to land his former star running back with the Atlanta Falcons in Tevin Coleman in free agency. Shanahan was a big key in Atlanta drafted the All-American out of Indiana University in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
After four years with the Falcons, Coleman joined the 49ers in free agency this past offseason. Coleman served as Devonta Freeman’s backup in Atlanta but had the makings of an elite dual-threat playmaker out of the San Francisco backfield. But outside of one game with the 49ers, Coleman has largely been a fantasy football dude. The Fantasy Footballers agree.
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Coleman has battled through injuries for much of his first season with San Francisco. He has had to split time with Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida in the 49ers backfield. While he had a monster fantasy game against the Carolina Panthers back in Week 8 with 35 points, it has been more miss than hit with Coleman this season with the 49ers.
Coleman had a miserable fantasy day last week vs. the Baltimore Ravens. He managed no points on the road against Baltimore with six rushes for no years and one catch for nine. While he will get you more than zero seemingly every other week, Coleman has been nothing short of fantasy football fool’s gold at RB2 this season. It’s a dangerous proposition to start him in the flex.
One thing that does favor Coleman on Sunday is that he will be playing a team he’s very familiar with from his time in Atlanta in the New Orleans Saints. There is a decent chance Shanahan may draw something up with Coleman to exploit weak areas of the Saints defense. However, you simply cannot rely on Coleman this point to help you win your fantasy football league playoffs.
This is a must-win game for the 49ers if they dream of having the top seed in the NFC playoff picture. They cannot afford to not have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Saints, much like not having it against the division rival Seattle Seahawks. Coleman will have to have a big game for San Francisco to beat the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday but don’t count on it at this time.