So who can you get for free this week that people will be scrambling to throw FAAB at next week?
Larry Rountree III
Got 8 carries to Ekeler’s 15 and averaged 0.4 yards less, with a long of 13 to Ekeler’s long of 14.
No other non-QB got more than 1 carry.
He’s the #2, for when Ekeler’s hammy rolls a whammy.
I will second what AxeElf said. Rountree has some skills. As a potential RB2/RB3, Rountree can be a good RB if he gets the opportunity.
All that said, expecting Ekeler to injure his hammy is a bit optimistic for finding a prospect. But Rountree makes a solid RB4 for now.
I would certainly add Rountree, if he was available in any of my dynasty leagues. Sadly, he isn’t, but he should be in most redraft leagues. As backup RBs come, he’s certainly one of the more intriguing options.
Here’s another one, and one who’s probably available even in dynasty leagues (unless I have a team in it):
Wayne Gallman
Let’s face it - Mike Davis looked pretty underwhelming in week 1. Coraderrelle Patterson racked up more yards on the ground, with less than half as many touches.
Gallman and Davis went into the season with pretty similar profiles: backup RBs that had to step up last year when their starters went down, and seized the opportunity.
If I had to place a bet on which of the 2 RBs would rather find a team that would be ready to give them a prominent role, it would have been on Gallman. Chances are this can still happen.
Gallman is a backup RB who may get promoted even without an injury to his team’s starter. If you can spare a roster spot for a backup RB, it may not be a bad idea to roster Gallman while you can scoop him up for free. The moment he starts cutting into Davis’ production, his stock will soar.
Believe it or not, Patterson is the one I have my eye on. I don’t expect him to get 20 touches a game, but what he can do is be highly efficient with a lot fewer touches. He makes a solid RB3/RB4. He was one of the few highlights for the Falcons.
Patterson is a gadget player. That can still make him interesting, especially in PPR formats, thanks to the targets he gets. But I can’t see a scenario where I’d be comfortable starting him.
Gallman is a different story. He helped me win a few weeks last year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he can do it again this year.
There was a stretch of about 6 games where Gallman dipped his toe into the RB2 pool. But the rest of the year, he showed his floor, which wasn’t pretty.
6 consecutive games of constant RB2 production, I would add. Before that stretch, he did not start for the Giants, who had the funny idea of deploying Devonta Freeman, after Saquon was out for the season.
Of the 6 games Gallman started, the Giants won 4. Thanks to their abysmal start into the season, the playoffs were still out of reach. In weeks 14-17, the Giants limited Gallman’s snap count and deployed Alfred Morris instead, who fulfilled his duty and made sure the Giants lost enough games to improve their draft position.
That’s probably the biggest concern this year once again - that the Falcons will care more about their 2022 draft rank than their 2021 season at some point.
You’re counting on Mike Davis to get hurt. With Patterson splitting time with Davis (granted, Davis is still getting the majority of the touches), that means Davis should be fresher over the duration of the season. Gallman might be worth a roster spot in deeper leagues, in the hope that Davis gets hurt. But I am sure there are better handcuffs in more explosive offenses.
No, I see a chance that Gallman gets the keys to the backfield even without Davis getting hurt. With the state the Falcons offense is in, that would still not make him a must-own, though, I’ll give you that.
Timing was not Gallman’s friend this offseason. Had he been traded to the Rams, (after Akers went down, and before they signed Michel), or signed by the Ravens (after their entire backfield went down, and before they signed every RB free agent that had a pulse), Gallman could have been in for a really good season.
The reason I mentioned it is because Ekeler was already questionable with a hammy leading up to the Week 1 game. It doesn’t appear that he has suffered any setbacks in recovering from it–but I din’t just pull it out of wishful thinking.
If Gallman achieves fantasy relevance, it won’t be in Week 2. Rountree has a chance to be noticed if he has another solid game (which seems even more likely when he’s not facing a D-line composed of four former 1st-round picks).
If both players are available on the waiver wire, Roundtree would be the much better choice, I won’t argue that.
Let’s all get it right from the start…
…it’s Rountree… no “d”,
Not a big chance. Davis was one of the few bright spots in the Eagles game. Honestly, the biggest problem the Falcons have is their passing game. Even when their play-action was working, the Eagles were still getting pressure on Ryan. Not to mention the dropped passes.
I feel you on that. I had the same issue with Kalen Ballage. Why on Earth did he sign with Pittsburgh? Granted, he did it before they drafted Najee, but with a healthy young bellcow like Najee, Ballage will likely see very little playing time.
I blame autocorrect.
I blame AxeElf. Pedantry is the last resort of the insecure.
Axe Elf is a former state spelling champion who has also dabbled in journalism, so if his respect for the facts and innate burning desire to get things right is a fault, then it’s a fault that the members of the Æ™, I.O.U.! club are grateful that he owns.
And if there’s one thing that Axe Elf does not struggle with, it’s Elf-esteem.
Clearly, but did you have to “pun-t” that answer?
No worries. I hate mis-spelling player names myself. Plus, both Axe Elf and me have valid reasons for being impertinent Mr.-Know-It-Alls (I’m German, he’s old) 
So no harm, no foul 
Looking at this thread post mortem: Gallman was inactive again (and saw Patterson going through the roof). And Rountree racked up a whooping minus 2 yards, that he split evenly on 1 carry and 1 catch for minus 1 yard each.
We should make this a weekly thing. Statler’s and Waldorf’s sure-fire waiver pickups.
He definitely made it easy to acquire him for another week, in case you missed out on him in Week 2.