Fantasy Football: 5 Running Backs Who Easily Outperformed Their 2016 Preseason Rankings

Tevin Coleman, Atlanta Falcons

It's easy to forget that Tevin Coleman won the starting job as a rookie entering the 2015 season, but suffered a rib injury in Week 2. That opened the door for Devonta Freeman, who hasn't looked back since.

Freeman was the top fantasy running back that season, scoring 14 touchdowns and finishing 7th in rushing yards (1,061) and 3rd among backs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (578).

So it's no surprise that Coleman entered 2016 outside of the top 100 in preseason ranking (118) and ADP (134.8).

He did get enough touches this season to show why the Atlanta Falcons were so high on him as a rookie. He turned 149 touches into 11 touchdowns and 941 total yards (520 rushing, 421 receiving). That was a huge jump from 1 touchdown and 406 total yards on 89 touches in 2015.

The Falcons -- led by a quarterback who had an MVP season in Matt Ryan -- boosted Coleman's touchdown opportunities by ranking first in points per game and second in yards per game.

Coleman was easily the highest-scoring backup running back in fantasy football, finishing 58th overall in standard leagues. He was a top-20 back, ranking 17th in standard leagues and 20th in PPR leagues.