What It Means:

Coleman suffered a fractured rib back in Week 2 and has not played since. Fellow running back Devonta Freeman has exploded in his absence, rushing for 209 yards and 6 touchdowns on 44 carries.

Freeman -- if nothing else -- has earned an extended look as the horse. He entered Week 4 ranked 12th in Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) per play out of the 56 running backs with at least 15 carries on the season. He then added 6.62 Rushing NEP on Sunday against the Houston Texans. At the same time, he had -18.80 Rushing NEP last year over 65 carries, and Coleman had 0.42 Rushing NEP in the 29 carries prior to his injury. The carry distribution may not be known, but the upside of a lead back in this offense is obvious.