The Atlanta Falcons have some confidence after starting off their season with two wins. The team is getting production from everyone on the roster, especially on the offense. However, per the story with Atlanta over the last few seasons, injuries can derail that momentum. The Falcons have already gotten hit with one big injury as they hope depth on the roster is enough to overcome it.
Tevin Coleman is out of the foreseeable future. The rookie running back has been a nice surprise through two games with the Falcons, but fractured ribs suffered in the win over the New York Giants has him out for now. According to head coach Dan Quinn via Vaughn McClure of ESPN, Coleman suffered the rib injury and would return depending on his pain threshold. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the running back is likely out at least two weeks with the injury as these types of issues have frustrated runners in years past.
"It's not something that's displaced or out of whack,'' Quinn said, via ESPN.com. "So, I'm not going to put a timetable on it until we know how he's responding to it. And then as we get later in the week, then we can put more of a timetable on it. His first time going through it, so that's why we don't want to put like a distance on it at this point."
Coleman's absence is not causing the alarm to sound just yet for the Falcons. With the rookie out, Devonta Freeman will be the starter. The second-year pro appears to be over a hamstring injury that plagued him all of preseason and was the main factor in Coleman getting the starting nod. He is a quality back who will continue to work as a rusher and pass catcher. He lacks the burst of speed Coleman has, but will be fine as the premier rusher. Terron Ward will also be featured as the third-string back. The Falcons released Antone Smith which makes Ward the main backup for the time being.
The Falcons have been benefitting from big games from depth players. Leonard Hankerson has put his name on the map after getting his first touchdown of the season in Week 2. With Roddy White heavily covered along with Julio Jones, Hankerson is the go-to receiver for Matt Ryan when things get tight. The same can be said for Jacob Tamme who is looking strong in the tight end role. Both players could be fantasy sleeper picks in the coming week as they gain more chemistry with Ryan.
