Fantasy Football: Could Mike Davis be an RB1 with the Falcons?

After Mike Davis filled in for Christian McCaffrey with Carolina last season, could he be a fantasy football stud again in 2021 with the Atlanta Falcons?

One of the biggest breakout stars of fantasy football in the 2020 season was running back Mike Davis with the Carolina Panthers, albeit with a bit of circumstance paving the way for that to happen. With most people’s top-ranked running back entering the year, Christian McCaffrey, succumbing to a number of injuries, Davis was able to garner the majority of the touches out of the backfield.

But what Davis did with those touches was quite impressive. Despite not starting every game, he finished as the RB12 overall in PPR leagues as he totaled 165 carries for 642 yards with six touchdowns to go with 59 receptions for 373 yards and two more scores.

Davis is no longer with the Panthers, however, as he signed with the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons this offseason. Atlanta has experienced some big changes offensively from last year, specifically with Todd Gurley now gone after one year and with new head coach Arthur Smith, who comes over from Tennessee where he guided the outburst of Derrick Henry, taking over.

Yet, you won’t find many people talking about the fantasy football outlook of Mike Davis in the 2021 season. But maybe you should.

Mike Davis is a fantasy football sleeper you should be targeting.

As of May 10, Fantasy Pros has Davis ranked as the RB32 in PPR leagues for the 2021 season. To me, that seems absolutely criminally low given the situation for the veteran running back in Atlanta.

For starters, it doesn’t appear that there is anyone to challenge Davis for a high number of touches out of the backfield. Qadree Ollison and UDFA rookie Javian Hawkins may get some work but neither player is cut out to play a featured role in the offense. Playing behind a solid offensive line in Atlanta, that could be valuable for Davis in fantasy from the jump.

Then, of course, you have the fact that Davis succeeded last year when called upon. He wasn’t as dynamic as McCaffrey but he proved to be a versatile player who can run effectively and be a weapon in the passing game.

And that leads to Smith calling the shots now for the Falcons. While no one expects him to rely on Davis or any other running back the way he did Henry with the Titans, he utilizes running backs frequently in his offensive scheme. Thus, given the entirety of the situation, that should mean a lot of looks for Davis.

Now, it should be noted that this could change if the Falcons sign another veteran running back as there are still several available on the market. Moreover, saying Davis could be an RB1 might be hyperbolic to some degree. All told, though, he’s being extremely undervalued right now when you look at the totality of his situation and recent history. If he’s going as RB32, you should confidently add him in your league and never look back.