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Ito Smith 2019 Player Outlook: One Injury Away from RB2
6 years agoI am pretty surprised to see that the fantasy community isn't higher on Ito Smith. He's an above average athlete well suited for a satellite back role who has also proven he can handle double digit carries in a game. While there's nothing overly impressive about Smith, he's a fine player and could produce under the right circumstances. Devonta Freeman has always been undersized for a feature role and if 2018 is any indication, that fact may be catching up with him. Freeman could not escape an early season knee injury that effectively ended his campaign after just one game. It is entirely possible we are overreacting to one lost season as Freeman had missed just two games prior to last season, but knee injuries are always concerning (See Gurley, Todd). Smith's ADP is outside the top 40 RBs, which seems very late for a standalone RB4 that should command at least a 50% opportunity share if something happens to Freeman. Any running back seeing relevant playing time on the Falcons has value and it's not like there's much behind Smith on the depth chart. Smith is a worthy target in the back half of your draft.
