Mike Davis

Falcons RBs coach Desmond Kitchings said Monday that "the door is wide open" for anyone to take over their backfield.

Fantasy Impact

This is obviously a good sign for Mike Davis, who was brought in as a free agent this offseason. Atlanta also didn't draft a running back, so there's an opportunity for Davis to seize feature-back duties this season. He filled in admirably for Christian McCaffrey at times in 2020, and his three-down skill set will give him a leg up over his competition with the Falcons.

RB Mike Davis is signing a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Falcons. The deal includes $3.3 guaranteed in year one.

Fantasy Impact

Davis was one of the top free agent running backs available and ends up signing a two-year deal with Atlanta. He set career-highs in carries (165), receptions (59), yards from scrimmage (1,015) and touchdowns (eight) across 15 games for the Panthers in 2020. Former Atlanta RBs Todd Gurley and Brian Hill are unrestricted free agents, Davis has the chance to lead the Falcons backfield. “New Falcons HC has a history of production in the run game, and perhaps Mike Davis will benefit from this,” per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Barring any more additions to the Falcons backfield, Davis is a high-upside RB2 in fantasy for 2021.

Michael Shawn-Dugar of the Athletic is reporting that RB Mike Davis is a possibility for the Seahawks if Chris Carson walks in free agency.

Fantasy Impact

If the Seahawks are unable to re-sign RB Chris Carson, free agent Mike Davis could be an option to replace him. “The Seahawks could also go the low-cost veteran route,” per Michael Shawn-Duggar. He also lists Mark Ingram, Alfred Morris, James White and Tevin Coleman as other possible targets. “The same goes for a potential reunion with Mike Davis (28 this week), who just had a solid season replacing McCaffrey in Carolina.” Davis was excellent filling in for Christian McCaffrey in 2020, posting career-highs in receptions (59), yards from scrimmage (1,015) and touchdowns (8) across 15 games for the Panthers. If the Seahawks let Carson walk and sign Davis, he will compete for carries in a muddled backfield with Rashaad Penny, Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer. Stay tuned.

Mike Davis (ankle) is inactive for Week 17's matchup against the Saints.

Fantasy Impact

With Davis and Christian McCaffrey both out for Week 17, expect to see a heavy dose of Rodney Smith against a tough Saints defense. Smith saw seven carries last week which he turned into 23 yards. He makes for an extremely risky RB3 in a meaningless game to end the Panthers 2020 season. Curtis Samuel can also be expected to see some work in the rushing game.

Panthers coach Matt Rhule doesn't expect Mike Davis (ankle) to play in Week 17 against the Saints.

Fantasy Impact

Christian McCaffrey (quad) won't play either, which leaves Rodney Smith and Trenton Cannon as Carolina's two RBs for their regular season finale. Davis was a fantasy football darling for much of the season as he admirably filled in for CMC early on. It isn't worth chasing Smith or Cannon for Week 17 DFS purposes.