This is the “Fantasy Football: Two-minute Drill,” a close look at Falcons players for Week 2.
The Falcons (0-1) come home to the Georgia Dome to play the St. Louis Rams (1-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday, a place where they’ve been dominant since Matt Ryan became the quarterback.
Biggest question: Should you start Roddy White this week? When healthy, White is one of the NFL's elite wide receivers. But he's not healthy. He has a high-ankle sprain, and even White conceded after the loss to New Orleans that he won't be himself for the next few weeks. Why did he play against the Saints? He was used as a decoy, which was a risky move by the Falcons but more revealing about how important they felt that game was against their NFC South Rivals. If White is active for against the Rams, he could be used as a low-end WR3 or WR4.
Who benefits from White's injury: Harry Douglas, who is most likely available on the waiver wire in your league. He was targeted six times last week, catching four passes for 93 yards. Considering the nature of White's injury (and recovery time), Douglas could be a WR2 if White is ruled out against the Rams. If not, Douglas still has at least WR3 value for three weeks.
Quick hits on other players …
- TE Tony Gonzalez: He skipped most of training camp, but his QB didn't forget to look for him in the red zone against the Saints. Overall, Gonzalez was targeted six times, catching three passes for 36 yards and one touchdown. And guess who Matt Ryan was trying to throw to on the last play of the game? Gonzalez. He's a mid-tier TE1 and will likely increase his receptions against the Rams as he gets more into a flow.
- WR Julio Jones: With White being injured and Douglas being unproven, the Falcon you most want to own is Julio Jones. He was Matt Ryan's most popular target last week (nine throws his way), catching seven passes for 76 yards and one touchdown. He's an elite WR1.
- RB Steven Jackson: The Falcons were in a shootout with the Saints, and put the rushing attack on the backburner. They finished with a total 14 rushing attempts, with Jackson leading the way with 11 carries for 77 yards. Anything under 15 carries per game is disappointing. The good news was that old guy showed off a little speed from his glory days, ripping off a 50-yard run. More good news was that Jackson proved to be much better receiver out the backfield than Michael Turner, catching five passes for 45 yards. The bad news? Jackson dropped a game-winning touchdown pass at the end of the game, and may have to win back some confidence of his quarterback. He's a RB2.
- QB Matt Ryan: He's still trying to crack the list of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. The Falcons had all kinds of pass protection problems against the Saints, with Ryan being sacked three times. Of course, Matt couldn't close on the game's final drive. But he's still a QB1, on the lower end.
- Falcons D: If you don't like your current defense, you may want to pick up the Falcons because they have a favorable schedule over the next four weeks: They'll play against the Rams, Dolphins, Patriots and Jets. Three of those teams have shaky offenses. Yes, I didn't overlook the Patriots, but the Falcons have them at home, and Tom Brady is struggling to find some dependable weapons on offense. It's worth the gamble, considering the other opponents on the four-game stretch.
AJC staff writer Michael Carvell, who covers recruiting, still finds the time to participate in seven NFL fantasy leagues.
