This is the “Fantasy Football: Two-minute drill,” a close look at Falcons players for Week 4.
After a disappointing 1-3 start, the Falcons have an excellent chance to get things turned around against the underperforming Jets on Monday Night Football.
There’s not much to not like about the Jets on offense. Rookie quarterback Geno Smith is going through growing pains, and his top two wide receivers may miss the game with injuries.
This week’s biggest Fantasy Football play on the Falcons is picking up the team’s defense. If you can hold onto them through next week’s bye week, you will be rewarded with another matchup against another rookie quarterback with the Buccaneers.
Here’s a look at the other Falcons:
QB Matt Ryan: You say Matty Ice can't win the big game? Maybe. You say he can make the clutch throw? Maybe. I say, looking at his stats, that he's one of the NFL's top five quarterbacks in Fantasy. He's a QB1 indefinitely, or until the Falcons have an effective running game again.
WR Julio Jones: He leads the NFL in receiving yards. Nothing else to say. WR1
WR Roddy White: This sounds like a broken tape recorder: Don't start Jones until he can prove he's recovered from a high-ankle sprain. However, if there's a week to roll the dice, this would be it. He's a high-risk, high-reward play at WR3 going into the bye week.
TE Tony Gonzalez: He looked like an old man during the first three games, but erupted against the Patriots for 12 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns. There's still a lot of doubters but Gonzo can move up from low-end TE1 status with a big performance against the Jets, which have given up touchdowns to tight ends in each of the last two games.
WR Harry Douglas: As Roddy gets healthier, Douglas' Fantasy value fades away. He's a WR5.
RB Jacquizz Rodgers and RB Jason Snelling: There's not much to say about the Falcons' rushing attack. If you have to pick between the two for a plug-and-play, go with Rodgers because he's getting more touches. They're both RB3s.
AJC staff writer Michael Carvell, who covers recruiting, still finds the time to participate in seven NFL fantasy leagues.
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