This is a series on my 2014 outlook of players you would
want to have on your Paper Pigskin team (fantasy football). What you'll find here are my views based on
years of playing experience and countless hours of geeking out researching
stats, trends, and film. I'll advise
where to reach and whose hype not to believe.
ATLANTA FALCONS - Passing 265 ypg Rushing 79 ypg
The Falcons, a team that had been known in recent years for
putting up impressive numbers, took a step back in the standings last season;
they also were a disappointment for Paper Pigskin Point production. Injuries were a main factor in all areas, but
so was their defense; if you can't give the ball back to the offense, then the
offense has fewer opportunities to put up numbers. The main offensive threats
are back but Tony Gonzalez's retirement will hurt more than pundits think.
QB: You really can't
blame Matt Ryan for the team's woes.
Ryan had a career high in pass attempts and remained accurate,
completing over 67% of his passes; even though he was missing his top wide
receiving options, he threw for over 4500 yards. Without the dependable GOATTE, I expect the accuracy to go down slightly but the offense should be
more wide open as they increase the amount of spread sets to help compensate
for Gonzalez's loss. We can possibly see a 5,000 yard season from Matty Ice; A
QB9 ADP seems about right but there's no reason to not pick him around #5.
RB: Steven Jackson
was brought on last season to enhance the offense by converting goal line
carries to scores and salting out the clock at the end of games. However, he
injured his hamstring early in the 2nd game of the season, missed four games
then was just mediocre after his return.
The optimist in me says S-Jax will have a bounce-back season, as he
takes advantage of opportunities that the passing game affords him. The pessimist says that he'll be nagged by
injuries throughout the season and disappoint those that take a chance on him.
Jackson is a good guy and an easy person to like in real life but the truth of
the matter is he's not the same player he used to be, and we could (should) see
a changing of the guard in Atlanta. The Falcons might take care of their
investment in the regular season to keep him fresh in the playoffs by spelling
him often. He's a good investment later in the draft at RB31 because he has a high
ceiling.
Jacquizz Rodgers and
Antone Smith are the next two on the depth chart. Rodgers was expected to pop last season after
Jackson went down but didn't do much with his touches; he should only be
drafted in deeper leagues. Don't waste your time on Smith. However, Devonta Freeman is a favorite of mine. He can
explode out of his cuts, and he has the balance to keep his feet after contact.
We could see Free play a much larger role on this team than some think due to
his ability to catch the ball. It might
take some time though, because you can't get on the field as a running back
unless you do well in pass protection.
Free should be a no-brainer pick in dynasty leagues and is worth room on
your roster if you can afford to stash him.
In the event Jackson goes down again, Free will be a high waiver
priority; his ADP is RB47.
WR: Julio Jones can
possibly stake his claim as the elite WR in the NFL. Before he got injured last season he amassed
41 receptions for 580 in just 5 games.
Ryan targeted him 12 times per
game, part of that was because Roddy White was hobbling but for the most part,
a quarterback knows how to butter his bread and Julio Jones is just THAT
GOOD! He should see those same amount of
looks this season because Tony G isn't in the building. His ADP is WR6, but I
have him rated as the 3rd best this season. Do what you want with that
statement.
Roddy White is being overlooked in drafts this season; his
WR17 is indicative of that, but to me he is still that dude. While Julio beasts up with the big plays,
Roddy is going to gobble up mostly everything underneath as the main benefactor
of Tony G's absence. It's quite possible
he can post over 100 receptions this season as a possession receiver, if I can
even call him that. He's surely still a WR1 in PPR leagues.
TE: There's not much
I can say to hype Levine Toilolo except for that he still has a good relationship with his mentor, the GOATTE. He's 6'8" and should get looks in the red
zone. He's not on many draft radars but
should be on your watch list if Gonzalez rubs off on him any.
Def: Was one of the
worst units in the league last season. I wouldn't trust them, I don't even see
a place on the schedule to add them to a stream.
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