Fantasy Football Rankings: Falcons Players You Should Draft, Avoid This Season
Editor?s note: To help you prepare for your fantasy football draft, NESN.com will profile each NFL team and analyze which players are worth picking and which players aren?t worth your time. Today, we look at the Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons appeared to have finally turned things around in 2015, but they went from 5-0 to 8-8 and out of the playoffs by the end of the season.
Still, that was an improvement for a team that had won a total of 10 games over the prior two seasons despite all its talent.
Let’s take a look at some of Falcons players you should draft, potential sleepers and the ones you should avoid for this season.
DRAFT-WORTHY
Julio Jones, Wide Receiver: Jones will be picked as high as No. 1 in some drafts and should be a no-brainer first-round selection. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2015 with 1,871, and he also had eight touchdowns through the air. Jones has incredible skill, and he’s clearly the Falcons’ No. 1 playmaker.
Devonta Freeman, Running Back: Freeman took quite the leap in his second NFL season. He went from 248 rushing yards as a rookie to 1,056 in Year 2, leading to high expectations both on the field and in fantasy football for the upcoming season. He could be selected as a late pick in Round 1, but he’s most likely a second-rounder with first-round talent.
Matt Ryan, Quarterback: Ryan isn’t a top-tier QB, but he’s a solid choice if you plan on taking a quarterback later while you focus on your other needs. Ryan’s numbers won’t blow you away — he had 21 touchdowns and an 89 passer rating last season — but he could be a great value once the draft rounds hit double digits.
AVOID
Mohamed Sanu, Wide Receiver: While the Falcons have one of the best wideouts in the league, the rest of their receiving depth chart leaves plenty to be desired. They signed Sanu to be their No. 2 receiver, but he had zero touchdowns and only 394 yards through the air with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015.
Jacob Tamme, Tight End: Tony Gonzalez isn’t walking through that door. The Falcons haven’t had a reliable tight end since Gonzalez retired, and Tamme likely isn’t the answer. He had a grand total of one receiving touchdown in 2015, and that was with the second-most receptions (59) he’s had in a single season in his career.
SLEEPER
Justin Hardy, Wide Receiver: With the No. 2 receiver position in such flux, there’s a chance someone else emerges if Sanu doesn’t produce the numbers the Falcons need from him. And the person best in line to do that is Hardy. He only had 36 targets in nine games as a rookie in 2015, but that means you easily could steal him in one of the last rounds or even on the waiver wire.
Thumbnail photo via Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports Images
