Atlanta Falcons fantasy football value entering Week 3
By Adnan Ikic
Sep 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) during the pre game warmup for their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Things got ugly: Roddy White (0 receptions, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns: 0.0 points)
Oh boy, what happened out there Roddy? Following a solid 80-yard game, Atlanta’s franchise receiving kind put up a doughnut hole in all categories for the first time since 2006.
Matt Ryan didn’t look White’s way much, instead opting to target Julio Jones and Leonard Hankerson instead. Before the game, Dan Quinn said that Hankerson was more of a 2B option, rather than a third receiver. That showed on Sunday, as White was phased out of the passing attack.
Analysis: At one point a shoe-in 1000 yard receiver every year, Roddy White is showing us that the end might be in site for him. I wouldn’t advise cutting ties with White, but I wouldn’t consider him anything more than a WR4, with flex upside based on matchups. Hang on to White, and use him as a bye week fill-in.
The pleasant surprise: Leonard Hankerson (77 receiving yards, 1 touchdown: 13.70 points)
It was a very good day for Leonard Hankerson. He took Roddy White’s targets, and was the lone recipient of a Matt Ryan touchdown pass, in the middle of the fourth quarter comeback.
He got a touchdown called back in the first quarter, but made up for it later on in the game. The score was nice, but so was the yardage. His 77 yards is a solid mark for a team’s
3rd receiver
2B receiver.
Analysis: Hankerson had a very good game, but this game is more of an outlier rather than a constant. Julio Jones still gobbles up a huge share of targets, and while Roddy White was phased out this week, that doesn’t mean the same will happen again next week. Pick up Hankerson if you’re in a deeper league, but don’t consider him anything more than a WR5 for now.
Next: Injuries slowed him down