Fantasy Football NFC South rankings for 2016: Julio Jones

We continue our “Falcons 50” countdown with a look at the top five fantasy football players in the NFC South for 2016. Falcons football is just 22 days away. You can follow along with the full countdown here.

Top NFC South fantasy players of 2016: #2 Julio Jones

Is there a better wide receiver in the game than Julio Jones? Only two men can make such a claim: Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. And the jury is still very much out on that discussion.

A fantasy football first-rounder, Jones is the kind of player you build a roster around. A lock as your WR1, the Falcons star is set for another huge year. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has made it his mission to feed Julio as often as possible, and Mohamed Sanu’s arrival shouldn’t change this a great deal.

Last season’s numbers

Games: 16

Yards: 1,871

Touchdowns: 8

Fantasy points: 242.60

Positional ranking: 2

Not many players draw the crowd of defensive backs Julio does, and similarly not many defeat double- and triple-coverage as he does.

Go ahead and put all 11 of your defenders on Julio. He’ll still catch the football. And plenty of fantasy points in the process.

As the standout in Atlanta, expect Jones to post huge numbers once again, deserving of the high draft pick that will come. As long as he’s healthy, no defense can stop him.

Even with the addition of Sanu, rookie tight end Austin Hooper and the development of Justin Hardy, Jones is poised for another mega season. And you shouldn’t hesitate to select him early.

Next: Falcons 50: The full countdown to kickoff

Maybe the first-overall pick is a little rich, but if you’re sat in the third spot onwards and Julio is still there, you should have no hesitation.

Get the opportunity to select Julio Jones to your team? Pass him up at your own risk.