Falcons Post-Week 3 Fantasy Outlook
By Adnan Ikic
6. The Other Guys
Jacob Tamme (3 catches, 28 receiving yards: 2.80 points)
Like I said last week, Matt Ryan spreads the ball around too much for anyone to trust Jacob Tamme as a TE1. He will have a big week or two, and It’s ok to have him on your bench as a potential bye week plug-in, but Jacob Tamme should not be an every week starter in any fantasy football league.
Justin Hardy (2 catches, 26 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown: 8.60 fantasy points)
For the second week in a row, Justin Hardy has scored a touchdown — this time on a beautifully designed play action shovel pass, right before halftime. This is reminiscent of Nick Williams scoring in back to back games last season, as it’s more of an anomaly than anything else.
Unless you’re in a very deep dynasty league, it wouldn’t be worth your time to pick Justin Hardy up, unless Mohamed Sanu starts missing games. Even then, Matt Ryan spreads the ball around too much for Hardy to keep making this kind of impact.
Aldrick Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Austin Hooper (3 catches, 37 yards combined: 3.70 points combined)
Move along, nothing to see here. Robinson and Gabriel only got some real burn after Sanu’s injury: neither are legitimate fantasy contributors.
After an 84-yard game last week, Austin Hooper didn’t have a target in this one. Only stash him in a dynasty league, steer clear if you’re in a redraft league.
The Kicker: Matt Bryant (6 PAT, 1 20-29: 9.0 Points)
It’s a testament to Atlanta’s offense that Matt Bryant had a solid 9 point fantasy day, and that most of those points came on extra points.
Bryant’s only field goal came from 21 yards out. The Falcons offense moved the ball at will, but was too good in the red-zone, scoring a touchdown on five of six trips to the red area. Bryant still hasn’t attempted a field goal of over 34 yards, this season.
Analysis: The Baylor alum has been as steady as they come in fantasy football this season — getting games of 10 points, 9 points, and 9 points throughout the first three weeks. He is the eight best kicker in fantasy football so far.
The Defense (2 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown, 32 points allowed: 11.0 points)
As unlikely as it seemed heading into this one, the Falcons defense actually had a really good fantasy day. While Drew Brees was moving the ball at will, the defense still forced two turnovers (special teams turnovers count), got two sacks, and scored a touchdown.
Deion Jones’ 90 yard pic-six was the highlight of the day, as the defense earned 8 fantasy points on that one play alone.
A corner blitz led to a Desmond Trufant sack which was another point, and Dwight Freeney closed the game out with a sack of his own.
Analysis: While the defense had an unexpectedly good fantasy day, they are still not a reliable streaming option. The upcoming schedule is still brutal with good offensive teams. Keep away from Atlanta’s defensive unit.