The Falcons are battling injuries but are still in the playoff hunt. The Falcoholic divines the production from their fantasy options this week.
Fantasy Scouting Report: Atlanta Falcons
QB Matt Ryan: The young quarterback was injured against the Bucs and has been confirmed as out for the upcoming weekend. Get him on your bench.
QB Chris Redman: Against a tough Eagles defense and potentially under center with two of the Falcons’ offensive linemen and star running back Michael Turner out, Redman is a shaky play this weekend. His best attribute is his ability to find the open man and the Falcons match up well against the Eagles secondary, so the strength of his stat line will depend on how much time he’s given. If you have better options, don’t take the chance.
RB Michael Turner: Turner is extremely unlikely to play, and you’re probably already leery about him after he got into the game last week and proceed to do nothing before getting injured again. Look elsewhere.
RB Jerious Norwood: Both Norwood and Jason Snelling will be sharing carries this weekend, thus somewhat negating their effectiveness. The coaching staff is historically unwilling to give Norwood more than a handful of carries a game, and while he may do something amazing with them, Snelling is just the safer choice with 20 touches a possibility on Sunday.
WR Roddy White: This is the kind of game where White could break out, but there are some limiting factors here. First, White has been dealing with a leg injury for weeks on end, which has slightly slowed him come gametime. Also, while he’s one of Matt Ryan’s favorite targets, Chris Redman looked to Michael Jenkins and Tony Gonzalez much more frequently. Because of his size and physicality, White’s a good bet to grab a score Sunday, so start him without expectations of 100+ yards.
WR Michael Jenkins: A good choice in a PPR league this week because he has a good rapport with Redman. He hasn’t scored yet this season and shouldn’t be expected to this weekend.
TE Tony Gonzalez: He’s one of the top three tight ends in fantasy and puts up an excellent stat line almost every week. Start him with confidence against a porous Eagles pass defense.
K Matt Bryant: An unknown quantity this week, but if you had Jason Elam you need to pick this guy up. After the Falcons cut Elam this past week, the younger and hopefully more accurate Bryant will be called upon from longer distances and has a chance to put up a good line if the Falcons can score.
Falcons D: Even down DeSean Jackson, the Falcons defense struggles hugely and puts up virtually no sacks, fumbles or interceptions to help your stat line out. Bench ’em or cut ’em to make way for a superior option.
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