UPDATE (12:12 p.m. EST): Julio Jones has been upgraded to probable on the team’s injury report, indicating that he will likely take the field on Thursday. The amount of snaps he will receive is still unknown.
Julio Jones may be on ‘pitch count’ Thursday for Falcons, fantasy owners
The Falcons are 5-0, but their star receiver is ailing with a hamstring injury. We break down the fantasy implications.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones could be on a "pitch count" Thursday night vs. the New Orleans Saints, according to NFL Network's Tiffany Blackmon.
Jones played through his hamstring injury in Week 5’s win over Washington, but was noticeably hampered throughout. Despite that, Jones caught five passes for 67 yards and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Jones has a short week to prepare, and even against a divisional rival, it’s unknown how much the star receiver will see the field.
Fantasy impact: Fantasy owners will have to wait until 90 minutes before Thursday to see if Jones will suit up, which is only positive because it’s the first game on the weekly schedule. It’s almost favorable to fantasy owners if he is held out, because they can at least take a course of action instead of starting him with the possibility he is only used as a decoy.
That said, it’s difficult to justify benching Jones when he was still productive in Week 5 with the same ailment. Expectations should be tempered for the team’s No. 1 receiver, and fantasy owners should view him more as a WR2/WR3 instead of his top-five designation that he would have when healthy.
