Fantasy Scouting Report: Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons desperately need a win, The Falcoholic looks at their chances from a fantasy perspective.

QB Matt Ryan: The sophomore slump is officially underway. If you’ve played Ryan the last few weeks, you’ve gotten some frustrating performances out of him, particularly if your league penalizes interceptions. He’s due to snap out of it with the weapons at his disposal, but it’s unlikely it will happen this week against a New York Giants team that can bring a ton of pressure up front. Don’t start him this week unless your other options are even worse.

RB Michael Turner: Turner will almost certainly not play this weekend, despite the brave front he’s putting on. He suffered an ankle sprain last week and has yet to practice. Even if the Falcons did trot him out on the field, it would be for the intimidation factor, as he’d be extremely limited. Bench him until he proves he’s healthy.

RB Jason Snelling: If he’s still out on the wire in your league, you need to add him immediately. Snelling is basically the only healthy back the Falcons have right now besides special teamer Aaron Stecker, and he was effective last week against the Panthers. A bruising back in the mold of Michael Turner, Snelling will get the ball as the Falcons try to balance out their offense and could end up with between 75 to 100 yards and a touchdown. He’s a sneaky good RB2 or flex play this week.

WR Roddy White: Somehow White puts up decent numbers even though Ryan is struggling mightily, but it’s difficult to recommend him when I don’t expect Ryan to have much success. He could pop off a few receptions, 50 yards and a touchdown or he could go for much more, but keep in mind that Tony Gonzalez is cutting into his targets. Consider that before you start him.

TE Tony Gonzalez: Once again, my advice about Gonzo basically mirrors White. He’s done a good job this year of getting open when Ryan is panicking. He’s a reliable target. But when Ryan isn’t performing well, Gonzo’s chances of having a huge game go down substantially. Because he’s at the tight end position where production is harder to come by, he’s still a solid play this week against the Giants.

K Jason Elam: Having now whiffed on at least three critical kicks this year, Elam is extremely hard to recommend for fantasy play considering the potential for pressure-packed situations against the Giants. Look elsewhere if you can.

Falcons Defense: Definitely not a recommend play this week. Brandon Jacobs could wear the Falcons down up front, and they’ve shown no ability to get to the quarterback in recent weeks. Combine that with a solid Giants passing offense and you’ve got a real chance to get spanked this week if you trot out the Falcons defense. You’ve got to have better options out there on the wire, so use them.

Get over to The Falcoholic if you’re a Falcons fan.