Fantasy Football: Monday Night Football Takeaways

After a high-scoring affair on Monday Night Football, what are the biggest takeaways in fantasy football.

Sometimes in the NFL and in fantasy football there are games that don’t go the way you expect them to. Monday night’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints was not one of those cases.

As we all anticipated, there was a ridiculous amount of yards, touchdowns, fantasy points and very little defense.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the in-between from Monday Night Football’s game between the Falcons and Saints.

The Good

Falcons QB Matt Ryan (20/30, 240 yards, 2 TDs and 23 rushing yards) – In Weeks 1 and 2, Ryan averaged 365 passing yards so his 240 yards against the Saints may have disappointed some people. If you are one of those people, cry me a river. Ryan played great and now he has seven touchdowns to just one interception through three games. It looks like he has a grip on Kyle Shanahan’s offense and could realistically finish the season as a top-five quarterback.

Saints QB Drew Brees (36/54, 376 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) – To no surprise, the Saints defense was atrocious and Brees had to throw a ton. With no help in sight for the other side of the ball, this should be a weekly occurrence. Owners should expect about 300 passing yards and 2 touchdowns from Brees every week. Will the Saints actually win the game? Well this is fantasy football so who cares?

Falcons RB Tevin Coleman (15 touches, 89 yards, 3 touchdowns) – Coleman continues to impress with his touches and is clearly Atlanta’s preferred running back when they enter the redzone. Not only does he have standalone value but he actually might be the better fantasy in the Falcons backfield. According to ESPN standard scoring, his 26 fantasy points was tied for the most by any back in the NFL in Week 3. The person he tied with? His teammate, Devonta Freeman.

Falcons RB Devonta Freeman (19 touches, 207 yards, 1 TD) -For the third straight week, Freeman out-touched Coleman, but failed to put up more fantasy points. This week, Freeman owners don’t mind because Freeman had himself a day. With that said, do not expect this type of performance with his 15-18 touches next week against the Panthers. If you want to sell Freeman high, now would be the time.

Saints TE Coby Fleener (7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD) – Oh there you are Mr. Fleener. Nice of you to show up. After doing next to nothing in Weeks 1 and 2, Fleener led all tight ends in Week 3 in receiving yards and targets (11). He should be capable of putting up big numbers every week because the Saints defense is just so bad. Yet, don’t be shocked when he disappears from the stat sheet like he did in Weeks 1 and 2.

Saints RB Mark Ingram (19 touches, 107 yards, 1 TD) – Ingram only combined for 21 carries for 88 yards in Weeks 1 and 2. You knew the Saints would want to get back to running the ball and they did. Ingram had 77 yards on 15 carries but the Saints defense forced the Saints offense to abandon the run. Owners should expect the Saints abandon the run in most the games in 2016 but it’s not too much of a concern because Ingram has a role in the passing game as well.

Saints WR Michael Thomas (7 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD) – With Willie Snead missing the game with a toe injury, Thomas saw a bump in playing time and targets. Those numbers will decrease once Snead comes back. But believe it or not, Thomas in on pace for 91 receptions after three games. Will he reach that number? Probably not. But if either Snead or Brandin Cooks were to miss an extended period of time with an injury, Thomas would be a must own in all leagues.

The Ehhh…

Saints WR Brandon Coleman (7 receptions, 78 yards) – Coleman actually had the same amount of receptions and more receiving yards on three less targets than Michael Thomas. Yet, Thomas was able to find the end zone and Coleman was not. Normally, this performance would most likely go under the “good” category. However, with the gaudy stats the players above had in yesterday’s game, Coleman’s performance by comparison was mediocre.

The Bad

Falcons WR Julio Jones (1 receptions, 16 yards) – These two teams combined for 77 points and 616 passing yards yet Julio only managed just 16 measly yards. There were 13 players who had more receptions and 12 who had more receiving yards than Julio in yesterday’s game. You honestly can’t script this stuff.

Saints WR Brandin Cooks (2 receptions, 13 yards) – Just like Julio Jones, the Saints WR1 simply did not get it done for owners yesterday. Although this isn’t as shocking as Julio’s numbers, it’s still disappointing.

Falcons TE Jacob Tamme (3 receptions, 28 yards) – On paper, this looked like a great matchup for Tamme. Then again, this was a great matchup for everyone on both teams so I guess somebody had to fall short. Tamme’s receptions, receiving yards and targets were all a season-low.

Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu (3 receptions, 31 yards) – Sanu was on pace to have a decent game but left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. After having a terrific game in Week 1 (5/80/1), Sanu has combined for 6 receptions and 50 yards between Weeks 2-3. There’s no need to hang onto Sanu in 10-team leagues.