Fantasy Football 2016 Preview: Atlanta Falcons wide receivers

With Matt Ryan ready for a bounce back season, the Falcons wide receivers will need to have productive years if Atlanta is going to return to the playoffs.

Jul 28, 2016; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; The Atlanta Falcons wide receivers are led by Julio Jones (11) who here leads teammates through a drill during training camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no question that Atlanta’s Julio Jones is one of the top receivers in the NFL, but the rest of the Falcons wide receivers will need to step up this season especially in the Red Zone. Matt Ryan is back under center for another season, so the opportunities will be there, but for Atlanta to do better than their 8-8 mark last year they’ll need to get into the end zone with more regularity. The Falcons wide receivers have some new options for Ryan to showcase this season, so let’s take a look at what to expect.

Throughout the preseason, we have been working our way through the NFL to look at the important fantasy options on each team. While most team’s just have one quarterback and one tight end that are noteworthy for fantasy, every team has multiple running backs and wide receivers that you need to know heading into draft season.

Already this preseason, our wide receiver previews have focused on the receivers of the Packers, Vikings, Lions, Bears, Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Ravens, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders, Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, Patriots, Jets, Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys, Washington, Eagles, Giants, Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Buccaneers, and Saints. Today, we’ll close out the series with a look at the Falcons wide receivers and later the Panthers wide receivers.

If you’re looking for fantasy football coverage including all our wide receiver and running back previews, check out the FanSided fantasy football hub where you can also find my top 10 potential breakout WR. You should also make sure to check out the 15 sleepers from Preseason Week 3, and click here for my final WR rankings. If you want to see who I think you should have in your lineup for Week 1, check out my full Week 1 rankings and our cool new start/sit advice page.

Make sure to stay tuned to the FanSided fantasy football hub throughout the season to find plenty of fantasy coverage including sleepers, rankings, and injury news all season long. You can also follow @FansidedFantasy on Twitter where I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, keep you up to date on all our latest coverage, and even help you through any gameday dilemma that may come up.

In this post, we’ll focus on the Falcons wide receivers who are ready to step up this season. Julio Jones is obviously the star, but there should be opportunity for other options to step up as well. We’ll start with an overview of Atlanta’s passing offense, and after that we’ll take a look at each option on the depth chart to see the fantasy potential and current ADP (average draft position) of each of the Saints wide receivers.

Jul 29, 2016; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) catches passes during training camp at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons Wide Receivers-Overall Outlook

While they have the star power on offense and got a breakout season from Devonta Freeman, the Falcons scored a surprisingly low number of points last season. The averaged just 21.2 points per game and really struggled down the stretch averaging just 20 in their last three games and also had disappointing totals on the road where they scored just 19 points per game throughout the season.

The team definitely didn’t lack opportunities to score, but they failed to convert. The passing offense ranked in the top ten in pass attempts, pass completions, and passing yards; but they ranked 25th in passing touchdowns per game. The problem definitely hurt Matt Ryan’s fantasy value, but it doesn’t appear to be a recurring problem for the former-BC Eagle. Ryan has thrown for at least 4,500 yards in four straight years, but his touchdowns dropped to just 21 which was his lowest season output since his rookie year.

I expect Ryan and the offense to bounce back this year, although he didn’t look sharp this preseason. He finished the preseason 18-of-37 with 207 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. It’s a big year for Ryan since he needs to prove he’s not declining which would put Atlanta on the market for his replacement.

Ryan will have some new targets to throw to this season as well as having Julio Jones to lead the way. Jones played all 16 games last year and led the team in almost every receiving category. The other options struggled, though, so the Falcons wide receivers depth chart got a facelift this offseason. Long-time Falcon Roddy White is out of the picture, but the team brought in Mohamed Sanu from the Bengals as the new #2. They also added an intriguing option in the draft when they added tight end Austin Hooper (although he’ll start the season behind Jacob Tamme).

Let’s take a look at each of the options from the Falcons wide receivers and evaluate the latest ADP info from fantasypros.com as we finish out our positional previews for 2016.

Aug 11, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) is introduced before a game against the Washington Redskins at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Julio Jones

The Falcons rely heavily on Julio Jones who is by far the most-targeted of the Falcons wide receivers. Ryan threw 204 passes Jones’s way last season compared to just 70 for the second-most targeted receiver Roddy White. Jones put up monster numbers as a result of all the work hauling in 136 catches for 1,871 yards and eight touchdowns. He accounted for 93 first downs and 116.9 yards per game.

Jones is unquestionable an elite option at WR, and he was taken as such in drafts this preseason. Jones was the third receiver taken after Brown and Beckham and averaged the #4 overall pick. Julio definitely deserves that kind of respect, but he doesn’t enter the year totally question-free.

The big question heading into Week 1 is his ankle injury that has kept him sidelined much of the preseason. He is expected to be fine, but the fact that he was expected to be a full participant but was only limited is starting to cause a concern for his heavily-invested owners. Jones should be a full go the rest of the week, though, and ready to slice up the Bucs on Sunday.

I expect another monster year from Julio, and he could be an even better fantasy option if he gets to double-digit touchdowns as the Falcons find ways to convert in the red zone.

Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (12) runs the ball as Cleveland Browns defensive back Jamar Taylor (27) defends during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Mohamed Sanu

Sanu has been a solid but somewhat under-utilized gadget specialist in his first four years in the league with the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanu was third on the depth chart in Cincy last year and only managed 33 catches for 394 yards. He did get into the end zone twice, but those were both rushing touchdowns as he converted his ten carries for 71 yards and the two scores.

For a while in 2014, Sanu was the team’s second WR when Marvin Jones was injured and he posted respectable totals of 56 catches and 790 yards to go with five touchdowns. Given those production totals, the Falcons probably over-paid Sanu this offseason giving him a huge $32.5 million contract. However, for fantasy football we don’t have to worry about paying him that kind of money (thankfully).

He should start the season with a solid connection with Ryan after the two worked together all preseason. He ended up with seven catches on 12 targets for 82 yards although he didn’t get into the end zone. Sanu will serve in Roddy White’s old role as the possession receiver to Jones flash-and-dash vertical potential on the other side.

Sanu did struggle with drops in Cincinnati and fantasy owners are hesitant to buy into him as the answer to the Falcons #2 WR problems. He was drafted 56th overall in fantasy drafts this preseason going in the 17th round of standard-sized leagues. Sanu has some interesting upside as a depth option especially in PPR leagues. He should get enough targets to have low-risk and a high-ceiling. He could break out this season in his new environment, so stash him if you can or keep an eye on him early in the season.

Aug 11, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Justin Hardy (16) returns a punt against the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Hardy

The third option among the Falcons wide receivers is Justin Hardy who is a second-year receiver out of East Carolina. He played nine games for the Falcons last year and caught 21 passes for 194 yards. You can tell by his average (9.2 yards per catch) that he isn’t much of a vertical threat, but his solid hands and good route-running could make him an over-the-middle option.

Coach Dan Quinn and Matt Ryan talked about his growth this offseason, but he had a quiet preseason with only five catches for 48 yards. He turned his ankle in the third preseason game, but returned to practice right away.

Hardy is the third WR on the Falcons, but he doesn’t deserve fantasy consideration since Atlanta will use a lot of two-tight end or fullback-featured sets leaving just two receiver spots. If Sanu struggles or either Jones or Sanu are injured, Hardy could be fringe option, but you can leave him on your waiver wires for now.

Jul 28, 2016; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Aldrick Robinson (19) catches the ball behind cornerback Jalen Collins (32) during training camp at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Other Falcons wide receivers

Aldrick Robinson: If Jones or Sanu is injured, Robinson would probably step into their spot on the outside leaving Hardy in the slot. Robinson is an occasional deep threat and a special teams standout. He was out of the league last season after time with the Ravens and Washington in 2012-2014. Robinson has plenty of straight-line speed, and put together a good enough preseason to enter the year as the team’s primary backup on the outside.

Robinson caught three passes for 118 yards in the preseason opener against his former team from Washington. He finished with nine catches in the four preseason contests for an impressive 223 yards. He could eventually be a fantasy factor, but for now he probably won’t have a big enough role to merit a roster spot.

Taylor Gabriel: Atlanta added another option to the Falcons wide receivers when they claimed Gabriel off of waivers after this preseason. The Browns suddenly had a influx of options at WR and let Gabriel go even though he posted decent numbers. Gabriel could be a tgreat to Justin Hardy in the slot as he adjusts to the new offense, but he doesn’t have a high enough ceiling to do anything but monitor on the waiver wire at this point.

Eric Weems: Weems is a return specialist who gets a few gadget plays run for him in the Atlanta offense. He’s a long way from getting enough work to be a fantasy factor, though, so he starts the season buried on the waiver wire.