RISE UP! Oh, am I excited about the Falcons offense in 2019. In two of the last three seasons, Matt Ryan quietly threw for almost 5K yards. Twelve of their games are indoors this year. Julio Jones is healthy and Calvin Ridley is coming off of a terrific rookie campaign. But, perhaps most importantly, the balance to the offense will return in 2019. A healthy Devonta Freeman was a double-digit TD all-purpose back in 2015 and 2016. Then, two injury-riddled seasons halted this once reliable fantasy asset. Freeman is healthy heading into camp, and the Falcons are going to be more than a handful with a balanced, potent attack in 2019.
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2019 Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Preview
KEY LOSSES: Tevin Coleman RB, Bruce Ervin DE, Justin Bethel CB, Brian Poole CB
Impact: Tevin Coleman got his shot as a lead back, and frankly, he was uninspiring. Coleman moved to San Francisco this off-season and his exit is good news for Devonta Freeman owners. Bruce Irvin can still get to the QB, but at 31 it was better to not pay for his past. Losing two CB wasn’t a great look, but Desmond Trufant is still there.
KEY ADDITIONS: James Carpenter G, Jamon Brown G, Allen Bailey DT,
Impact: There was a theme to this off-season, and it was beefing up the offensive line. The Falcons added Carpenter, who was a fine pass blocker prior to injuries. Brown, on the other hand, was known more for his run blocking and both should make an impact in 2019. Bailey will be a rotational player.
DRAFTED PLAYERS OF FANTASY NOTE: Chris Lindstrom G, Kaleb McGary T,
Impact: Chris Lindstrom is a fantastic athlete and will be stud for this O-Line. He moves well in space and should help keep the run game moving the chains. McGary will play LT and now that Falcons line should be loaded. That’s good news for Matt Ryan and fantasy owners.
FALCONS OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Perhaps the most underrated fantasy QB on earth, Matt Ryan is poised for another huge season. He’s an outstanding consolation should you miss out on the elite tier at the position. Don’t tell me about Ito Smith. I don’t want to hear it. Devonta Freeman will return to his days of being a late first/early second round pick in this offense, especially with a rebuilt offensive line. Julio Jones’ TD numbers came back and he remains a top 5 WR. Calvin Ridley had some monster games in 2018, but some quiet ones as well. That’s to be expected playing alongside a HOFer in Jones. However, Ridley will be more consistent with another year in this offense and Austin Hooper should once again be a serviceable TE. This group is going to fill the fantasy box score on a weekly basis.
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Another reason I love the Falcons offense so much is the Falcons defense! Ranked 28th overall, they struggled against the pass and run alike. They especially struggle with running backs who catch the ball out of the backfield and they did nothing to address the linebacker position this off-season. De’Vondre Campbell will make a run at 100 tackles, but this group doesn’t offer much fantasy appeal. The secondary is soft, they don’t get to the quarterback, nor do they tackle particularly well. That all adds up to a hard pass in fantasy.
Falcons 2019 OUTLOOK
It’s all about the offense here. In fact, the Falcons may be the only team in the NFL that offer a true fantasy worthy starter at every position. The defense will continue to keep them fighting for leads and that sounds like lots of points to me! Ultimately, the defense will limit their playoff ceiling in “real” football. Still, they will be entertaining to watch and Matt Ryan could eclipse 5K yards in 2o19. BUY!
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Joe Pisapia is the author of the #1 best-selling Fantasy Black Book Series and creator of the revolutionary player evaluation tool Relative Position Value (RPV). He’s the host of The Fantasy Black Book Podcast and the LineStar DFS Podcasts. Joe was previously host of the FSTA award-winning On Target Fantasy (2016 Radio Show of the Year), The Fantasy Black Book Show, RotoExperts in the Morning and NFL Game Day for the FNTSY Fantasy Sports Radio Network, as well as RotoWire MLB/NFL DFS Podcasts, and numerous shows for SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. You can also see him frequently on CBS TV in New York on The Sports Desk. He’s written for The Sporting News, FanDuel Insider and FantasyAlarm.
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