2015 was an interesting year for Moe Syzlak’s favorite team. Atlanta jumped out to a 5-0 start, then proceeded to lose 7 of their next eight and bumbled to an 8-8 finish. The Falcons got lucky early with a 2 point victory over Philadelphia, a four point win at the Giants, and an overtime win over Washington. Turned out they were a very soft 5-0, and the wheels fell off shortly after. Dan Quinn is back for his second season, but the Falcons have a long way to go to catch up with the cream of the NFC South.
The offense still goes through Julio Jones Devanta Freeman may have been a fantasy darling last season, but much like the rest of the Falcons; his production was tilted toward the beginning of the season. Nine of his 11 touchdowns were scored in his first six weeks, and he averaged 48.3 yards per game over the last nine games. After teams adjusted to Freeman, Atlanta struggled to move the ball outside of Ryan to Jones. Jones had a ridiculous season, leading the league with 136 catches and 1,871 yards. He was targeted 203 times, most in the NFL. No one else on Atlanta even had 100.
Did they get Julio any help? Free agent wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was signed from Cincinnati, and he will be the #2 wideout in Atlanta this season. Rookie Devil Fuller has shown glimpses in camp, but it’s too early to count on him. The Falcons want to run the ball more, and are hoping this is the year that Tevin Coleman takes the next step.
More defensive reinforcements Dan Quinn was brought in last year to shore up the defense, and he did a solid job in 2015. Atlanta jumped from 23rd in yards allowed to 10th. First round draft pick Keanu Neal out of Florida has already grabbed the Starting Strong Safety position. Rookie Linebackers Deion Jones and De’Vondre Campbell are making noise as well. Sean Weatherspoon, Courtney Upshaw, and Dwight Freeney were also brought in. It remains to see how much Freeney has left in the tank but good pass rushers are gold in the NFL, so that was a solid signing.
Fantasy Focus Julio Jones is mentioned as a top 3 pick in all mocks. Pushing Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr, for the top pick. You can’t go wrong with Jones in any format. Freeman is going to cost a lot, because his total numbers from last year look terrific, but you might not get proper value for him. I would look elsewhere. Matt Ryan is a perfect backup, but for all the numbers Jones puts up, they do not transfer to QB points for Matty Ice.
Prediction Dan Quinn will have this team ready to play every week, but this team will look a lot different in 2016. I expect the second half Falcons will show up more often than not in 2016. 5-11