Thursday Night Football Matchups Analysis - Week 2

That was a disappointing opening Thursday game... Aside from the Atlanta Falcons vs. Philadelphia Eagles game featuring a ridiculous number of penalties, it truly boiled down to a defensive battle with little scoring action for fantasy owners. What might be most concerning for owners who have invested in the Atlanta Falcons offense is their continued […]

Austin Hooper Remains a Red-Zone Threat

Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper will be hoping to convert on one of his red-zone targets in Week 2. In the season opener, Hooper officially saw two targets in the red zone, catching one of them. Hooper really should have drawn a penalty for an accidental defensive pass interference that prevented him from having […]

Julio Jones Looking To Stay Hot In Week 2

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones will be hoping to stay hot in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers. Jones is coming off a monster game against the Philadelphia Eagles last Thursday, in which he racked up 169 receiving yards on 10 receptions from 19 targets. Jones also has good history against the Carolina Panthers, […]

Tevin Coleman Could Star Sunday

Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman could be in line for a bulk of the workload in the Falcons second game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Coleman may be required to step up if Devonta Freeman is not 100% following his knee injury. Coleman saw 50% of the Falcons carries in week one but […]

Devonta Freeman Expected To Be Available Sunday

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman is expected to be "good to go" Sunday after leaving the season opener with a knee injury. The Falcons did promote Brian Hill from the practice squad to provide depth at the position. There has been no news on whether Freeman will be on a pitch count come Sunday. […]

Matt Ryan Hoping To Bounce Back Sunday

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will be hoping for a bounce-back performance in Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. Ryan completed 21-of-43 passes for 251 yards, with zero touchdowns and one interception against the Eagles in the season opener. His opponent this week, the Carolina Panthers, were not really tested in week one, as Dallas' […]

Brian Hill Promoted To Active Roster

The Atlanta Falcons promoted running back Brian Hill off the practice squad to the active roster on Tuesday. The team also signed wide receiver Julian Williams to the practice squad and waived defensive tackle Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. Hill ran for 87 yards on 11 carries (5.1 yards per carry) in the preseason, but he'll just provide […]

Deion Jones Placed On IR

The Atlanta Falcons placed linebacker Deion Jones (foot) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday. Jones was a top-10 IDP linebacker, so this is obviously a big blow for the Falcons defense as a whole, especially after they also lost star safety Keanu Neal (knee) for the entire season. Atlanta's defense/special teams was a sleeper unit for […]

Austin Hooper (TE, ATL) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper was held to three receptions for 24 yards by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles during the opening game of the season, but you could still make the argument that this underachieving tight end could end up […]

Week 2 Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds

Week 1 was not a memorable opening week for NFL tight ends. While New England’s Rob Gronkowski got off to a great start (123 yards and a TD), other top tight ends were not as fortunate. Greg Olsen, Delanie Walker and David Njoku suffered injuries, Zach Ertz dropped passes like he was Amari Cooper, while Evan […]

Week 2 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2018 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Week 1 is in the books and fantasy players everywhere have officially started panicking. Two of the top five kickers from this week were largely unowned heading into this week, while other fantasy mainstays fell by the wayside. Week 2 kicks off with everyone scrambling to pick up breakout stars. For those that stream kickers […]

Disaster Recovery Week 1 - Hunting for Answers on Kareem Hunt

Welcome to Disaster Recovery, where each week I'll examine why your studs played like duds. This isn't a place to find out why you should have benched a player for somebody on your bench. Disaster Recovery is to examine the guys who you didn't think twice about benching, and deciding if you should be panicking at all […]

Deion Jones Misses Practice Monday

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones (foot) did not practice on Monday. Jones had four tackles and an interception in Week 1 against the Eagles last Thursday. It's unclear if he'll be able to play in Week 2 against the Panthers, but if he does, he's a strong IDP choice for fantasy owners.

Week 1 Matchups Analysis - Fantasy Football Advice

It's here, it's finally here! The 2018 NFL season is upon us and that means so is fantasy football. We all know how important start/sit decisions are in fantasy, and I'm here to help. Unlike other articles that cover just a few players at each position, I am analyzing every player, for every game either […]

Week 1 Rankings Analysis - Nick Mariano vs. ECR

Welcome, one and all, to the weekly piece that puts my rankings under the microscope and gives me a chance to explain myself against the Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) found on FantasyPros. If this is your first time reading me, then hi! Why should you care about me? Well, my finish as the ninth-most accurate […]

NFL Survivor Pool Picks (Week 1): Targets and Avoids

Get those Sunday excuses for your significant other ready because football is back baby! No need to stress about what your Sunday plans entail as football is the only thing to do from 1:00 PM to days end. I've been writing this column for years and I'm very excited to tackle another season of helping […]

Stop The Slander and Trust Your Team!

There are only two feelings you have once you finish your fantasy football draft; love or hate. Don't let the post-draft grades produced from algorithms sway you. Mute the outside noise and Stop The Slander. Trust your team. No matter how much preparation you did leading up to your fantasy draft, what "expert" advice you […]

Devonta Freeman Is Fine After Injury Scare

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (knee) is fine, according to a source. Freeman injured himself in the fourth quarter against the Eagles on Thursday, but he should be good to go for Week 2 against the Panthers. The 26-year-old had six carries for 36 yards (6.0 yards per carry) and three catches for 14 […]

Keanu Neal Out For The Year

Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal (knee) suffered a torn ACL in the Week 1 game against the Eagles on Thursday and is out for the year, according to a source. As ESPN's Adam Schefter notes, this is a huge blow for the Falcons secondary and defense overall, as Neal was one of their best overall […]

Falcons Red-Zone Struggles Continue Into Week 1

The Atlanta Falcons red-zone struggles from 2017 continued in Week 1 on Thursday night in an 18-12 loss to the Eagles. In five red-zone trips, the team had a touchdown, field goal, interception turnover on downs and ran out of time at the end of the game. The Falcons ran 17 plays in the red […]

Keanu Neal's Injury Not Believed To Be Serious

Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal (knee) is set to have an MRI on his knee, but head coach Dan Quinn doesn't think the injury is serious. Neal injured his leg in non-contact style in the second half on Thursday against the Eagles and didn't return. The 23-year-old is one of the team's best playmakers in […]

Week 1 Running Backs - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds

After months of painstaking preparations toward determining how to draft your collection of running backs, you may have initially believed that you had successfully navigated the unpredictable flow of the live draft process. But when you reviewed your roster, that optimism faded, as you realized that this critical position had not been completely addressed. Maybe […]

Devonta Freeman Sidelined With Knee Injury

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman was sidelined with a knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Falcons opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Freeman did not head inside, instead remaining on the sideline pacing about and seeming to test his knee. However, it was noted that he was not carrying his helmet, meaning […]

Austin Hooper Catches Three Balls Thursday

Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper had a solid start to the 2018 season against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. With three receptions for 24 yards, his final fantasy points total is a little underwhelming. However, there were a lot of positives in this performance. Hooper saw numerous targets in the red zone, including two […]

Tevin Coleman Ineffective Rushing The Ball

Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman was ineffective rushing the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. Coleman had 19 yards on nine carries, averaging just 2.1 yards per rush. His fantasy line was salvaged by a short yardage touchdown and a a 26 yard reception. Coleman and Devonta Freeman appeared to be splitting drives […]

Devonta Freeman Effective With Ball In Hand Thursday

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman was effective when on the field on Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Freeman had six rushes for 36 yards and three receptions for 14 yards. His receiving numbers were not helped by a big loss on a screen play which was blown from the beginning. An issue for Freeman […]

Matt Ryan Struggles Thursday

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan struggled tremendously in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday. Ryan completed just 21 of his 43 passes and was picked off deep in the Eagles half. The Falcons QB did manage to throw for 251 yards but failed to get the ball into the end zone despite a […]

Julio Jones Has Monster Night Thursday

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones put up huge numbers in the season opener Thursday. Jones had 169 yards receiving on 10 receptions and added an 11 yard rush as well. In total, Jones saw 19 targets and his night could have been even bigger had he not had a 52 yard reception incorrectly called […]

Keanu Neal Questionable To Return

Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal (knee) injured his left knee in Week 1 on Thursday night and is questionable to return. His injury didn't look good, so we wouldn't expect him to return for the rest of this game. The 23-year-old has been great for the Falcons in his two seasons, racking up 100-plus tackles […]

Vic Beasley Evaluated For Head Injury

Atlanta Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley (head) was being evaluated for a head injury in the Week 1 game on Thursday against the Eagles in the second quarter. Beasley led the league in sacks with 15.5 two years ago, but he wasn't as effective in his move to linebacker last year. He's expected to up […]