Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, Oct 20th, 2024, 1:00 ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta GA
Network: FOX
Hey gang, Michael James here filling in for Marco this week. Today we’re looking at a match-up of an NFC West team traveling across the country for the early game. This matchup is tied for the highest over/under of week 7, so let’s hope we can get some fireworks going for fantasy that will benefit all of our starters and none of the ones our opponents have!
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Geno Smith: Start, QB1
Marco has the 2024 season leader in passing yards ranked as QB15 this week and it is easy to see why. Geno Smith has yet to throw for more than one touchdown in a single game this season. So when you consider that by default he has more multi-interception games (2) than multi-td passing games (0), you would naturally want to look for better options. However, I have a bit more of an optimistic view this week as I believe he will break the streak and drop more than one touchdown pass this game. The QB1 range floor is 18 and that’s where I see Smith coming in for this game. Atlanta is averaging 33 points per game over their last three so he’s going to throw it a lot to keep up in this game. Atlanta has the second-worst QB pressure rating in the league which bodes well for Smith having time to progress through his reads.
Running Back
Kenneth Walker III: Start, RB1
Zach Charbonnet: FLEX Option, RB3
The Falcons are allowing the 7th-most rushing yards in the league so far, but they are holding the line against carries inside the red zone allowing the fourth-fewest touchdown rushes. Even so, Kenneth Walker III has been solid this season when he suits up for the games, registering RB1 range performances in 3 of his 4 starts. When the run defense tightens up, he still finds a role in the offense as the past two games he has recorded eight targets in each of the two latest games for Seattle. With an over/under so high, I lean more towards the offense and that should open up opportunities for this Seahawk backfield. Marco has Walker as his RB7 and I’m fully on board with that. Zach Charbonnet only registers a 35-40% snap count when not getting the start behind Walker, but I still think there should be enough opportunity in this one to warrant around 6 points putting him in RB Flex territory.
Wide Receiver
DK Metcalf: Start, WR1
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Start, WR2
Tyler Lockett: Start, WR3
DK Metcalf is on a bit of a slump as of late with two sub-WR3-rated performances where he brought in less than half of his targets. However, if what I believe turns out to be correct, Seattle will find themselves throwing from behind in this game. This will present another target-filled afternoon for Metcalf and I think Marco agrees with me on this one as Metcalf comes in as his WR6 for this week. If my bold call is Smith throwing his first multi-touchdown game of the season, then it stands to reason Metcalf will haul in one of them planting him in WR1 territory. Atlanta is middle of the pack when it comes to passing attempts against, but has the fifth-highest completions allowed.
Diving into this, they have the league-lowest average depth of target this season which makes me think we could see a busy afternoon for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He has averaged nine targets per game over his last three weeks and I see that trend continuing for this one. I am bullish on this game so I think he gets over the hump to about 15 points putting him at the floor of the WR2 range. Tyler Lockett‘s snap count averaging out to be about 75% per week this season has him on a steady diet of about 10-11 fantasy points over his last four straight before catching his first touchdown on the season last week. I see no reason why that cannot continue this week.
Tight End
Noah Fant: Start, TE2
Noah Fant saw his biggest production of the season last week against the 49ers. It was his second time bringing in six receptions this year. A lot of TE’s are a dart throw and Fant is no different here. However, I could see a lot of Jake Ferguson and Cole Kmet owners shifting towards a Fant start this week to get them through the bye.
D/ST
Seahawks: Sit
You got this site’s Defense guy filling in, so I thought I’d throw a bonus at the oft-overlooked side of fantasy. However, Seattle is in the middle of arguably their toughest stretch of the season and you want no part of this Falcon team that is on fire offensively. They should not even be taking up a roster spot at this present time.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: Start, QB2
You will be hard-pressed to find a bigger fan of Kirk Cousins than me, but even I have to admit you are rolling the dice if you are rolling Cousins out there. His fantasy stats this season are nothing short of a roller coaster. Seattle boasts a high QB pressure rate in the league to go along with its sub-par rushing defense. Marco has Cousins clocking in at QB13 this week and even I’m bearish on that. I would love to be proven wrong here as I have a share of Raymond McCloud III and Darnell Mooney this season, but I foresee a lot of handoffs in this one. The floor for a QB2 rating is 12 points and that’s about where I have Cousins coming in at.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: Start, RB1
Tyler Allgeier: FLEX Option, RB3
Perhaps it is concerning for Bijan Robinson‘s managers to see the shift in workload share for him decline over the past three games. As a direct result, Tyler Allgeier’s managers are ecstatic to see his share rate increase. However, it is easy to see why Marco has him ranked RB4 this week. He has yet to dip below double-digit fantasy points this year and is just coming off his first multi-touchdown game of the season. So of course you are starting him. This week I think we will continue to see a heavy dose of both backs. As I alluded to in the quarterback section, Seattle is towards the bottom of rushing defense. We almost saw dual 100-yard rushers for the Falcons last week, it’s not off the table that we see a repeat performance of that this week.
Wide Receiver
Drake London: Start, WR2
Darnell Mooney: Start, WR3
Raymond McCloud III: Start, WR3
With five straight weeks of double-digit fantasy production and a three-week streak of double-digit targets, of course, you’re starting Drake London who clocks in at a WR10 on Marco’s list. I have him pinned at the high end of the WR2 ceiling. Darnell Mooney is an interesting one to pin down as he had his gazillion fantasy point day (a very real number he scored against my fantasy team, trust me) sandwiched in between two mediocre fantasy outings. I am going to go low and safe on this one and put him in the 10-15 point WR3 range as I could see a low reception but high yard count day against this Seahawks secondary. The only team better than the Seahawks at keeping most things in front of them with average depth of target is the Falcons. However, Seattle has quite a bit more yards after the catch on them to go along with their higher-than-average missed tackle rate. Raymond McCloud III could be a sneaky start in this one.
Tight End
Kyle Pitts: Start straight into the sun, TE1
You would be bitter too after enduring this wild ride only to finally get off after the donut performance in week four. What has Kyle Pitts done since then? Go for 70+ yards in back-to-back games, each one bringing in double-digit fantasy points. Because of course he did. After watching the Seahawks get Kittle’d last week, it is possible Pitts (TE7) makes it three in a row.
D/ST
Falcons: Stream
This one is a viable streaming option if you need to. While the Falcons themselves are nothing to write home about, Seattle has given up multiple sacks in all but one game this year. They also turned the ball over in 5 of their 6 games this season while averaging 6+ fantasy points to opposing defenses in their past four games.