Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 3rd, at 12:00 PM ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Georgia
Betting Odds: ATL +1, 48 over/under total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Washington Football Team
Quarterback
Taylor Heinicke (Start, QB2)
Taylor Heinicke has been a pleasant surprise since coming in for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick. He knows the system and has good weapons around him. In his 2 full starts, he has thrown for 2 touchdowns each game. The interceptions have been an issue but that’s a given with a quarterback who doesn’t have much experience. After a tough game against a strong Bills defense, Heinicke gets a great match-up against the Falcons. Heinicke seems to be getting more comfortable in the offense. He is a good start in 2 QB or Superflex leagues. His high completion percentage and small rushing upside combined with going against a bad defense make him a low-end start in one quarterback league.
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson (Start, RB2), J.D. McKissic (Sit)
Antonio Gibson had one of the best catch and runs in week 3 when he took a pass of 73 yards for a touchdown. It was a great sign for all the Gibson owners who have seen him lose work to J.D. McKissic. Gibson is still the main back for rushing situations where he is out touching McKissic 45-15 for the season. Surprisingly, Gibson has also kept pace for the season so far with McKissic in targets but game to game it seems we don’t know if McKissic will be a non-factor or be a huge part of the game plan. The thing keeping Gibson from being an RB1 is the lack of touchdowns. Outside of the big 73-yard catch and run, Gibson has not seen the end zone. He has had a fair number of red zone carries at 3 but has -4 yards. I believe coach Ron Rivera saw what Gibson can do in week 3 and will adjust to get him the ball more. He has heaped high praise on him in the offseason. The team itself does better when Gibson gets going.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Terry McLaurin (Start, WR2), Dyami Brown (Sit), Adam Humphries (Start, Flex), Logan Thomas (Start, TE1)
Scary Terry McLaurin is a beast. You have to shake off the week 3 loss to Buffalo for the whole Washington team. The good news is even in that game Mclaurin got 7 targets and caught 4 passes for 62 yards. He didn’t have a huge fantasy week but also didn’t let you down completely. You are still rolling him out there this week against a weak Falcons defense. I’m also okay with throwing Adam Humphries in your flex this week in PPR leagues with all the injuries across the league at the wide receiver position. He has been a solid option in that offense and is tied for second on the team with Logan Thomas in targets with 14. Humphries does lack the red zone work which is a concern but there is always a chance for a fluke touchdown. You can also start Logan Thomas at the tight end. He is tied with Humphries for targets and is the main red zone target so far for the team. The Falcons are in the bottom 10 in terms of pass defense so the Washington receiving options should have a good day. It is still a wait-and-see if Dyami Brown can carve out a bigger role on this offense and take the next step as a pro.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Matt Ryan (Sit, QB2)
Matt Ryan has been quietly getting better every week this season. He has a game against a weak passing defense in Washington this week to continue his improvement. In what looks to be a transitional year for the Falcons, Ryan has still completed over 70% of his passes. His weapons are limited but he and the Falcons have managed to stay in games. The Washington Football Team just got smoked by Josh Allen and the Bills so look for them to focus on locking up the passing game. I think Ryan might struggle in this game because of the limited weapons which the Football Team can take away, especially the longer throws. The real lack of options for Ryan will limit him this week.
Running Backs
Mike Davis (Sit, RB4), Cordarrelle Patterson (Start, RB2)
The one part of the Washington defense that is pretty good in their front and run-stopping ability. They held Saquon Barkley to 57 yards in week 1. I think Mike Davis will struggle in this game. He hasn’t been over 50 yards for a game yet this season and continues to be outplayed by Cordarrelle Patterson. Davis does out-touch Patterson in the red zone by 1 (4-3), but Patterson has been better by scoring on one of his touches. Patterson is a sneaky good RB2 who has gotten 7 targets in each of the past two weeks and has the yards and touchdowns to go with it. He was kept out of the end zone in week 3 but still had 82 yards on 6 receptions and 20 yards rushing. If you played him coming off his 2 touchdowns in week 2 you were disappointed that he didn’t get in the endzone but were still happy with his production. Pattersons lack of snap percentage has me worried but he has made the most of them and should see an increase.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
Calvin Ridley (Start, WR2), Russell Gage (Sit), Kyle Pitts (Sit, Flex), Olamide Zaccheaus (Sit)
The Falcons as a whole haven’t produced fantasy stars so far this season but they have produced solid players for your team. Calvin Ridley has not been what he was drafted to be but has been a solid fantasy performer. He has had over 50 yards in every game and has only been under 10 targets once with 8 in week 1. He only has 1 touchdown so far this season but is getting plenty of opportunities. He is towards the top of the list for RedZone targets with 6. The league leader is Keenan Allen with 8. Those are all good signs towards Ridley becoming the wide receiver 1 he was drafted to be. I think this week might still be a struggle. Despite Washington having a bad passing defense, they have a great front that can get pressure on Matt Ryan and only have a few options to worry about from the Falcons. Outside of Ridley, you can only start Kyle Pitts as a flex or low-end tight end. He is tied with the running backs in terms of total targets. He is playing on 76.7% of the team’s snaps which only trails Ridley for pass catchers. Russell Gage missed week 3 with an ankle injury and didn’t practice all week. Even if he practices this week I don’t expect him to be 100% and won’t be viable for fantasy. I don’t think Olamide Zaccheaus or any of the other pass-catching options are worth a fantasy start right now. I like stashing Zaccheaus on my bench.
– Dustin Ludke (Dunit13dl on Reddit)