Atlanta Falcons @ New York Jets
Final Score: Falcons 13, New York Jets 8
Writer: Brian Hartman (@TooMuch_Brian on Twitter)
Well, hold on to your seats for this one: it has nothing to do with being blown away and everything to do with falling asleep. This game was a disaster from start to finish, as the New York Jets accumulated eight penalties in the first half alone. In a game where we have two of the youngest and most exciting running backs, we end up watching them being hit behind the line of scrimmage the moment they receive the handoff. The lone touchdown came from tight end MyCole Pruitt, who offers no fantasy relevance at all. The two highest-scoring fantasy “players” in this game were the defenses, with seven sacks between the two and the Jets’ safety. Bud Dupree led the way for the Falcons with a couple of sacks and the forced fumble to set up their touchdown from Desmond Ridder. And for all of you wondering why Trevor Siemian hasn’t had his shot to play, well…those questions were answered. Siemian came into the game late and made us question if Boyle should have been benched. There are some incredibly talented skill position players on these teams; it’s just a shame we can’t see what they can do regularly with competent quarterback play. With a win today, the Falcons hold the top spot in the division.
One Up
- Jets D/ST – It’s a challenge to find any bright spot on these teams as long as the quarterback situation remains the same, but these Jets defenders can fly around the field and they nearly outscored the offense today.
One Down
- Breece Hall – This guy is uber-talented, but when he can barely break a yard per carry because he’s being hit behind the line, it leaves you questioning your faith in him going into the fantasy playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Desmond Ridder: 12/27, 121 yards, 1 TD | 3 carries, 0 yards
It’s hard to jump all over Ridder (mainly because the Jets did a lot of that today), but the matchup today gave no one hope that he’d succeed. His lone touchdown on the day came on a dart he tossed to third-string tight end MyCole Pruitt. The touchdown resulted from Desmond Ridder marching them down the field following a fumble by Dalvin Cook. Ridder struggled to distribute the ball to any receivers due to the Jets’ pass rush and their elite secondary. Better days seem to be ahead for Ridder if he can put this game behind himself, but that’s also a very low bar to clear.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 18 carries, 53 yards | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 26 yards
Teams have been able to run on the Jets’ defense, but Bijan Robinson had no shot today to break away, with his longest playing being a 12-yard run. Things were rough from the start; the Falcons were pinned back on their two-yard line, and Bijan Robinson was tackled for a loss, resulting in a safety. Robinson remains a key piece in this passing game, keeping his fantasy day from truly disappointing.
Tyler Allgeier: 8 carries, 26 yards
Tyler Allgeier continues to be a change of pace back for this offense and nothing more; his days of borderline fantasy relevance are over.
Cordarrelle Patterson: 5 carries, 19 yards | 2 targets, 1 receptions, 6 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 5 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
There is not much to say for the second-year player Drake London. He’s mired in a low passing volume offense, and so many of the passes that are thrown to him are uncatchable. He’s left with little to work with, making him an increasingly touchdown-dependent option going forward.
MyCole Pruitt: 1 target, 1 reception, 20 yards, 1 TD
Fully extended himself in the back of the endzone for the touchdown. It’s only the 12th career touchdown for the eight-year vet, but it has to be one of the best catches of his career.
Kyle Pitts: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 51 yards
Kyle Pitts was the brightest receiving piece for the Falcons today outside of the touchdown to Pruitt. Pitts was seeing targets in short areas and also downfield, but the deepest pass he could bring in was a 16-yarder in the third quarter.
Jonnu Smith: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Jonnu Smith continues to see his role diminish from where he was in the first few weeks.
New York Jets
Quarterback
Tim Boyle: 14/25 comp, 148 yards, 1 Int | 1 carry, 2 yards
Give me a boil on my face before making me watch him behind center again. Tim Boyle looked lost in the backfield. To give him credit, the offensive line doesn’t give him anything to work with, but the decision-making is poor, and it’s rare to see a pass come out accurately and on time. The Jets are looking for options for a new signal caller but it may be too late as the playoff door is all but closed for them.
Trevor Siemian: 5/13 comp, 66 yards
Trevor Siemian came in to replace Tim Boyle in the fourth quarter. Though Siemian wasn’t on the field much, he managed to fumble three times in that short window, losing one of them. The Jets more or less received the polar opposite of the lift they hoped to receive by putting him in under center.
Running Back
Breece Hall: 13 carries, 16 yards | 8 targets, 6 receptions, 29 yards
Breece Hall took a punishment from the tough Falcons rush defense. There is no hope in his running game behind this line and the way opposing defenses stack the box, given the woes at quarterback. The significant positive takeaway is the eight targets that Breece saw today; even with that, the quarterbacks tend to mess this up by tossing several off-target or poorly-thrown short area passes.
Dalvin Cook: 9 carries, 35 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
Dalvin Cook came in to ease the bruising that Breece Hall was taking. He had an impressive run early, but lost a key fumble, leading to the touchdown score by the Falcons.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Xavier Gipson: 1 carry, 1 yard | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 77 yards
The undrafted rookie had a great showing in this matchup. Xavier Gipson looked like he shot from an ejection seat to go up and grab a 36-yard catch late in the second quarter to help set up a field goal.
Garrett Wilson: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 50 yards
This guy can flat-out play! He was nailed grabbing a 31-yard ball down the sideline but was able to maintain control and keep his feet in bounds. Nothing has proven to break his focus; not even his helmet being twisted could stop from his first down celebration. It’s criminal how poor the quarterback play has been for this ultra-talented second-year Ohio State standout.
Tyler Conklin: 9 targets, 3 receptions, 35 yards
The veteran tight end was targeted more than an offensive player going against a Sean Payton-led defense, but…yes, there’s a theme here…the quality of passes was so poor he only managed three receptions for 35 yards.
Jeremy Ruckert: 3 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards