Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Rams
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterbacks
- Matt Ryan: 16/27, 159 yards, 1 INT
- Matt Schaub: 6/6, 65 yards, 1 TD
Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan was knocked out of the game in the 4th quarter with an ankle injury, but I wouldn’t blame him if he’d wished he could’ve made his exit a little sooner than that. Ryan was completely frustrated by the Rams’ defensive front all afternoon – finishing with by far his worst fantasy performance of the season so far. Ryan was sacked 5 times and was consistently pressured on the day. With an MRI scheduled Monday for his injured ankle, if Ryan were to miss any time the Falcons would turn to veteran backup QB Matt Schaub. Schaub was impressive in mop-up duty after Ryan’s exit with the game already in hand. Schaub was a perfect 6-for-6, plus he was able to hit TE Austin Hooper for a garbage-time TD in the 4th quarter. Ryan’s health should be closely monitored in the coming week, as Atlanta has a tough matchup in week 8 at home against Seattle.
Running Backs
- Devonta Freeman: 7 carries, 19 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
- Brian Hill: 5 carries, 11 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards
Atlanta never really got their offense going throughout the game, and this was especially true for their RBs. Devonta Freeman was actually ejected from the game for throwing a punch during a skirmish with Rams’ all-pro DT Aaron Donald. Before his ejection, Freeman had averaged a measly 2.8 yards per touch on 9 touches. Backup RB Ito Smith had a 7-yard carry on his only touch but was then carted off after a scary helmet-to-helmet collision with Rams’ LB Cory Littleton. Should Smith miss any time moving forward, he would likely be replaced in the RB rotation by Brian Hill. Assuming Freeman isn’t subject to any additional disciplinary action for his skirmish and is available next week, he could venture into must-start territory against a Seahawks team that has been less effective than usual against the run this season.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Julio Jones: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 93 yards
- Calvin Ridley: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 30 yards
- Austin Hooper: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 46 yards, 1 TD
While the Falcons’ offense struggled as a whole against Los Angeles, WR Julio Jones and TE Austin Hooper were able to salvage reasonably productive fantasy performances on the afternoon. Jones drew coverage from the Rams’ newly-acquired CB Jalen Ramsey for most of the day, and he was able to turn in a respectable 6 catch, 93-yard performance. Julio’s longest catch of the day – a 39-yard bullet from Matt Ryan down the right sideline – came as the first half was coming to a close, but the Falcons weren’t able to capitalize to put more points on the scoreboard. TE Austin Hooper caught his 4th TD of the season in the 4th quarter. Hooper now has at least 5 targets and 4 receptions in every single game so far this season – giving him considerably more consistent usage than he saw last season. Hooper and the rest of Atlanta’s pass-catchers will look to rebound at home next week against the Seahawks.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterbacks
- Jared Goff: 22/37, 268 yards, 2 TD | 3 carries, 3 yards, 1 TD
Rams’ QB Jared Goff threw for 2 scores and ran for another as the Rams gave the Falcons a good old-fashioned beatdown on Sunday. With Atlanta’s pass-rush woes continuing into this matchup (no sacks in last 5 games for Atlanta), Goff was more than happy to sit back in the pocket and pick the Falcons apart all afternoon. Los Angeles was only forced to punt twice during the game and they dominated the time of possession as a result. While Goff had mostly struggled during the Rams’ three-game losing streak, he had his first multi-TD game without a turnover all season. Goff will hope to continue to improve his fantasy outlook with a strong showing next week against Cincinnati.
Running Backs
- Todd Gurley: 18 carries, 41 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 13 yards, 1 TD
- Darrell Henderson, Jr: 11 carries, 31 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards
- John Kelly: 3 carries, 9 yards
After missing last week with a thigh contusion, RB Todd Gurley was able to return to action against Atlanta – and he certainly made his presence felt. While Gurley was certainly inefficient with his carries, he showed flashes of his old self and made an outstanding, over-the-shoulder 13-yard TD catch with two Falcons defenders all over him – his first receiving TD in almost an entire calendar year. Gurley’s usage was an encouraging sign after making it through an entire week of practice without an injury designation. Gurley’s owners have been forced to take a cautious approach with him due to his health concerns this season, so seeing him get into the end-zone was a nice reward. Still, to most perceptions, Gurley has underperformed so far this season and his health moving forward still presents a question-mark. Rookie RB Darrell Henderson filled in for injured RB Malcolm Brown in backup duties, finishing with an uninspiring 39 yards on 12 total touches. Luckily for Henderson and Gurley, the Rams match up next week with a Bengals defense which has given up the most fantasy points to RBs so far this season.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Robert Woods: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 80 yards
- Brandin Cooks: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 59 yards
- Cooper Kupp: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 50 yards
- Gerald Everett: 10 targets, 4 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD
It was a mostly quiet day for the Rams’ WRs, with most of the work distributed fairly evenly amongst them. While Jared Goff threw 2 TDs on the day, neither one of them went to a WR. One was caught by Todd Gurley, and the other by TE Gerald Everett. Everett also led the Rams in targets with 10, and this is the 2nd time this season that he’s had double-digit targets. WRs Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, and Cooper Kupp all had relatively disappointing fantasy outputs considering the Rams’ 37 points scored. For that matter, Woods and Cooks have combined for only 1 TD reception this season. Yes, you read that right. They have to be one of the most disappointing WR duos in the entire league relative to their ADPs. A matchup with Cincinnati will likely look appealing to Cooks and Woods owners, but then again you could have (and probably did) say the exact same thing about their matchup with Atlanta. Even with a plus matchup next week, Cooks and Woods will continue to be difficult to trust, and Kupp seems like the WR to own out of the trio.
–Corey Saucier