Atlanta Falcons - Fantasy News

Cowboys at Falcons Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Aaron Bowers

11/8/17

NFL

Atlanta Falcons

Devonta Freeman

In a matchup of the top two seeds from the 2016 NFC Playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys will travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in a Week 10 showdown.

Heading into their bye week, the Cowboys were 2-3 and appeared to be in serious trouble. In the three subsequent games, though, Dallas beat the 49ers, Redskins and Chiefs by a combined 55 points. While the Dallas offense gets most of the attention, the defense has really made the difference during its winning streak.

Meanwhile, following a 3-1 start to their season, the Falcons came out of their Week 5 bye as flat as week-old soda. They lost three of their next four games, with their only win coming against the New York Jets. Under first-year coordinator Steve Sarkisian, a historically great offense has somehow become below-average.

Dallas Cowboys Week 10 Projected Fantasy Points
Dak Prescott: 18.0 PFP
Dez Bryant: 10.0 PFP
Jason Witten: 8.0 PFP
Terrance Williams: 7.5 PFP
Cole Beasley: 5.5 PFP

Atlanta Falcons Week 10 Projected Fantasy Points
Matt Ryan: 16.0 PFP
Julio Jones: 14.5 PFP
Devonta Freeman: 13.0 PFP
Tevin Coleman: 8.5 PFP
Mohamed Sanu: 8.5 PFP
Matt Bryant: 8.5 PFP
Austin Hooper: 7.5 PFP
Taylor Gabriel: 6.5 PFP

Start 'Em: Dak Prescott (18.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 21.53

Prescott has really elevated his play this season, establishing himself as one of the best in the league at the quarterback position. In his last six games, he has scored more than 18.0 Dober Fantasy Points five times. Heading into the weekend, there is uncertainty about the availability of Ezekiel Elliott. If Zeke doesn’t play, Prescott will be called on to carry the offense and would likely eclipse the 28.3 pass attempts per game he’s averaged in his last six games. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see him keep the ball more often when running the read-option with the likes of Alfred Morris. The second-year quarterback has the ability to thrive with a bigger workload and should have no problem getting over his PFP this week whether or not Elliott plays.

Sit 'Em: Terrance Williams (7.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 6.46

Heading into Week 9, Williams had 21 receptions for 216 yards and zero touchdowns. Against Kansas City’s league-worst secondary, Williams exploded for nine receptions and 141 yards, even though he exited early with a knee injury. It’s certainly unlikely that Williams ends the season with no touchdowns, but there is no question that he isn’t a focal point of the Dallas attack. Apart from the explosion against Kansas City, Williams hasn’t scored more than 7.5 DFP since Week 1. We expect Williams to fade back into obscurity against the Falcons and recommend fading him on Dober Play Cards this week.

Start 'Em: Julio Jones (14.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 11.91

The 2017 campaign has been an unprecedented one for Jones. In the seventh season of his career, he is averaging the fewest DFP per game since entering the league. But he’s started to turn things around recently with Matt Ryan and the Atlanta coaching staff forcing the ball his way. Jones has 31 targets in his last three games and has averaged 14.7 DFP in that span. In Week 9 he could have had an even bigger game but dropped an easy touchdown. Dallas doesn’t have a player that can match up with Jones. And even if the Cowboys bracket him with a safety, Jones has the talent to make big plays at any time. Look for the Alabama product to continue his resurgence against an exploitable Dallas secondary.

Sit 'Em: Devonta Freeman (13.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 13.18

Since becoming the starting running back for Atlanta at the beginning of the 2015 season, Freeman has scored 32 touchdowns in 29 games. However, he hasn’t found the end zone since Week 4, and this Falcons offense isn’t the dominant unit we’ve seen in seasons past. The Cowboys front seven is one of the best in the league and just held Kareem Hunt to a season-low 8.1 DFP. Freeman used to provide a safe floor by catching a lot of passes. In the Sarkisian offense, though, he has one game with more than three receptions, one with more than 20 receiving yards and zero scores through the air. On an uninspiring offense, we recommend fading the touchdown-dependent Freeman.