Yeah. You totally want this guy on your fantasy football team. Ice-man.
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
Meet the ...
Wal-Mart shoppers. And I don't mean that like the Falcons are cheap or reside in the upper echelon of America. I just mean to point out that they're horrible consumers. Both the contracts to Michael Turner and Matt Ryan were a touch absurd, but at least as a result they'll be more entertaining to watch this year. And maybe help your fantasy team. Maybe.
The Breakout
There's really no other option -- it's Turner. Now, the true sleeper (look how I highlight key phrases!) would be Jerious Norwood, because people are casting him aside, talent be damned. But Turner is getting relatively little love for the quality of work he's shown while backing up LaDanian Tomlinson. He's probably going to go third round or later, which is reasonable considering the Falcons stink and he's untested as a starter. But I would probably reach up to the middle/late second round to grab him; I've done the same thing with other untested guys on crummy teams (LaMont Jordan, Chester Taylor) over the years, and it's worked out well.
The Bust
Ryan is worth a QB2 spot in deeper leagues, and keepers obviously want to target him, but I'm not convinced he's going to be anywhere near worth what the Falcons paid. Corallary bust: Roddy White played well last year and it stands that he would improve again, no? Well, not exactly. Look who will be throwing the rock his way.
The Depth Chart
QB -- Chris Redman/Matt Ryan
RB1 -- Michael Turner
RB2 -- Jerious Norwood
WR1 -- Roddy White
WR2 -- Michael Jenkins
WR3 -- Joe Horn
TE -- Ben Hartsock
K --Jason Elam
The Team D/ST
No, no, no, no, no no nooooooooooooooooo. Moving on.
The Skinny
There's just not a lot to love about the Atlanta Falcons from a fantasy perspective. Norwood is a nice handcuff/sleeper type and Turner is a upside filled RB2 if you can get him late enough, but expecting the Falcons to dominate and/or be good offensively is probably a bit of a stretch. I wouldn't get near the passing game unless White fell to me in the early teens and for the moment, would probably steer clear of everyone else.
