Where do I start with my beloved Atlanta Falcons?
In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Kyle Pitts 4th overall; a generational TE talent. In 2022 they selected Drake London who profiles as the second coming of Mike Evans. Not a bad player to be compared to. The only problem is that they traded their franchise QB to the Indianapolis Colts.
This begs the question of who will be getting the ball to the Falcons playmakers? That would be former Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. Is this a step back? Probably. But Mariota has the ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket if need be – something Ryan lacked the ability to do. They also added Tyler Allgeier to complement Cordarrelle Patterson and should put an emphasis on establishing the run.
The Atlanta Falcons finished the 2021 season with a 7-10 record. For the 2022 season, their current Vegas projected win total is 4.5. That doesn’t seem too great, but there are fantasy football options to be had on the Atlanta Falcons.
Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts had an amazing rookie season in terms of reception and yardage, but did not score a touchdown in the United States; that would come in their London game. Pitts is currently being drafted between the 3rd and 4th rounds of fantasy football leagues. He carries a fair bit of risk given the draft capital that is needed to secure him at that ADP. I myself just drafted him at 3.05 in the Scott Fish Bowl. Granted, that league has TE premium scoring as well as first down bonuses; so a good TE can score plenty of points in that format.
I know what you’re thinking, “but Evan, how can we trust Pitts without Ryan throwing him the ball?!”.
I give you exhibit A: Delanie Walker.
Walker’s best season came in 2015 with who at QB? You guessed it! Marcus Mariota. Walker had 133 targets for 94 catches and 6 touchdowns.
Do we really believe that Arthur Smith can’t find creative ways to get Pitts the ball?
Last year, Calvin Ridley was basically a non-factor and the Atlanta Falcons next best WR was Russell Gage. I’m not bashing Gage, but Drake London makes for a much better WR threat opposite Pitts. Even though he is technically at TE, Pitts ran most of his routes out wide. Last year, Pitts had 110 Targets for 68 catches, 1,026 yards and 1 TD. With a full year of the offense under his belt, I fully expect Pitts to smash this season.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Last year, if the Falcons were going to score a TD it was usually because Cordarrelle Patterson did something amazing. How did it take so long for teams to figure out how to make the best use of his game-breaking speed and great hands?
Well, it was born out of necessity with the departure of Calvin Ridley and the ineffectiveness of Mike Davis. Patterson had 153 carries for 618 yards and 6 touchdowns to go along with 52 receptions 548 yards and 5 touchdowns for a player who was basically free and undrafted. Do I think that Patterson hits these numbers again? No, but he doesn’t need to in order to be valuable for fantasy football. He will get the ball plenty in space which should allow for chunk gains and plenty of PPR goodness.
The Rookies
Drake London and Tyler Allgeier are both rookies and are hard to forecast their utilization in the offense. London was the first wide receiver off the board in the ’22 draft, while Allgeier was a pick made out of necessity. They are probably worth the mid-to-late round pick it will take to acquire them. But in this offense, I am mainly targeting Pitts as far as the 2022 season goes. But what do I know? I just write fantasy football.
Conclusion
I do think the Falcons have a worse record in 2022 and end up with a top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft; likely taking their QB of the future. I know they just drafted Desmond Ridder, but I think if given the chance to draft Bryce Young or CJ Stroud the Falcons will jump all over it.
As far as 2022 goes, I am all in on Kyle Pitts and cautiously optimistic on the rest of the Atlanta Falcons offense.
Sincerely, a Falcons fan still recovering from 28-3. Make sure to follow me on Twitter!
