Falcons Fantasy Options For Week 7 vs. Ravens

Matt Ryan

The offense didn't help Ryan much in Week 6. According to Pro Football Focus, Ryan's receivers drop seven passes for a total of 99 yards downfield. That's nearly five fantasy points left on the table, not to mention the possibility to score more points on those drives.

Ryan is not the issue. He was accurate of 26 of 32 pass attempts against the Bears. Ryan is seeing pressure on 35.2 percent of his dropbacks in 2014. His average time before being sacked is 2.82 seconds, worst among all starting quarterbacks. Yet Ryan is still fantasy's QB5 (four-point passing touchdowns).

Unfortunately the schedule doesn't get easier for Ryan in Week 7. The Ravens have only allowed one quarterback to top 20 fantasy points this season (Andrew Luck in Week 5). Baltimore's defense gave up six passing touchdowns over the first six weeks. Mike Glennon is the only passer with multiple passing touchdowns against this defense.

You're probably not benching Ryan, but I wouldn't blame you for going with a streaming option for Week 7. Watching Glennon put up over 300 yards give me more confidence, though. I'd recommend avoiding that $8,500 price on FanDuel.

Steven Jackson

The Ravens are sixth-toughest team in the league for running backs to face. They've given up just two touchdowns to running backs in 2014. Ahmad Bradshaw posted the highest single-game rushing mark against Baltimore with 68 yards on 15 carries in Week 5.

Jackson showed some potential for his fantasy value with five receptions two weeks ago, but he followed that up with a blank stat line in the receiving game against the Bears. He has two touchdowns in six games. If he doesn't score, that spot in your starting lineup is a dud.

Jackson is actually cheaper than Antone Smith on FanDuel this week, but I wouldn't be willing to pay the $6,400 against the Ravens defense. Sitting Jackson in all formats seems like a consensus pick for Week 7.

Antone Smith

As I just mentioned, Smith's FanDuel price is $100 higher than Jackson. It's amazing what Smith has been able to do on so few touches this year. He's the RB13 overall in PPR leagues despite having 23 total touches. That's unheard of.

Smith has scored a touchdown in all but one game (Week 2 against Cincinnati). That pace is unsustainable for the volume he sees, but he keeps proving us wrong.

If you're rolling with Smith as your RB3 or flex, I'm not opposed to it despite the tough matchup. Running back is a position giving fantasy owners fits right now. You might not have many options for your lineup. The Falcons have slightly increased his usage. We'll just hope for another home run in Week 7.

Julio Jones and Roddy White

One of these is an obvious start. If you own Jones, you're starting him every week. There, that was easy.

Jones only caught four of his 12 passes in Week 6, but he's hit double-digit fantasy points (PPR scoring) every game and he's been the most-targeted player in the NFL (69 targets).

Jones will see a good amount of Jimmy Smith in coverage. Smith allows just 0.91 fantasy points per target (34 targets, 18 receptions and 135 yards allowed). The Buccaneers decided to go after Smith more than usual last week, and he allowed six catches for 68 yards on 10 targets. He's one of the top corners in the league going up against one of the top wide receivers. It'll be a fun matchup to watch, but ultimately Jones is going to find his points.

White is a tougher call. In his past three games, White caught just nine of 24 targets. That's a terrible ratio. Ryan and the Falcons need White to get back on track for this offense to function.

I wonder how healthy White is right now, but he's playing almost every offensive snap. He admitted this week he need to turn his game around. He experienced a lengthy funk last year when he was coming back from injury, but his numbers at the end of 2013 were outstanding.

White will see our old friend Dominique Franks in coverage in Week 7. Franks gave up five receptions for 93 yards on six targets against the Bucs. It's an exploitable matchup that might help the veteran bounce back. At $6,700 on FanDuel, I'm willing to bet on White as a low-percentage play in GPP, and you should get a decent return if he's your WR3 in PPR leagues.

Levine Toilolo

If drops counted for fantasy points, I would recommend starting Toilolo.

Falcons D/ST

Aside from the Tampa Bay game, Atlanta's defense hasn't done much for fantasy owners. Another one to avoid, like always.