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Matt Ryan, Julio Jones loom as must-drafts for your fantasy leagues

Fantasy advice from The Falcoholic!

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Many of you will complete your fantasy drafts between now and the end of preseason, and you may be mapping out your strategy as we speak. To aid you as you consider whether you should be a total homer and accumulate a bunch of Falcons, I've prepared this early, hopefully handy guide.

Get

  • Matt Ryan: He looks healthy, the first-team line should be passable enough, and there are quality weapons aplenty here. The connection with Julio looks as strong as ever, and Ryan isn't likely to be one of the first 4-5 players off the board unless you're playing with a lot of other Falcons fans. Go for him.
  • Julio Jones: The Falcons' receiver looked brilliant in just one drive, and somehow faster and stronger than he ever has before. He just needs to stay healthy and he'll deliver a truly monstrous year in this offense, and he's worth taking as soon as the first round if you're not committed to a running back.
  • Jacob Tamme: Dirt cheap option who seems likely to reel in at least a half dozen touchdowns as the preferred red zone tight end in this particular offense. The only sour note is that he doesn't done much in preseason action thus far, so keep an eye on his status if your draft isn't coming just yet.
  • Vic Beasley in IDP leagues: He's going to tee off on quarterbacks. I firmly believe that.
  • Paul Worrilow, also in IDP: Worrilow's been a terrific source of tackles the last two seasons, and while everyone's going to be rotating in and out a bit more, Worrilow should be on the field plenty and delivering 100-plus again.

Avoid unless cheap

  • Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, except as a package: One of these guys will wind up starting and providing good value, more than likely, but with neither returning before the Jets game and the battle potentially dragging into the very end of preseason, you can't afford to
  • Roddy White: Leonard Hankerson, Justin Hardy, Tamme, and even Tony Moeaki may well cut into his numbers. White will be a fine player for the Falcons in 2015, as he always is, but he will not be the fantasy asset he once was, in all likelihood.
  • Leonard Hankerson and Justin Hardy: They'll be sharing targets with all the guys I mentioned above plus Julio, so they're decent WR4/5 options, with Hankerson likely having more value than Hardy this year.
  • The Falcons defense: You'll want to get carried away with the idea that the Falcons are going to be greatly improved, but don't stick yourself with the defense unless it's on a week-by-week basis. There's a lot of risk involved, and the Falcons aren't likely to be that good just yet.

Share your fantasy advice and draft results with everyone here.