Fantasy Start/Sit for Chiefs at Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons (7-4) take on the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) in the Georgia Dome on Sunday in what should be a pretty good fantasy game for both sides. Atlanta is still the hottest offense in the league, and Kansas City presents a few reliable, if unspectacular, fantasy options.

KC is known for their pass rush, but could be down several players as OLB Justin Houston and DT Dontari Poe have missed practice time thus far. Atlanta is dealing with some injuries of their own, as star CB Desmond Trufant is done for the season with a pectoral injury and DE Adrian Clayborn is out 3-5 weeks with knee surgery.

Both defenses offer opportunities for fantasy, but which players should you work into your lineup this week? Let’s take a look.

Start

Falcons

RB Devonta Freeman

Freeman has been a steady, high-floor RB2 with TD upside throughout the season. I believe the Falcons will take a run-heavy approach this game (KC is 28th in rushing yds allowed this season) that will produce a good game for the shifty back. Freeman is a dependable back with RB1 upside against a shaky run defense.

WR Taylor Gabriel

Gabriel has earned our trust with at least 14 PPR fantasy points in his last four games. Atlanta clearly wants to get him involved in various ways, and should continue to do so. Still, Gabriel isn’t going to touch the ball often. Think of him as a DeSean Jackson-esque WR3 that has elite, week-winning upside.

WR Julio Jones

Julio has this tendency to post duds—last week would certainly count as that—and then follow those up with big games. You should expect that this week, as the Chiefs CB do not “shadow” WRs. KC’s left CB, Phillip Gaines, has been burned over the past several weeks. Julio runs over 51% of his routes from the left side. Expect the Falcons to take advantage of that match-up whenever possible.

Chiefs

TE Travis Kelce

Kelce has been at times an elite fantasy TE and at others been a complete dud. Still, the dearth of TE options this season makes Kelce an every week start. You should absolutely start him this week against a Falcons defense that has been consistently gouged by TEs. Kelce is one of the best TEs this week and should have a great chance of catching a TD.

RB Spencer Ware

Ware has been a middling fantasy back this season, but he’s a good option against an Atlanta defense that has struggled to cover RBs out of the backfield. Ware is an underrated receiver, and is first in line for goal-line carries, making him an interesting RB2 this week.

Sit

Falcons

WR Mohamed Sanu

Sanu posted great numbers last week, particularly if you play in a PPR league. This week, he’s likely to be the sacrificial lamb that’s put on Marcus Peters’ side of the field. Sanu has been inconsistent at best throughout the season, and with a difficult match-up against a very good CB, he’s better left on your bench in this crucial week.

Falcons TEs

We have all been hoping that Austin Hooper would establish himself as the primary TE with Jacob Tamme out of the lineup, but that simply hasn’t happened. All three TEs are splitting reps, with Toilolo getting the majority of blocking snaps. Even in a depleted TE position, any of these players are risky starts at best.

Chiefs

WR Jeremy Maclin

If Maclin suits up (he’s been limited at practice this week), he’s simply not an enticing fantasy option. The speedy deep threat is being put to waste in an offense that never throws downfield unless they’re desperate. There are certainly better options out there than Maclin, even among the Chiefs WRs.

Chiefs D/ST

The first appearance for a D/ST in this article, the Chiefs D/ST is one of the top options in the league. However, you shouldn’t trust ANY D/ST against the Falcons, due to what they are capable of posting each week. You should look for a replacement for this week, some potential options: Baltimore, New England.

Kevin’s Spicy Play of the Week

Chiefs’ WR Tyreek Hill

Hill is an even more exciting play if your league awards return yardage, but the dynamic WR/KR is KC’s version of Taylor Gabriel. He hasn’t had the consistent production over the last 4 weeks that Gabriel has, but he’s an intriguing FLEX option this week. Maclin, IMO, is unlikely to play, and if he does he won’t be 100%. If KC gets behind early, Hill is essentially their only deep threat. Roll him out as a high risk/reward option if you desperately need a big number.

That’s all for this week. I hope you all crush your games and are able to clinch a playoff berth, or at the very least, hand your friends/enemies/co-workers one last loss to end the season.

As always you can tweet me (@FalcoholicKevin) with your general fantasy or lineup questions.