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Falcons fantasy football series: Wide Receivers

Should you draft Julio? Why would you even ask that question.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

For most people, the debate about the top receiver in the league boils down to two names: Antonio Brown and Julio Jones. In 2015, Julio was a beast in fantasy, piling up yards, though he was a bit lighter in touchdowns. It was one of his biggest seasons ever, and there's little reason to believe 2016 is going to be dramatically different.

Average draft position

Let there be no doubt: whether you're in a standard league, PPR, 2QB or any other format, Julio Jones will go in the first round. He will likely be one of the top 3 receivers taken (Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr being the other two) and the likelihood of him lasting into the middle-late first round is almost non-existent.

2016 outlook

Matt Ryan targeted Julio nearly one third of the time in 2015. While the Falcons will look to distribute the ball a little more evenly, don't expect Julio's numbers to dip substantially. He's still the best weapon the Falcons have, and when under pressure, Ryan will always look for Julio first.

The injury concerns in the past will always hover over Jones, but he played the entire 2015 season and there's good reason to believe he's past those issues now. If he's available to you in the first round, he's completely worth it.

Other Falcons receivers

No offense to Justin Hardy or Moahamed Sanu, but Julio is the fantasy star for the Falcons. Neither Sanu or Hardy are worth the investment from a fantasy standpoint. Hardy doesn't even register, while Sanu is someone that can be had in the late rounds, if at all. He may be WR2 for the Falcons, but his value in fantasy is highly questionable right now.