Falcons vs. Dolphins: Fantasy Start/Sit

The bye week has finally passed us by (yup, I went there), and we’re now preparing our alcohol stores and our fantasy lineups for the Falcons Week 6 tilt against the Dolphins. While the Dolphins’ offense has been nothing short of an abomination in 2017, their defense has been pretty solid. Meanwhile, the Falcons have had an up-and-down season thus far, and would like nothing better than to wax a floundering Dolphins team before their Week 7 match-up with the Patriots.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at which Falcons and Dolphins you should consider in fantasy for Week 6.

START

Falcons

QB Matt Ryan

Ryan has had an up-and-down start to the season, but that doesn’t mean you can’t trust him in fantasy. There have been some turnover issues, but the majority of those have been not his fault (3 of the INTs) or botched calls (the “incomplete forward fumble”). Coming off a bye with Julio Jones and RT Ryan Schraeder returning, expect a better QB1 performance from Ryan on Sunday.

RB Tevin Coleman

I think Freeman will still get his in this game, but the Dolphins have been very good against the run thus far. Coleman is the “x-factor” in the Falcons’ offense that many of us believed Gabriel would be this year. He’s been the most explosive player on offense through four games, and his workload should only increase as the season goes on. He won’t have the volume that Freeman will, but he’ll get ample opportunities in the passing game to make up for it. Coleman should produce RB2 numbers with upside against the Dolphins.

WR Taylor Gabriel

Sark clearly wants to feature Gabriel in this offense, but the timing has just been a little bit off through four weeks. Coming off a bye and with a healthy Schraeder taking over at RT, this could finally be the week where we see the Falcons begin to start hitting the deep ball effectively. Gabriel will likely be the beneficiary of many of those targets, and the Dolphins’ secondary is their biggest weakness. He’s a risky “boom/bust” FLEX play, but the boom could be big if all goes well.

Dolphins

RB Jay Ajayi

Look, Ajayi hasn’t been playing well through four weeks. He has one good game on his resume and the rest have been duds. Last week’s performance against a Marcus Mariota-less Titans team would’ve been at least decent had he not lost a fumble. But the point is this: on a week with plenty of quality RBs on bye, Ajayi is at worst an RB2 option due to sheer volume. He’s getting carries consistently, even if the offense stinks. Don’t expect a huge day from him, but he should be able to get you a decent line.

WR Jarvis Landry

In PPR leagues, Landry is still a solid contributor. He’s receiving the bulk of the Dolphins’ targets in the passing game, and with DeVante Parker potentially out, he could see even more. He has 10 or more targets in three of his last four games, and 5 or more catches in all of them. The yardage and TDs aren’t necessarily there, but in PPR he’s a safe bet to get you 10 points every week. Depending on the make-up of your roster, you might appreciate that stability week-to-week. Just don’t expect any huge days from anyone on this Dolphins’ offense.

SIT

Falcons

TE Austin Hooper

I want Hooper to be a thing so very, very badly. He’s simply not a big part of the offense at this point. That could change down the line—and I certainly hope that it does—but until then, it’s best to leave Hooper on your bench. Even with the complete and utter wasteland that is the TE position in fantasy in 2017.

Other Falcons WRs

With Sanu out, it’s possible that some of these other WRs could have usable fantasy days. Good luck picking which one, however, as the collection of Justin Hardy, Andre Roberts, and Nick Williams will probably have around 5-8 targets mixed between them. If you’re completely desperate, Hardy probably has the best chance of the bunch to catch a TD.

Dolphins

QB Jay Cutler

Please don’t start Cutler.

TE Julius Thomas

I know that in the past (and in Week 4) the Falcons struggled to contain TEs. But in this case, it’s simply not worth it. The Dolphins are utterly ineffective through the air and Thomas is simply not a major part of the passing attack. You’re better off taking a flier on a fringe TE that at least has a chance to catch a TD on a better offense.

Kevin’s Spicy Play of the Week

Falcons D/ST

The Falcons D/ST has been a decent unit due to some solid sack production, but they haven’t generated many turnovers. That’s put a cap on their point ceiling, but I believe that luck will turn around on Sunday. Start the Falcons D/ST with confidence against a truly putrid and mistake-prone Dolphins’ offense. With any luck, the Falcons defense will have their best game of the season. I just hope that they don’t play so well that the Dolphins bench Cutler for Moore, because he’s a much better option at this point.

As always, I hope you’ll use this column purely as advice. Above all, trust yourself and your gut feeling. It won’t always work, but then you can’t blame someone else for your mistake!

If you have any fantasy or lineup-related questions, feel free to tweet them to me @FalcoholicKevin. Good luck in Week 6, unless of course you’re playing me. Then bad, bad luck to you.