Colts at Falcons: Fantasy Start em or Sit em

The Colts head to Atlanta this week, looking to get back to .500. The Falcons, have had an up and down season, they are also coming off a bye after a loss to San Francisco. In fantasy terms, this game should make owner’s salivate. Both teams have relatively incompetent defenses, and some good offensive weapons. Let’s look at who you should start, sit, and pick up for this week’s match-up.

Start Em

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Matt Hasselbeck

– With

Andrew Luck

out, Hasselbeck will take the reigns of the Colts offense. In case you forgot, in the two games Hasselbeck started this season, he was wildly successful. In standard leagues he averaged 15.5 fantasy points in the two games he started. Hasselbeck is smart with the ball, and against a weak Atlanta secondary he could shine. Also, if the Colts fall behind early(which is very likely) they’ll be forced to throw the ball more frequently, opening the door for more fantasy points from Hasselbeck. I’m starting him, and you should too.

Matt Ryan– Whether Falcons fans want to admit it or not, Ryan is not an elite quarterback. In fantasy terms, he’s in the second tier, behind guys like Brady and Rodgers. The Colts are relatively good against the pass, depending on the opponent, but Ryan is competent enough to gash Indy’s secondary. We’ve seen it all season, when the Colts are matched up with a decent quarterback, they get picked apart. Ryan has the weapons on offense and is good enough to score at least 20 fantasy points this coming Sunday.

Skill Positions– This may seem obvious, but I couldn’t narrow down specific players to play this week. I think this game will be an offensive shootout, it could be reminiscent of the New Orleans game a few weeks ago. That being said, play all the big names. For the Colts it’s T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Frank Gore, and do not be worried because Andrew Luck is hurt. The Falcons defense is below average, they will succeed. For the Falcons, it’s Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman. Freeman has been a fantasy maven all season, and he may demolish a weak Colts front line, now that Henry Anderson is out for the season. Jones, of course, is one of the best wide receivers in the game, no matter who is defending him. Just be sure you get all the “big names” in your line-ups, because they all will thrive on Sunday.

Sit Em

Defense/ST– Despite the absence of Andrew Luck, this game will most surely be a shootout, and this is because of the defenses. The Colts give up 394 yards a game, and the Falcons give up 342 yards per game. All things aside, you shouldn’t have the Colts defense in the first place. The Falcons have had some serviceable fantasy outings on defense though. Despite those few good performances, I would say you should sit both defenses, both teams have potent offenses, and defense will be nonexistent.

Pick Em Up

Jacob Tamme– The former Colt has landed in Atlanta after an unsuccessful stint in Denver. He had a breakout fantasy game two weeks ago against Tampa Bay(103 yards and a TD). It could be hard for him to gain ground in Atlanta’s offense with Julio Jones in the mix. However, the Colts could key in on Jones early, which opens the door for Tamme. Currently, Tamme is owned by only 22 percent of owner’s, and in a game that could feature just offense, he’s worth a pick up.

Andre Johnson– Normally, I probably wouldn’t advocate for Johnson’s fantasy value, but there is a glimmer of hope here. In the two games Matt Hasselbeck started, he found some sort of rapport with Johnson. This led to a two touchdown game in Houston. Hasselbeck knows that Johnson is dangerous in the red zone, and in a a game that will feature a lot of passing, Johnson is worth it. He’s only owned by 53 percent of owner’s right now, so if you need a flex or a third wide receiver, Johnson could be your guy.

Enjoy the game, and as always may the fantasy odds be in your favor.

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