The Atlanta Falcons‘ fantasy outlook helps you decide on their featured playmakers while the fantasy football preview of the Chicago Bears takes a look at their backfield usage.
Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears
- Spread: Bears -3
- Total: 38
- Falcons implied points: 17.5
- Bears implied points: 20.5
Quarterbacks
Justin Fields: Remember those back-to-back four-touchdown pass games in October for Fields? Well, since then, he has four touchdown passes in total.
However, the production on the ground (over 45 rush yards in six of his past seven with a rush TD in two of his past three) has allowed Fields to remain a viable fantasy option.
I tend to prefer Fields against blitz-heavy defenses, as it creates a need for his creativity and allows his unique athleticism to shine. But that’s not what we’re getting this week in a Falcons defense that brings the heat just 21.1% of the time (22nd).
The matchup lowers my confidence in a ceiling performance that lands Fields among the top three producers at the position. Yet, with him calling his number as much as he is of late, I have no problem ranking him inside of my top 10.
Atlanta hasn’t faced many mobile QBs this season. However, Kyler Murray and Joshua Dobbs did both clear nine fantasy points with their legs against the Dirty Birds — something I think Fields can do as he continues to offer a palatable floor despite his shortcomings.
Running Backs
Bijan Robinson: Consistent usage would sure be nice, but at this point in the season, wishing for that is kind of like my niece Ava wishing for a pony around the holidays. It ain’t happening, but we do take her to a petting zoo so she can get a sense of it.
Arthur Smith took us to the petting zoo last week against the Colts (72 rushing yards and 10 targets), but he refuses to buy us the fantasy equivalent of a pony — a fully unleashed version of Robinson that gets the opportunity count that he deserves and can thrive with.
The fact that we’ve seen the usage we clamor for makes Robinson an auto-start this week with your fantasy season on the line, though it does leave the door open for massive disappointment.
Ava didn’t unwrap a pony on Sunday (in part because, how would you wrap a pony?), and she probably won’t next year, either.
I’m hopeful the fantasy community gets what they deserve next year at the very least, but one last trip to the petting zoo to round out 2023 certainly wouldn’t hurt any of the loyal Robinson managers who have been suffering under Smith’s thumb for four months now.
Khalil Herbert: Do we finally have some clarity in this backfield? “Clarity” might be overstating it, but with 20 of 29 carries and 112 yards last week in a cake matchup against the Cardinals, Herbert certainly was given the chance to give us some hope for the final week of the season.
D’Onta Foreman sat out that contest and, as mentioned, it was about as good a spot as you could ask for. That said, per the Week 17 Cheat Sheet, the Falcons have allowed 100 total yards or a touchdown to the opposing starting RB in three straight, so if Herbert fills that role again, his path to Flex value is reasonably clear.
MORE: Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 17 — Khalil Herbert and Demario Douglas Are Quality Starting Options
He’s on the fringe of my top 30 at the position, a ranking that could improve as we get health updates for those surrounding him. Herbert doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, though the projectable volume in a backfield that includes just him and Roschon Johnson is an appealing option.
Roschon Johnson: The rookie can produce at the NFL level, something Derek Tate was all over this summer, but we’re going to have to wait until 2024 to get a reasonable glimpse at what he can do in our fantasy world.
Johnson was given 12 touches last week against Arizona. While that count is encouraging, he was well behind Herbert in the hierarchy of this backfield and didn’t produce at a level to suggest immediate change is needed (53 yards).
I’ll be interested to see where his ADP falls in August and could very much see a scenario where I’m drafting him with consistency. But in the scope of Week 17 lineup decisions, Johnson need not be a part of the mix.
Wide Receivers
Drake London: The Hype surrounding London upon entering the league made us all think it was God’s Plan for him to produce big fantasy numbers, but the consistency simply hasn’t been there.
He feels like something of an Underdog this week to shine after posting just 8.8 fantasy points total over the past two weeks.
Maybe one day We’ll Be Fine, and he could well prove to be the Man of the Year in fantasy. But for Week 17, it seems more likely that the Nonstop disappointment continues, and London’s a part of the Headlines for the wrong reasons when it comes to fantasy-recap articles.
DJ Moore: The tremendous run of top-15 production with Fields under center has come to a crashing halt over the past two weeks, as Moore has managed just 10.5 fantasy points on 14 targets.
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Thanks to a lack of target competition on this roster, Moore remains a play for me, but more in the vein of a low-end WR2, rubbing elbows with the Stefon Diggs’ and Calvin Ridleys of the world, who have also had their production jump all over the place this season.
I believe all three of them are strong talents, and in an era of football that focuses on offense, that is enough to land you a spot inside of my top 25, barring complete chaos under center. However, the floor is too low to elevate any of these stars much higher.
Tight Ends
Kyle Pitts: On the bright side, Pitts has scored in two of his past three games. On the not-so-bright side, this reenters him into the starting TE conversation with your season on the line.
If you have the stomach to plug him in, more power to you. I have Pitts ranked as TE15 this week and have a feeling that I’m 7+ spots off.
I just don’t know in what direction, and there lies the problem.
The quality of target in Atlanta is anything but favorable, and with Pitts seeing no more than five in seven of his past nine games, the floor, to me, is more worrisome than the ceiling is encouraging.
If you’re comfortable playing Pitts, I wish you the best of luck. If not, I encourage you to travel down to the bottom of this page, where I rank my three favorite TE streamers to help those who just lost Hockenson for the season.
Cole Kmet: I’m not a Kmet guy, and yet, I have him as my preferred TE option in this game. He is fresh off his first 100-yard performance as a pro and has cleared 9.0 half-PPR points in three straight games.
I maintain my stance that he isn’t anything special, but this talent is void of pass-catching playmakers, and Kmet has taken advantage (24+ yard catches in three of his past four and 6.8 targets past eight games).
He’s not inside of my top 12 tight ends, but Kmet does check in ahead of the vaunted Pitts line, which holds value!
Should You Start Jared Goff or Justin Fields?
I give the edge to Fields in this spot. While I like Jared Goff playing indoors against a defense that can be overly aggressive, the floor of Fields’ rushing ability is more appealing to me at this point in the fantasy season.
The projected possession count also very much works in Chicago’s favor, as they oppose an offense with limited potential while Detroit faces a team that can sustain drives.
Should You Start Brandin Cooks or Drake London?
I’d rather bet on Brandin Cooks in this spot, understanding that there is risk in both.
London projects to win the target-count battle in this head-to-head, but the difference in quality of opportunity is great enough for me to lean the way of a player like Cooks whose scoring equity is far superior.
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