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No one could have predicted how awful the Atlanta Falcons‘ 2013 season was. Everyone in the organization will no doubt consider last year to be a lost season. 2014 should be a new beginning for Falcons fantasy stars Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Roddy White.
Out of the three players mentioned above, Jones is the one who will not see his draft stock fall in the upcoming year. Most fantasy football GMs will agree that Jones will retain his elite receiver status. Ryan shouldn’t have an issue bouncing back from his rough year as well. Ryan actually racked up a lot of passing yards last year, but got hurt in the touchdown and scoring area due to not having White and Jones most of the year. Without a doubt, Ryan will return to elite form in 2014.
White is the only member of this trio that may have some fantasy GMs questioning his value in the upcoming season. He is 32 years old and has Harry Douglas to compete with for playing time. White struggled to stay healthy throughout last season, which may leave some fantasy GMs questioning his durability at this stage of his career.
Any doubters of White heading into the 2014 fantasy draft should look into the fact that during the final five games of last season, when White was considered to be fully healthy, he averaged 100 receiving yards and 8.5 yards per reception a game. With Ryan and Jones back to full strength as well, White should enjoy a nice bounce-back campaign and prove that he is still a consistent wide receiver in the NFL.
Without Tony Gonzalez in the fold anymore, expect Jones and White’s receiving totals to balloon a bit. Fantasy GMs should expect White to be able to crack 1,000 yards receiving and score at least seven touchdowns. He is without a doubt worth a look as a low-end WR1.
Alexander Muir is a writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @AmuirAlex, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on your network on Google.
