The Atlanta Falcons had three wide receivers reach the 100-yard mark in their opening-week loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Matt Ryan threw for 450 yards, and Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russel Gage all hit the triple-digit yardage mark. While this cannot be counted on every week, it seems possible all three receivers could be useful this fantasy season.
Fantasy Football analysis: Falcons WRs Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage
Ridley caught nine passes for 130 yards and scored two touchdowns in the opening game, while Gage had 114 yards in the game. Ryan threw the ball around very evenly with all three of his top receivers catching nine balls on 12 targets.
Ridley has been a productive fantasy player in his two full seasons in the NFL, but owners have been waiting for a real breakout season, and it’s possible 2020 will be just that. He has all the tools to be a star wide receiver in this league, and those who selected him this season may have gotten an absolute steal with Ridley.
As for Gage, it’s difficult to trust a team’s third wide receiver and we’ll need to see more from him on a consistent basis. Coming off a season in which he finished with 446 yards, let’s not overreact to a Week 1 performance when Ryan threw the ball 54 times.
The Falcons are matched up with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in what could be a shootout. Dallas allowed 275 yards passing to Jared Goff, and the best performance from a Los Angeles Rams receiver came from Robert Woods, who finished with 105 yards on six receptions.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Ridley should be in all fantasy lineups this weekend in standard leagues with plenty of upside for a huge day, while Gage is likely a play only in the deepest of fantasy leagues at best.