Do you like fantasy football?
Do you like scoring points?
Well have we got the game for you!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons could set some 2015 fantasy record for two teams that know a thing or two about topping the scoring charts so far this season.
Players with 20+ Fantasy Points and/or Ranked Top 5 at Their Position
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
Week |
Player |
PPR Points |
Overall Rank |
Pos. Rank |
|
1 |
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins |
28 |
T-7th |
T-3rd |
|
2 |
K Kyle Brindza |
16 |
X |
T-2nd |
|
4 |
WR Vincent Jackson |
30 |
2nd |
2nd |
|
4 |
RB Doug Martin |
24 |
T-11th |
T-4th |
|
5 |
RB Doug Martin |
36 |
1st |
1st |
|
5 |
K Connor Barth |
24 |
X |
T-3rd |
|
7 |
WR Mike Evans |
30 |
T-6th |
3rd |
|
7 |
K Connor Barth |
13 |
X |
T-2nd |
Atlanta Falcons
|
Week |
Player |
PPR Points |
Overall Rank |
Pos. Rank |
|
1 |
WR Julio Jones |
35 |
1st |
1st |
|
1 |
K Matt Bryant |
17 |
T-45th |
2nd |
|
2 |
WR Julio Jones |
26 |
T-12th |
T-8th |
|
3 |
RB Devonta Freeman |
42 |
3rd |
1st |
|
3 |
WR Julio Jones |
40 |
4th |
3rd |
|
3 |
QB Matt Ryan |
22 |
T-27th |
T-5th |
|
4 |
RB Devonta Freeman |
37 |
1st |
1st |
|
4 |
WR Leonard Hankerson |
22 |
T-16th |
T-6th |
|
5 |
RB Devonta Freeman |
32 |
3rd |
2nd |
|
5 |
TE Jacob Tamme |
17 |
T-41st |
4th |
|
6 |
RB Devonta Freeman |
35 |
2nd |
1st |
|
7 |
WR Julio Jones |
24 |
T-15th |
T-5th |
*All points PPR, "X" denotes outside of Top 50.
Six different Buccaneers have finished top five at their position in fantasy scoring in a single week this season, four of them landing in the top 10 overall. Meanwhile, The Falcons have had at least one 20+-point scorer every week so far this season. Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman have each done that four times this year.
Not to mention, the two top scorers in all of fantasy football right now: Freeman (181 points) and Jones (164).
There will be points.
...
ATLANTA FALCONS
For all those fantasy points piling up for Atlanta, it is spread out quite unevenly. Of the 658 total fantasy points put up by Falcons offensive players, 52.4% of them have been scored by must-starts Freeman and Jones. In fact, Freeman and Jones (181 and 164 points, respectively) are the two highest-scoring players in all of fantasy right now.
Projected starters for the Falcons as listed on team depth chart.
That lack of spreading the love (the only other skill position player with more than 50 points is Leonard Hankerson, who will not play this week) leaves two other players that should be seeing your starting lineup.
First, QB Matt Ryan. He ranks just 12th among NFL quarterbacks with 14.7 fantasy points per week, however, he faced the Bucs defense allowing the third-most points to opposing fantasy QBs. After allowing just 12, 11 and 15 points in Weeks 2-4, the Bucs gave up 28 to Blake Bortles, then 29 to Kirk Cousins. Considering the offensive firepower of the Falcons, Ryan is a good bet to top the 20-point mark for the second time this season.
With the aforementioned Hankerson sidelined, WR Roddy White gets the nod and could prove a smart play in your Flex spot. He has yet to fill up the stat sheets so far, his highest yardage game was in Week 1 where he hauled in four passes for 84 yards and he has found the end zone just once this season. However, if the Bucs blanket Jones, White is the most enticing option for Ryan. The Bucs have allowed 40 or more points to opposing wide receivers in half of their games this season.
...
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
We start with the two must-starts on the list, RB Doug Martin and WR Mike Evans.
Martin is coming off three-straight 140+-total yard outings, averaging 26.3 points per game in that span. The Falcons are allowing the second-most points to opposing running backs this year at a clip of 29.3 per game. Oddly, they are allowing the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the entire NFL, but have 10 rushing touchdowns against them.
Evans faces a tough challenge with fellow WR Vincent Jackson listed as doubtful for the game. With Louis Murphy out for the rest of the season, the only other Buccaneers receivers available are special teams captain Russell Shepard and undrafted rookies Donteea Dye and Adam Humphries. Evans will likely face very tough coverage, but should still see a lot of targets in this one. As always, embrace the "start your stars" mentality and keep Evans in your starting lineup.
QB Jameis Winston is coming off his best game of the season (297 yards, two TDs, 19 fantasy points) and has looked much more consistent with no turnovers over his last two weeks. Each week, he becomes a safer start. The Falcons are a tough play, allowing the fifth-fewest points to QBs. His potentially limited receiving corps is also problematic. He is a good chance to again fall nicely in the 13-20 point range. Still not a weekly starter, but climbing the charts who is worth a play in 2QB leagues.
Two other names make the cut of starting-caliber players, both however with asterisks. RB Charles Sims could be a Flex play if you have injury issues or need a bye week filler in a PPR league. With Doug Martin performing so well, it is possible we his Sims carries dwindle, but he is still their go-to pass-catching back and is always a threat to score when the ball is in his hands. Keep in mind that his 61 points this season are 28th among RBs.
Finally, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins could return in this one and is currently listed as questionable. In his first and only full game of the season, he put up 28 fantasy points with five grabs, 110 yards and two touchdowns. If he is a go and Jackson is not, ASJ becomes the Bucs' second-best receiving option and could do some damage. Especially considering that the Falcons are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends, including 51 total TE points over the last two weeks.
