Fantasy Football Daily - Atlanta Falcons with Jeanna Kelley | 2023 Franchise Focus Podcast

Episode Date: July 19, 2023

The Falcons have spent a top-10 pick on a skill player in three consecutive drafts ... and none of them are quarterbacks. Will the talent around second-year QB Desmond Ridder be able to lift his modest pedigree? Jeanna Kelley (@jeannathomas) of @TheFalcoholic joins Joe Dolan (@FG_Dolan) to talk Ridder, Bijan Robinson, and how the hell we can get Kyle Pitts some more damn touchdowns. Want to join a high-stakes dynasty league -- or any other high-stakes league? All new FFPC users get $25 off their first FFPC league of $35 or more, including dynasty orphans, using our affiliate link: ⁠https://myffpc.com/cms/public?affid=fantasypoints⁠ ⁠FANTASY POINTS PROJECTIONS ARE LIVE⁠ FOR ALL STANDARD AND PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS! Interested in playing Best Ball in 2023? There's no better place than Underdog Fantasy. ⁠Use our code FANTASYPTS⁠ to sign up for a new account at Underdog, and not only will you get a 100% deposit match up to $100... but you'll get a Fantasy Points Standard subscription for only $5! ⁠https://www.fantasypoints.com/underdog --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fantasy-points-podcast/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time to the Fantasy Points podcast brought to you by FantasyPoints.com. Top-level fantasy football and NFL betting analysis from every perspective and angle, from numbers to the film room, with a single goal to help you score more fantasy points. To the franchise focus podcast here at FantasyPoint.com, my name is Joe Dolan, and we've made our way through six of the eight divisions in the NFL in our franchise focus podcast series. Only eight podcasts left to go. I can't believe it. It's been a grind.

It's been challenging. It's been a lot of fun, most of all. And while we're going to get to the NFC South here in just a little bit, if you're listening to this podcast, whether it's July 19th, up into the 23rd, go to data. Dot FantasyPoint.com for our data suite free preview. You can access it without a login. We believe this is going to be a tool that is going to absolutely revolutionize the fantasy football industry.

And we're really just getting it off the ground floor now. We have so much more planned. And we're really excited to show it to you. So if you're listening to this podcast and you have any interest in NFL statistics, high-level DFS research, high-level betting research, or really you're just an NFL nerd and want to know who the best quarterback in home games in 15-mile-an-hour wins was in terms of yards, yards per attempt, you can do that with the Fantasy Points Data Suite. So I really encourage you to check that out. And if you're listening to this after July 23rd, you can sign up for the data suite and get a free seven-day trial. So we're giving everybody the opportunity to look at the data suite and say,

you know what, this is for me. I really want to be in on this. And also give you an opportunity to say, you know what, maybe this is just a little too in depth for me, but you can check it out for free. And if you do decide to purchase the data suite package, well, it's $50 for 2023, down from what we expect to be the regular price going forward of $200. So it's 75% off. It's going to be updated weekly with our native charted stats. I'm really excited to show everybody the Fantasy Points Data Suite, and I really hope you check it out. But if you're here, you're listening, you're listening for some NFC South franchise focus information, and I'm pleased to give that to you right now. Welcome back to the franchise focus podcast series here at FantasyPoints.com as we kick off the NFC South as we wind down all 32 podcasts. We have eight more to go. And I am thrilled to have my guest today. Her name is Gina Kelly. She is a columnist and editor at the Falcaholic and the NFL in general she covers for SB Nation. You can follow her on Twitter at Gina Thomas. I guarantee you if you have ever followed any news about the Atlanta Falcons, you have come across Gina's tweets. You have come across Gina's tweets. You have come across Gina.

his opinions. And Gina, as a matter of fact, is wearing a right state university t-shirt. So for the first time in about 10 years, I thought about Vitali Potopenko. And Gina, it called to mind the tweet going around that guys bridal party or guys groomsmen are made up of just dudes who have conversations about random athletes. So I'm glad you could, you could share with me that moment. See, if you weren't already married, maybe I would be a groomsman. Who knows? Oh, absolutely. The grooms person, I don't care. You know, we're going to tear down gender stereotypes here. We're going to talk some Atlanta Falcons.

Gina, the biggest thing with the Atlanta Falcons, we'll get to be John Robinson because he was the first round pick. The question I have and the question the fantasy industry has at large, can somebody please throw Kyle Pitt some freaking catchable passes? Like, what is going on? I don't want to bury Marcus Mariotta because I think he's probably a great guy and a deep. decent NFL backup, which is where he's going to be in Philadelphia. What did you see from Mariotta as it related to Kyle Pitts last year? So it was a combination of things. One, I just don't think that he and Pitts ever really developed the kind of, you know,

rhythm and timing and chemistry that they needed. Mariotta is not the most accurate guy. And he was also playing behind a really sincerely bad offensive line for most of the season. And so that was definitely a factor too. And then, you know, people to ask Arthur Smith about it. And he would say, well, we're playing real football, not fantasy. And I'm like, yeah, but you still want to throw your unicorn tight in the ball, whether it's fantasy or like, you're still trying to win games, bro.

So I think that, yeah, some of it was game planning. I think some of it was just the defenses were, you know, allocating more attention to him because you have to. He is very difficult to defend. So it was a combination of things. And then, of course, he landed on injured reserve and didn't finish out the season. And so now that he and Ritter have had a full off season, Ritter's had a full off season to prepare for to be the starter. I think that we will see Pets more involved this year.

If we don't and if the team doesn't perform better, I'm going to go on record now and say that Arthur Smith will not be the coach of this team in 2024 if they don't get Pits more involved. So, but that also begs the question. They're relying on Desmond Ritter to be the starting quarterback. He was a third round pick. And look, we've had some day two NFL quarterbacks have some success, notably Russell Wilson. You know, Jalen Hertz was a day two pick. But we did not get a big sample of Desmond Ritter last year. From my personal opinion, he was bad in his first start and then really evened it out.

What's your outlook for Desmond Ritter? And how do the Falcons feel about him as an organization? So the Falcons feel really confident in Ritter. And again, I really think that I'm reserving judgment on him until we, we, get a couple of games into the regular season and kind of see the, uh, the results of him having a full off season to prepares a starter. He was really thrust into a bad situation last year, again, with a bad offensive line. He was a third rounder. Those guys are typically going to need time to develop. He came out of a smaller program, a good program, but a smaller program. The speed of

the game is very, very different from, you know, Cincinnati bear cats to the NFL. And so I think that there are a variety of factors. I do think he'll be better. this year. Is he going to be, you know, one of the best quarterbacks in the league next year? No. But I think that he's going to be serviceable. When he was coming out in the draft, I thought he was, I thought that he had, except for maybe Malik Willis, probably the highest ceiling. And I think that Ritter didn't need as much development as some of the other prospects that came out that year. But yeah, I still think that he was put in a bad situation last year, made the best of it. But, you know, I think that he'll probably be middle of the road this year. You know, I don't expect huge numbers or anything,

but I expect him to be adequate. So is there, is there any, even trying to fake a quarterback competition with Taylor Heineke here, are they saying it's an open job or is it really Ritter's start or Heineke's backup? It is Ritter. It is Ritter's job. They brought in Heineke to be the backup. And I think that it's good to have somebody else with, you know, a decent amount of experience, somebody who can definitely step in and be a serviceable backup. I think that's all fair to say about Heineke, but the team has been very clear that Ritter is their guy that they feel like he is prepared to succeed in that role this year. So again, I hope they're right. You obviously hear the running backs don't matter argument. And Arthur Smith, I think everybody

knew has never been that guy with how he got Derek Henry involved in Tennessee. But then it's kind of funny. Tyler Algear runs for 1100. yards as a rookie. He was a fifth round pick. He might be the poster child for you can find running backs anywhere and then they take Bejohn Robinson in the top 10 in the NFL draft. I don't know if you saw Gina. I made a wager to my podcast listeners. I was like, I will get drunk and jump off my roof of Howie Roseman uses a top 10 draft pick on a running back. I'm actually upset that I didn't get to see if he would have done it. Like, because the Falcons picked right in front of the Eagles. So I, I think But we knew the Falcons were a likely landing spot for Bejan Robinson.

What is the rationale? What have they been saying about Bejan? And I mean, do you expect the offense to operate through Bejan Robinson? I honestly kind of do. And I think that there are several reasons for that. The first one would be Desmond Ritter. You have an inexperienced starter being able to support him with a very strong ground game and giving him the option of like short passes out of the backfield to this running back

for all of them can do that well. I think that that's going to take some pressure off of Ritter. I also think that Bijon has the potential to be a generational type of talent. And as much as I felt like the Falcons, you know, did have other needs that they could have used that number eight overall pick on, I still think that if you have a chance to take a potential future Hall of Fame where you got to at least roll the dice on it. And so I just think that with this strong of a backfield, because it was a strength with Falcons last year, I just think it's going to make Ritters adjustment to being the starter full time a little bit easier.

You mentioned the offensive line was not good last year. There are multiple, it's not for lack of trying. I mean, there are multiple high draft picks on this line. Lindstrom, McGarry, obviously Jake Matthews. Matthew Bergeron was a second round pick this year. I don't know if you saw the video of the Dallas Cowboys in their war room when they were drafting. but they were down to Mazi Smith, who they ended up taking and Matthew Bergeron,

kind of a fast riser in the draft process. What do the Falcons think he brings to this line and does he kind of help it gel and where else can it improve? Yeah, so I do think that we will eventually see him plugged in the center position. The Falcons were really fortunate to land Alex Mack a few years ago, just an all-time great at that position.

It's really hard to fill those shoes. And center, in my opinion, is, I don't know, it's hard to say because the whole line is so important and they have to function so effectively together. But center is arguably the most important position on the line because they do kind of set the tone, especially if you've got, you know, an experience at either guard position, having a center who's really, you know, stable and that sort of thing can help stabilize the performance of the whole line. So I think that the offensive line is, and this is not the first time that I've said this about the Falcons, I feel like a broken record.

but the offensive line in those position battles this year are going to be really interesting just to see how it shakes out. I think that there are a million different directions. They could go outside of the obvious names that you mentioned, you know, Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom. You know, I think that we could see a lot of other changes along that line. And so it's going to be really, that is going to be a really interesting group to watch this year. I think one of the reasons some people might be optimistic on Kyle Pitts for fantasy outside of the fact that he's a freak is, is the wide receiver depth chart.

I mean, it's got Drake London. It's got Drake London. But beyond Drake London, I mean, listen to some of these names, folks, and these are the best of them. Mack Hollins, Scotty Miller, Frank Darby. Any of those guys you expect can maybe step in and surprise a little bit? I mean, I think that Hollins has potential, like some big play potential. In general, I expect London to be obviously the primary focus.

there. But the other thing is that Pitts isn't a traditional tight end. He really is more of a receiver. So when I think about the Falcons receiver depth chart, I don't panic about it necessarily because they do have two, you know, really quality receivers there in London and Pitts. That said, like, I think back to 2016 when, you know, Matt Ryan was dealing the ball to like Taylor Gabriel. I mean, I think he hit like 16 different receivers that season. Even if those guys can't contribute a ton, if, you know, If Ritter is able to get the ball into different receivers hands on a consistent basis, even if they're not the best receivers, I think it's going to make a difference for this offense. What do you see from Drayton as a rookie? What can he improve on? Oh, gosh, I don't even know what he can. It's hard to answer that question because, you know, I think that he overall played really well. I think that, you know, we saw a lot of things to be excited about. Obviously, it's a learning curve and an adjustment to the speed of the game. when things didn't go well, was it his fault? Was it the offensive line? Did somebody miss a block or something?

Like, I don't, yeah, I don't really, I don't know how to answer the question. It was a non-functional passing game. I know that that it's kind of. Did Mario to sail the ball 18 feet over his head? Like, I don't know. Yeah. So. When I look at this receiver depth chart, and I think of somebody who might be able to step in,

and I think both pits in London can play the slot. It's hard for me not to think of Cordarral Patterson. He's background. He's still on this roster. Maybe he should be thankful that they didn't change, didn't convert him to a full-time running back until late in his career because he's earned a lot more paychecks than maybe your running back would. But is there an opportunity for him to step in and actually go back to playing some wide receiver here? 100%. And even, you know, as he's had this career resurgence in Atlanta, it's actually been pretty balanced between the run game and the passing game. He's been really, really effective

as a receiver too. And just his speed. I mean, if he can get a hold of that ball and get into space, good luck catching him. So, yeah, I think that he is somebody that we could see much more involved in the passing game this year. And again, I think that the whole running back core will be factors in the passing game, but cordarral especially. How do you expect this defense to be this year? So again, I'm so excited to see this defense on the field just because they have actually

invested a lot of resources in the defensive line, which as a Falcons fan, I feel like it's something that I've been asking for since John Abraham left. So it's been it's been a while. But yeah, bringing in Cleas Campbell, obviously, you know, he's a guy who's a little bit deeper into his career. But I think a really strong veteran presence. He's still playing well as of last year. They brought in the two guys from New Orleans, Caden Ellis, and I am completely blanking on the other guy's name. David on Yamada. Him, yes, David on Yamada. I think that both, I'm really excited to see what both of them can do.

And so, yeah, it's just been fun to see them actually invest resources. Now, where does the rubber meet the road? We'll find out. I mean, obviously there's a new defensive coordinator in Atlanta. That's going to, that makes things a little bit harder to project, too. But I'm really excited about this unit. And it's been a number of years since I could say that. Yeah, they invested a lot in the secondary as well.

buying low on Jeff Okuda. Obviously, AJ Terrell is one of the top corners. They spent a big time amount of money on Jesse Bates. And I do think that just strengthening the secondary, because obviously, you know, the success of the defensive line is kind of dependent on how strong the secondary is. And so I think that strengthening the secondary is only going to help those new faces on the defensive line be more effective. So, Gina, I've been wrapping up all the franchise focus podcast by asking my guests for maybe an

under the radar fantasy contributor on the team that we were previewing. Who do you think that is for the Falcons? Well, I've got to say Tyler Algier. I mean, last year, he broke 1,000 rushing yards. He just had three touchdowns, but again, this offense was not very good last year, and particularly they were bad in the red zone. If Bejon is a little bit slow to get up to speed or, you know, if, I don't know, but like he is somebody that I think could have a real impact here.

even with Bejohn there. Arthur Smith is very good about, you know, kind of distributing carries to make it more difficult, I think, for defenses to defend. And so he's still going to get his opportunities. And what he showed us last year is that he's definitely worth taking a chance on. Her name is Gina Kelly. She is a columnist and editor at the Falcaholic. She covers the NFL in general for SB Nation.

You can follow her on Twitter at Gina Thomas. Gina, it has been wonderful talking to you as, and I now regard you. was the world's foremost Vitalopatopenko fan. So I didn't know we would be talking about him on today's show, but I'm glad we did. Me too. Thank you for having me. Oh, it was wonderful.

We'll have you back on shortly when we have time to talk Falcons. Guys, it's been wonderful talking Atlanta Falcons with you. We're going to continue our journey around the NFC, and in particular the NFC South the rest of this week. Thanks everybody for listening and have a good one. Thanks for tuning into this edition of the Fantasy Points podcast. Remember to subscribe. rate and review on your favorite platform and come join the roster at fantasy points.com.