The injury report for the Atlanta Falcons is scary. While Roddy White and Asante Samuel were expected to be on it, Julio Jones, Sam Baker, Sean Weatherspoon, Thomas DeCoud and a handful of other players are on it after a physical game against the New Orleans Saints. As the team prepares for their home opener against the St. Louis Rams, head coach Mike Smith expects that list to shrink come Sunday.
The biggest worry of the injury list is Jones. The wide receiver has apparently been held out of practice on Wednesday with a lingering knee issue. As White continues to deal with a high ankle sprain, Jones was expected to pick up the slack. On Sunday against the Saints, Jones put up seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Matt Ryan has a quarterback rating of 145 when throwing to Jones.
The Rams lack elite talent at the cornerback position so this would be the perfect game for Ryan and Jones to have a field day through the air. However, Jones is suffering from a knee issue which could limit his production on the field. Fantasy football owners beware, this could be the game to start Harry Douglas, the Falcons faithful No. 3 receiver. On Sunday, Douglas had four catches for 93 yards. He came up big as Jones was being double teamed.
Smith fully expects the entire receiving corps to be ready to go against the Rams, but he also said that prior to the Saints game and look what happened. White did not practice on Wednesday. The wide receiver previously said that if he does not practice then fantasy owners should know not to start him. Smith might be saying both receivers are healthy, but they could be on the field simply as a decoy. They tried that with White last week, but it failed to produce anything.
To make up for a struggling receiving corps, the Falcons will rely on tight ends Tony Gonzalez and Chase Coffman. Putting both players on the field should allow for better protection for Ryan and another target. Stephen Jackson will also be more motivated seeing as it was the Rams that let the running back go just a season ago.
It is likely that Jones could easily be at full speed on Sunday, but Douglas might be a safer option. The Falcons offense has a chance to thrive against a relatively weak Rams defense.