The Atlanta Falcons had a huge game against the Buccaneers in Week 3 and Devin Hester gave fantasy football owners a good reason to have him as a top pickup after his huge game, while Devonta Freeman, Antone Smith, Harry Douglas and Jacquizz Rodgers all made impacts against Tampa Bay on Thursday and they could be solid options going forward behind Julio Jones, Roddy White and Steven Jackson in the lineup.
Devin Hester showed off what a weapon he can be on Thursday night football, scoring a rushing touchdown and a punt return touchdown for the Falcons. For any fantasy owners in need of an injury replacement or some depth at WR, Hester is a solid option. With Julio Jones and Roddy White there it still is hard for him to get consistent looks, but clearly he has some value. Hester had one catch for 25 yards in the game, but he had a 20-yard rushing TD and also had over 60 combined punt return yards and a record setting touchdown.
The Falcons killed the Buccaneers so the stats may be a bit deceiving for fantasy owners with some players, but Atlanta showed that they have a number of players that can contribute. In deeper leagues names like Freeman, Rodgers and Smith are solid options and while they may not perform every week, they all have potential to be strong starters down the line this season. Steven Jackson has remained the feature back, but he dealt with injuries all through last year and that could bump up each of the three backs if that happens again.
Hester was let go by the Bears and he opted to sign with the Falcons after not being used at all at wideout by Chicago last year. Hester had been used in various roles as kick returner, punt returner and WR by the Bears over the years with mixed results, his best season coming in 2009 when he had 57 catches for 757 yards. Hester will always be most valuable in special teams, but for players in deeper leagues or with flex starts, he is a worthy option.
Antone Smith is also an option in deeper leagues, as he had a nice run for a touchdown against the Buccaneers with a 38 yard score and he ended up with 50 yards in the game. Freeman and Smith are solid backup options and the Falcons have a favorable matchup with the Vikings coming up next. Freeman had 11 carries in the game and that is a promising amount considering the four back rotation the Falcons have and while he had just 12 yards, he has the potential to continue getting touches in the offense.
The Falcons had a terrible game against the Bengals last week, but they bounced back in a big way against the Buccaneers and now they have the Vikings next. Roddy White is getting healthy and Julio Jones had a huge game against the Buccaneers and that helps open things up in the running game. Harry Douglas has been slow to start the season, but he scored a TD and now has 12 catches for 121 yards and one touchdown.
