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Falcons at Saints: 5 best fantasy options

By John Buhler

Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) celebrates his second quarter touchdown catch against the Oakland Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) celebrates his second quarter touchdown catch against the Oakland Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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September 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) passes the football against Oakland Raiders defensive end Jihad Ward (95) during the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
September 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) passes the football against Oakland Raiders defensive end Jihad Ward (95) during the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Matt Ryan

Through the first two weeks of the 2016 NFL season, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been the sport’s best fantasy player. Ryan has completed 72.6% of his passes for 730 yards, five touchdowns, and one bad interception. His 10.0 yards per attempt is outstanding and he has 50.2 fantasy points on the year.

Atlanta needs to win this game to avoid going 1-7 in its first eight NFC South games during the Dan Quinn era. For that to not happen, Ryan needs to play like a Pro Bowler. It’s early in the year, but it seems like he has an exponentially better feel for Shanahan’s West Coast system than he did all of 2015. Having Mohamed Sanu as the No. 2 wideout to Julio Jones is paying off in dividends for Ryan’s play this season.

Sure, it’s a hostile road environment, but Ryan has played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome many times before. ESPN.com projects him to have 18.2 fantasy points, while NFL.com has him getting 15.38.

Next: NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best QB of All-Time

Like Brees, if he can limit turnovers, Ryan is poised to have a 25+ fantasy point day on Monday night. He seems like a lock to throw for over 300 yards. Atlanta looked vastly improved in the red zone in Week 2 against the Raiders. 300 passing yards and three touchdowns gets Ryan to 24 points easily. He’ll have eight days to prepare this game. Ryan will be ready.

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