Brian Hill is your answer for running backs on bye in Week 11
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons aren’t the least bit good, but running back Brian Hill could be the guy that will help you get through your bye week in Week 11.
Who saw the Atlanta Falcons beating the brakes off the archrival New Orleans Saints last week in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome of all places? Yes, that actually happened, as the Dirty Birds shocked the NFL world en route to the second win of the season. A key behind the Falcons’ out-of-nowhere Week 10 victory was running back Brian Hill.
Hill received the bulk of the carries in the Atlanta offense on Sunday, as the Falcons played complementary offensive football for once under the guidance of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. But is Hill good enough to help you survive another week of fantasy football running back bye purgatory? The Fantasy Footballers certainly think so.
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Hill had 20 carries for 61 yards on Sunday, as well as a 10-yard touchdown grab from Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. With Falcons starting running back Devonta Freeman likely out with an injury for the next few weeks, Hill could be the Atlanta bell-cow heading into a Thanksgiving home date against the hated Saints.
Hill is perfect to stream the next two weeks because you’ll only need a stop-gap fantasy running back while your star bell-cows are on bye. With Freeman is a top-10 running back when healthy, health has been an issue with him the last three seasons since reaching the Super Bowl. Hill is still unproven but could make a name for himself in the next two weeks with expanded playing time.
As for if the Falcons will have success on the ground the next few weeks, you have to like the Dirty Birds’ chances. The reason for this is that Atlanta’s next four opponents are all division rivals: at Carolina and then home for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints and the Panthers. These are teams the Falcons know well, as does Koetter from his last eight years coaching in the division.
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As for Atlanta’s two other opponents to close out the 2019 campaign, they will be against teams the Falcons know very well: the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers. Atlanta plays the Jaguars for the final preseason game just about every year. San Francisco’s head coach is former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Look for Hill and the Falcons run the ball a ton.