Fantasy Football: 5 bold predictions for Week 7
By Dustin Baker
3. Fantasy football predictions: Matt Ryan is again brilliant vs. the Lions
The Falcons were dead and buried. They fired once-loved head coach Dan Quinn and were making plans for the post-Matt Ryan era. Then, the hapless Minnesota Vikings hosted the dead birds. The Vikings defense is a serious work in progress — heavy emphasis on the in progress.
Ryan wound back the clock and eviscerated Minnesota’s young secondary. Under interim coach Raheem Morris, the Falcons were absolutely rejuvenated, if only for a week. We believe that tendency carries into Week 7 — at home — vs. the Detroit Lions. The Lions are not beacons of defensive fear, although they should be with a former defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia.
Julio Jones showed zero signs of rust or injury against the young Vikings, so he will wallop the Lions. Wink, wink: Start him, too.
This is not a total insult to Detroit. Patricia’s group is a middle-of-the-road secondary from a passing-yards-allowed standpoint. Yet, the Lions do allow two receiving touchdowns per game. That ranks 23rd in the NFL. For Ryan’s fantasy prognosis, Jones, Russell Gage, and Calvin Ridley will eat. Ryan tallied 31.6 fantasy points in Week 7 vs. the Vikings, and that was the second-most by a quarterback during the week’s slate of games. For curious minds, Deshaun Watson was tops in the business.
Therefore, the world is returning to its axis a bit with Ryan and Watson thriving statistically.