4. Top Fantasy Football Pickups for Week 1 – Atlanta Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier
You can never have enough running backs in fantasy football and there is always a rusher who emerges from nowhere to become a weekly starter. Elijah Mitchell filled that niche last season, seizing the 49ers’ starting running back gig in Week 1 after Raheem Mostert suffered a season-ending injury.
The top candidate for that breakout this year is Allgeier, the Falcons’ fifth-round pick out of BYU. Allgeier was extremely productive in college, rushing for 23 touchdowns for the Cougars last season, and he is coming off a strong preseason that was capped with a two-touchdown performance in Week 3.
There is also no clear-cut lead back on the Falcons’ roster with converted kick-returner Cordarrelle Patterson the nominal No. 1 in Atlanta. Head coach Arthur Smith was notably careful with Patterson’s workload towards the end of last season, a trend that could continue as the Falcons try to keep Patterson healthy, and this should create an opportunity for Allgeier to carve out a significant role in the backfield.
Rostered in just 29 percent of Yahoo leagues, Allgeier should have a spot on your bench as a lottery ticket that could cash into a potential flex option. If Allgeier emerges as the top dog in Atlanta, that ticket could become a weekly RB2, which is a massive win for a pickup.