Atlanta Falcons DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Atlanta Falcons running back Jase McClellan finished Friday's preseason game rushing 12 yards on four attempts with one catch on one target for 11 yards in a 31-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Although he didn't see much usage in this game due to very minimal offense and time of possession by the Falcons, McClellan finished with solid numbers overall to finish the preseason. McClellan averaged 4.0 YPC on 24 attempts to close out camp, and with Carlos Washington Jr.'s poor performance during the preseason, the strong showing could move him up to the third-string running back to start the season.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Casey Washington finished Friday's final preseason game with two catches for 32 yards on six targets in a 31-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. There was no production or efficiency on the offensive side from Taylor Heinicke and the rest of the Falcons. Still, it was another good sign that Washington led the team in targets for both of the preseason games in which he played. KhaDarel Hodge and Ray-Ray McCloud III are firmly ahead of Washington on the depth chart as the No. 3 and 4 wide receivers, meaning a lot would have to go his way to have any fantasy relevance in 2024.

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier rushed for 1,035 yards in his 2022 rookie season, but that didn't stop the team from selecting Bijan Robinson in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Allgeier spent last season as a secondary ball carrier for Atlanta, rushing 186 times for 683 yards and four touchdowns. With former head coach Arthur Smith gone, many believe Robinson will become a true workhorse running back, but Falcons writer Daniel Flick predicted Allgeier could see roughly 14 carries per game in 2024. He clarified that Robinson could see about 16 carries per game plus work in the passing attack, but it's worth noting Allgeier is likely to remain involved in the offense. Given the high injury rate at the running back position, Allgeier is worth stashing in deeper setups. If Robinson has to miss any action this year, Allgeier would be moved into the starting role behind a top-tier offensive line as a part of an ascending offense under new quarterback Kirk Cousins.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. won't suit up for the team's preseason finale versus Jacksonville. Fortunately, it appears the rookie isn't injured. However, head coach Raheem Morris opted to hold him out of Saturday's matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. With that said, Kirk Cousins (Achilles) won't suit up, meaning Taylor Heinicke and John Paddock will presumably close out the preseason for Atlanta before the club preparers for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Atlanta Falcons running back Carlos Washington Jr. ran nine times in Saturday's game for 39 yards while receiving no work in the passing game in a 13-12 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. After averaging less than 2.0 yards per carry last week on 16 attempts, Washington was much more efficient on the ground this week, averaging over 9.0 per carry. The 25-year-old seemed to have the edge over Jase McClellan for the RB3 job according to the Falcons' official depth chart, but now it seems to be a tight-knit race for that job with McLellan running the ball extremely well so far in the first two preseason games. Look for this race for the RB3 spot to continue on Friday when the Falcons take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.