Atlanta Falcons DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Atlanta Falcons' new offense under head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will clearly run through second-year running back Bijan Robinson. "In as simple of a form as you can possibly make it," Morris said, "it's 'get the ball to Bijan as much as you can in as many ideal situations that you possibly can.'" Robinson's 214 carries for 976 yards and four touchdowns made him the top-rushing rookie in 2023, and he also caught 58 passes for an extra 487 yards -- the fourth-most among RBs -- and also had four receiving TDs. His 272 touches ranked 12th among NFL players last year, and Robinson finished 10th with 1,463 total yards from scrimmage. The 22-year-old expects to be more of a runner than pass-catcher in 2024, and with more total touches likely coming his way, he should easily be considered a top-three fantasy RB.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (Achilles) is returning from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Week 8 of the 2023 season with the Minnesota Vikings, but he has expressed confidence he'll be full-go by training camp at the end of July since his arrival in Atlanta in March. That sentiment didn't change throughout the offseason program, and Cousins' participation in all aspects of the team's offseason program is promising. Cousins said he did everything at organized team activities, but it will be worth watching if he continues to do everything in training camp. The 35-year-old signal-caller will be in a non-contact jersey, but everything else should be business as usual. Cousins will still have plenty of weapons around him in Atlanta, but it's a downgrade in receivers and he's coming off a significant injury towards the end of his career. At best, fantasy managers should consider him a midrange QB2.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Casey Washington has a tough road to playing time as a rookie, considering he was a sixth-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft. However, Falcons writer Daniel Flick reports that the Illinois product is making waves this offseason. "After rookie minicamp, Washington started OTAs working with the third- and fourth-string offenses," Flick wrote. "By the middle of OTAs, he began blending in with the first- and second-team unit, catching passes from Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr." While it's important not to overreact to offseason developments, it's a great sign for Washington's chance to make the 53-man roster. Washington racked up just 1,508 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 55 collegiate games, but Atlanta clearly liked something they saw on tape, and his performance in practice is all that matters from this point on. Washington isn't on the fantasy radar yet, but he could push KhaDarel Hodge or Ray-Ray McCloudfor a roster spot behind Drake London, Rondale Moore, and Darnell Mooney.

During an interview at organized team activities on Monday, Atlanta Falcons second-year running back Bijan Robinson said the plan this year is to use him as a runner first, kind of "like how they use Christian (McCaffrey) down there in San Francisco," while still being creative with how they use him out of the backfield as a pass-catcher. It will be hard for Atlanta to be more run-heavy on offense than they were last year under head coach Arthur Smith, but the bottom line is that to no one's surprise, Robinson is going to be a focal point for the new offense run by Zac Robinson, a Sean McVay disciple. In an offense that should be able to sustain more drives with quarterback Kirk Cousins, Robinson has high-end RB1 upside going into his sophomore season after totaling 1,463 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in his first year in the NFL in 2023.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (ankle) is taking part in organized team activities on Monday. It's great to see that Robinson is already recovered from a minor ankle injury that he suffered during OTAs in May. After being taken with the eighth overall pick in the first round in last year's draft out of Texas, Robinson carried the ball 214 times for 976 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns, adding 58 receptions on 86 targets for 487 yards and four touchdowns through the air in 17 games in his first year in the league. Tyler Allgeier remains in Atlanta's backfield, but the 22-year-old Robinson is the clear lead back and should be able to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his sophomore campaign if he stays healthy in 2024, especially with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins taking over an offense that should look to prioritize getting the ball in the hands of its best playmakers more often.