Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Falcons on Thursday placed LB Deion Jones on IR. It's a surprising move, given that Jones had recently come off the PUP and played in the team's preseason finale. Jones had shoulder surgery early in the offseason. We'll see whether the team reveals how long it expects him to be out. Jones' deactivation leaves Rahsaan Evans and Mykal Walker looking like the best bets for playing time among Falcons LBs.

Falcons LB Deion Jones returned to the practice field this week for the 1st time following offseason shoulder surgery. He worked with 3rd- and 4th-stringers, though, according to the team website. The highly paid also saw time on the punt team. "I'll give Deion credit, because he's going to come out here and he's going to compete," HC Arthur Smith said afterward. "He's going to work his way back in. It's going to be hard to get on the field in that room. And that's what you want with that competition. Rashaan [Evans] and Mykal Walker are doing a great job. We gotta see what Troy [Andersen] can do. [Nathan] Landman, Dorian [Etheridge]? They've had good preseasons. It's going to play itself out." Jones was the subject of trade/cut rumors before the shoulder surgery sidelined him. Atlanta would probably love to trade him for pretty much anything, which would offer salary-cap relief. Cutting Jones, on the other hand, would cost nearly $25 million in dead cap. The final year on his contract (2023) has much more cuttable terms. All of that is complicated by Jones coming off -- by far -- the poorest-graded season of his career. It seems likely that Rahsaan Evans and Mykal Walker start ahead of him, at least to open the season. Don't be afraid to just avoid the whole Falcons LB situation in your IDP drafts.

The Falcons opened training camp with LB Deion Jones on the physically unable to perform list. Jones is working back from shoulder surgery that kept him out of the offseason program. The team said at the time that it expected him to be ready for the start of training camp. We'll see how long the veteran stays on the PUP. (Atlanta can activate him at any point.)

The Falcons announced Thursday that LB Deion Jones will miss the entire offseason program after undergoing shoulder surgery. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the team does expect Jones to be ready for the start of training camp. Assuming no setbacks in his rehab process, this may not be such a big deal for the 7th-year veteran. The most significant question on Jones is whether he makes it to the regular season on Atlanta's roster.

Falcons beat writer Jeff Schultz of The Athletic calls LB Deion Jones "almost certain" to leave the team as a post-June 1 cut this year. Schultz cites cap relief in 2023 as the primary reason to make such a move, rather than keep the veteran around until next season. Trading Jones at that point would help the team's cap situation even further, but it's tough to imagine another team taking on the bloated salary for a non-edge LB. We'll see, of course, whether this actually comes to fruition. And the decision (either way) should come well before most IDP leagues are drafting for 2022. One reasonable reaction now, though, would be to move 2nd-round rookie LB Troy Andersen up your dynasty fantasy football rankings.

LB Troy Andersen landed with the Falcons in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Andersen is a highly intriguing prospect who spent just 1 year at LB after converting from both RB and QB. Andersen racked up 147 total tackles, including 14 for losses, and 7 pass breakups in his final season at Montana State. He followed that with a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at 6’4, 243 pounds – good for a 100th-percentile speed score. He lands in an Atlanta defense that just let Foye Oluokun walk in free agency. We'll see whether Andersen is ready to compete for a starting gig right away. There's plenty of long-term upside for IDP dynasty rookie drafts, though.

EDGE Arnold Ebiketie landed with the Falcons in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. After 3 quiet years at Temple, Ebiketie broke out for 62 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks across 12 contests in 2021. He posted a slightly above-average 101.6 speed score at 6’2, 250 pounds at the Combine. Ebiketie’s 91st-percentile vertical and 96th-percentile broad jump point to well above-average explosiveness, though. We'll see about Ebiketie's position designation, but there's solid-to-good IDP upside here.

The Falcons on Monday agreed to a 1-year deal with LB Rashaan Evans. A 2018 first-round pick of the Titans, Evans never lived up to that billing. Although he started 11 of the 12 games he was available for last year, Evans' playing time dipped to 60%. He might find himself competing with Mykal Walker for the #2 LB role in Atlanta, after Foye Oluokun left for Jacksonville in free agency. But there's also still room for the Falcons to add a better prospect in the NFL Draft.

Falcons LB Deion Jones (shoulder) is inactive for today's game against the Jaguars. That likely means closer to full playing time for LB Mykal Walker.

Falcons LB Deion Jones is questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. He didn't show up on the injury report until Friday, when a shoulder injury limited his participation. We'll check his status Sunday morning.

The Falcons on Friday placed DE Dante Fowler on IR with a knee injury he suffered back in Week 5 against the Jets. It's not immediately clear how long Atlanta expects him to be out.

Falcons S Erik Harris left Sunday's loss to Washington with a calf injury. CB Isaiah Oliver left with a knee injury. We'll see whether either can make it back in time for next Sunday's game against the Jets in London. The travel schedule for that game could complicate the return path.

The Falcons have officially ruled lead CB A.J. Terrell out for Week 3 with his concussion.

Falcons CB A.J. Terrell left Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers in the 2nd half with a concussion. That will likely keep him out for at least Week 3, but we'll see how quickly he can pass through the league protocol. T.J. Green looks like the next man up in Atlanta's CB group for Sunday's meeting with the Giants.

The Falcons activated EDGE Dante Fowler from the COVID list Monday. He had been out since July 29. Fowler now has some catching up to do in what needs to be a bounce-back season for him. Fowler managed just 3 sacks and 8 QB hits over 14 games after signing a multi-year deal with Atlanta in free agency in 2020.

The Falcons on Thursday placed DE Dante Fowler on the COVID list. His time spent there will depend on the specifics of his situation. We'll see how that progresses, but Fowler doesn't look like a big factor for IDP drafts even at full health.

The Falcons have signed DE Bruce Irvin to a 1-year deal. The Steelers and Patriots also reportedly made offers to the former Raider, with other teams also expressing interest. Atlanta sports the league's 5th-worst sack rate, and the city is Irvin's hometown. The Falcons reportedly plan to get Irvin on the field right away for this weekend's matchup with the Browns, so we should soon see how big a role he can claim. It'd be tough to start Irvin in IDP lineups right away -- despite the positive matchup -- but he has a shot to gain relevance through the 2nd half of the year. The interest level he generated on the open market suggests Oakland mishandled the veteran by cutting his playing time this year and then dumping him.

Falcons DT Rod Coleman had his knee scoped and will miss 2-4 weeks. He thought he was ready for the opener but apparently had some debris to clean out. His absence will be felt against the Vikings' ground game this Sunday.