Fantasy Football Player Notes

The Falcons looked to be a pretty average team against wide receivers last year, allowing the 16th most fantasy points to them. But looking a bit closer, they were very bad. They allowed a 67.5 percent completion rate (fifth-highest), 9.52 yards per target (second-highest), and a touchdown every 17.3 targets (eighth-most often) to wide receivers. What does all that add up to? 1.97 PPR points per target, which ranked as the third-highest mark in the league. Not an average secondary now, eh? Lockett caught all six of his targets for 100 yards in their meeting with each other last year. Considering they lost long-time starter Desmond Trufant, it's hard to say they're going to get better. Start Lockett as a rock-solid WR2 who comes with plenty of upside in this matchup.

We watched Metcalf progress as the season went on in 2019, climaxing with a rookie record 160 yards in a playoff game. This offseason, Metcalf and Russell Wilson worked out together at Wilson's private field and reportedly developed a "brotherly" bond. Now they get to start the season against the Falcons secondary? They lost long-time starter Desmond Trufant this offseason and replaced him with rookie A.J. Terrell in the first round of the NFL Draft. Their "top" cornerback is Isaiah Oliver, who allowed a massive 106.9 QB Rating in his coverage last year, including 794 yards in his coverage, which ranked as the eighth-most among cornerbacks. When you add in a rookie cornerback who's taking in his first NFL game action, it could be a playground for Metcalf/Wilson. Knowing the Seahawks never added a true No. 3 wide receiver to syphon targets from Metcalf/Lockett, we should be able to rely on semi-consistent WR2 numbers with week-winning upside. This matchup is a great one and playing in a dome should only accentuate Metcalf's speed.