To say Desmond Ridder wasn’t great in his NFL debut would be an understatement. But on the plus side, at least for fantasy, that could be good news for Tyler Allgeier.
At 5-9, Atlanta remains in playoff contention due to the sad nature of the NFC South. Reliance on the ground game should be expected going forward — the Falcons rank fourth in rush DVOA — which brings us to Allgeier, who popped for 139 yards in Week 15.
The rookie RB is one of the hot names on the waiver wire this week after his breakout performance and Caleb Huntley’s season-ending injury. Action Network’s fantasy football staff weighs in on Allgeier’s rest-of-season prospects below.
Sean Koerner: Allgeier is coming off the best game of his rookie campaign, going for 17/139/1 on the ground.
The Falcons will remain a run-heavy team with rookie Desmond Ridder under center, which gives Allgeier a high floor, but Cordarrelle Patterson’s presence still prevents him from being anything more than a low-end RB3/flex option.
Samantha Previte: With Ridder making his first NFL start, the Falcons leaned heavily on their run game in a 21-18 loss to the Saints.
Allgeier had his best fantasy game this season and led the backfield in carries. The rookie rushed 17 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson also had a nice game with 14 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown.
I expect the Falcons to continue this trend for the rest of the year with Marcus Mariota on injured reserve and the inexperienced Ridder in his place. Allgeier could end up offering RB3 value down the stretch in a 1A/1B situation with Patterson.
