Week 17 at Tampa Bay Bucs
Julio Jones caught four-of-five targets for 28 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 16 win over the Panthers. Remember when Jones was allergic to the end zone? He now has seven touchdowns over his last eight games. He was held out of practice on Wednesday, but he hasn’t practiced much over the past month and he shows up every Sunday. Ranked as our WR3 for Week 17, Jones will once again be a legitimate WR1 when the Falcons visit the Bucs on Sunday.
Week 16 at Carolina Panthers
Julio Jones caught six-of-eight targets for 82 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 15 win over the Panthers. Despite being covered by Patrick Peterson for most of the game, Matt Ryan targeted Jones heavily, including on a red-zone pass in the first half that Jones caught for a touchdown. Jones has battled foot, calf and rib issues this season and is now reportedly troubled by a hip injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday. Jones is a gamer but with the Falcons officially eliminated from playoff contention, the team may decide to shut Jones down the rest of the season. If he plays, Jones is a must-start WR1 against a bad Panthers secondary on Sunday. But check his playing status leading up to kickoff.
Week 15 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Julio Jones caught eight-of-11 targets for 106 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ Week 14 loss to the Packers. Matt Ryan once again missed Jones on a deep throw in the third quarter – something the quarterback has done seemingly every week – but it was an excellent fantasy day nonetheless for the No. 1 receiver. Jones was held out of practice on Wednesday due to a foot injury and was sent home on Thursday because of an illness. That said, he’s fully expected to start Sunday when the Falcons host a Cardinals team that ranks No. 14 against fantasy receivers this season. Ranked as our WR3, Jones is a must-start for your fantasy playoffs.
Week 14 at Green Bay Packers
Julio Jones caught two-of-eight targets for 18 yards in the Falcons’ Week 13 loss to the Ravens. After three weeks of poor play, the bottom finally fell out for Atlanta’s offense. The game was a total disaster and the Falcons’ passing attack is handcuffed by awful offensive line play and zero running game to slow down opponents’ pass rush. It’s a mess. That said, if you survived to make the playoffs and are a Jones owner, he should rebound Sunday when the Falcons visit the Packers. It’s unlikely he has a monster day in the cold of Green Bay, but he remains a WR1 and ranks as our WR5. You can’t bench him.
Week 13 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Julio Jones caught 11-of-14 targets for 147 yards in the Falcons’ Week 12 loss to the Saints. He also fumbled right before halftime after being helicoptered by a New Orleans defender inside the red zone. Atlanta’s offensive line has turned Matt Ryan into a punching bag, which has impacted the offense over the past three weeks. Still, Jones continues to see a high volume of targets and he’ll remain a WR1 regardless of how much Ryan is protected. While Jones and the Falcons draw a difficult matchup Sunday against a Baltimore defense that ranks No. 2 against fantasy receivers, he’s a must-start in Week 13. He is our WR8 for Sunday.
Week 12 at New Orleans Saints
Julio Jones caught six-of-nine targets for 118 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 11 loss to the Cowboys. Jones’ touchdown came on a 34-yard heave from Matt Ryan in which Jones went over the top of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie to haul in a game-tying score. Atlanta’s defense wilted, however, as Dallas marched into field goal range in the closing seconds to win the game. Jones now has three touchdowns in his last three games and is a must-start on Thanksgiving night when the Falcons visit the Saints in a potential shootout. Jones caught five passes for 96 yards against New Orleans in Week 3. He ranks as our WR2 for Week 12.
Week 11 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Julio Jones caught seven-of-11 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 10 loss to the Browns. Now an unstoppable scoring machine, Jones has found pay dirt in each of his past two games. He has also cleared 100 yards receiving in four consecutive games and despite Dallas ranking No. 3 against fantasy receivers this season, Jones remains a must-start despite the matchup. Normally ranked in our top-three, Jones is our WR7 for Week 11 but again, he remains a WR1.
Week 10 at Cleveland Browns
Julio Jones caught seven-of-10 targets for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 9 win over the Redskins. That’s correct: Julio Jones scored a touchdown. It was spectacular too, as he put a move on corner Josh Norman, caught a receiver screen, raced to the end zone and broke out of safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s tackle to score. He was then mobbed by his teammates, as it was his first touchdown in 90 consecutive catches. Amazing. Ranked as our WR3, Jones is a must-start Sunday when the Falcons travel to Cleveland to play the Browns.
Week 9 at Washington Redskins
Julio Jones caught nine-of-12 targets for 104 yards in the Falcons’ Week 7 win over the Giants. No, he didn’t score a touchdown. It’s not like Jones hasn’t had opportunities to score, as Matt Ryan once again underthrew a potential touchdown pass that could have been a walk-in 60-yarder. Nevertheless, Jones is still racking up yardage and catches, and remains Ryan’s go-to receiver week in and week out. Ranked as our WR6 for Week 9, Jones remains a WR1 for Sunday’s matchup with the Redskins.
Week 7 vs. New York Giants
Julio Jones caught 10-of-14 passes for 143 yards in the Falcons’ Week 6 win over the Bucs. Naturally, even with Calvin Ridley (ankle) and Mohamed Sanu (hip) missing time during the game due to injuries, Jones still couldn’t find the end zone. Nevertheless, he’s on pace for 1,885 yards through six games. He’s a monster, he just doesn’t score touchdowns. Ranked as our WR3 for Week 7, Jones and the Falcons will face the Giants on Monday night.
