ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS

Brady, Bucs hope to gain playoff momentum by beating Falcons

While Atlanta rookie Desmond Ridder is still looking for his first TD pass, Tampa Bay's Tom Brady is poised to add to his already impressive list of NFL records

JANUARY 5, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

How to bet on NFL Week 18: Bettors, bookmakers speak; Big bets on TCU-Georgia

Patrick Everson spoke to bettors and bookmakers on how to bet on the tricky NFL Week 18 slate. Plus, FOX Bet reports how bets are coming in...

JANUARY 5, 2023

Win $100K in the FOX Bet Super 6 NFL Sunday Challenge Season Finale

Terry Bradshaw's FOX Bet Super 6 jackpot is $100K for NFL Week 18. Find out how you can cash in big on this season finale prize!

JANUARY 5, 2023

Packers' late-season surge bringing back memories of 2016

Aaron Rodgers didn’t make any bold proclamations about running the table this time around

JANUARY 5, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Avery Williams - Practices in full Williams (foot) logged a full practice Friday, Ashton Edmunds of the Falcons' official site reports.

Impact Williams was forced out of the team's Week 17 game with the Cardinals and could not return. However, after a couple of days off the field, the second-year-pro was able to return and participate in full. He should be able to suit up Sunday against the Buccaneers.

JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Bowles: Bucs won't rest starters in regular-season finale

Tom Brady doesn’t sound like he’s looking for rest, and coach Todd Bowles isn’t inclined to sit other key players either when the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers close the regul...

JANUARY 3, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ridder poised on final drive, feels confident as Falcons' QB

Desmond Ridder may not be the Falcons’ starting quarterback for 2023, but the rookie from Cincinnati at least will head into the offseason with a win to his credit

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Falcons cut WR Batson from practice squad after arrest

The Atlanta Falcons have released receiver Cameron Batson from the practice squad after an altercation with police led to his arrest over the weekend

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Richie Grant - Ties team high with nine tackles Grant posted nine tackles (four solo) and blocked a punt during Sunday's 20-19 win over Arizona.

Impact Grant tied Isaiah Oliver with a team-high nine tackles and blocked a punt in the second quarter, which preluded a five-yard touchdown run from Cordarrelle Patterson. Across 16 games, Grant has accumulated 116 tackles, seven pass defenses and two interceptions while playing nearly every single defensive snap.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Isaiah Oliver - Records first sack of season Oliver recorded nine tackles (five solo), two pass defenses and one sack during Sunday's 20-19 win over Arizona.

Impact Oliver posted a season-high nine tackles and recorded his first sack of the 2022 campaign when he took down David Blough for a seven-yard loss on the second play of the game. The 2018 second-round pick will look to build off his best performance of the year during Atlanta's regular-season finale against Tampa Bay on Sunday.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Younghoe Koo - Game-winning kick in Week 17 Koo made both field-goal attempts and both extra-point tries during Sunday's 20-19 win over Arizona.

Impact Koo connected on a 27-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter to give Atlanta a 17-16 lead and ended Week 17 with a game-winning, 21-yard field goal as time expired to secure a 20-19 win. Across 16 appearances, the fifth-year kicker has made 29 of 34 field-goal attempts, with four of his five misses coming from beyond 50 yards.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Olamide Zaccheaus - Zero targets in narrow win Zaccheaus logged zero targets during Sunday's 20-19 victory versus Arizona.

Impact Zaccheaus played the second most snaps among Atlanta's wideouts, but he didn't record a target. Desmond Ridder may have led a game-winning drive, but the Falcons' passing attack remains lackluster at best. Zaccheaus caught 32 of 44 targets for 478 yards and two scores across 13 games with Marcus Mariota as the starter, but the wideout has secured just four of 10 targets for 18 yards over three games with Ridder at the helm.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

KhaDarel Hodge - Minimal role in passing attack Hodge reeled in his lone target for five yards during Sunday's 20-19 victory over the Cardinals.

Impact Hodge played the fourth most snaps among Atlanta's wide receivers, but after securing a five-yard catch on the Falcons' opening offensive drive, the fifth-year wideout wasn't targeted again. The reception marked Hodge's first since Week 11, so it's safe to presume he won't offer much fantasy production during Sunday's regular-season finale against Tampa Bay. Across 16 appearances, Hodge has totaled 13 receptions on 20 targets for 202 yards and one touchdown.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Damiere Byrd - Catches one of two targets Byrd caught one of two targets for 12 yards during Sunday's 20-19 victory over the Cardinals.

Impact Byrd played the third most snaps among Atlanta's wideouts, but he didn't garner his first target until the second half, when he recorded a 12-yard reception on a second-and-10 play in the third quarter. With Desmond Ridder at the helm, Byrd has caught just two of five targets for 27 yards. The veteran wideout secured nine of 14 targets for 229 yards and two touchdown from Week 7 through Week 11, but aside from that five-game stretch, Byrd has been irrelevant in most fantasy leagues.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

MyCole Pruitt - Season-high 49 receiving yards Pruitt caught all four of his targets for 49 yards during Sunday's 20-19 victory over the Cardinals.

Impact Pruitt notched season highs in targets, receptions and receiving yards during the Falcons' Week 17 win. Across 12 appearances, he's totaled 13 receptions on 16 targets for 116 yards and three touchdowns. He's been a touchdown-dependent streaming option in deeper leagues, but his overall value is diminished by Atlanta's lackluster passing attack. With Desmond Ridder at the helm, Pruitt has secured six of eight targets for 69 yards over the past three games, but he hasn't caught a touchdown since posting back-to-back scores in Weeks 12 and 13, when Marcus Mariota was operating as the primary signal caller.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Desmond Ridder - Orchestrates game-winning drive Ridder completed 19 of 26 passes for 169 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Cardinals. He added four rushes for nine yards.

Impact Ridder has still yet to throw a touchdown through three career starts, though he's reached 6.5 yards per attempt in each of his last two games. He did very little early in Sunday's win, though he led a game-winning drive in the final moments of the fourth quarter during which he went 3-for-3 for 31 yards to help get the team in field-goal range. Though the Falcons have remained a run-focused offense, Ridder has shown a baseline ability to run the offense in the first few starts of his career.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

NFL Week 17 highlights: Steelers win on SNF, Saints upset Eagles, Bucs, Packers win

Week 17 of the NFL season continues Sunday — and we've got you covered from start to finish. Here are the top plays!

JANUARY 2, 2023

Cordarrelle Patterson - Gets involved as receiver Patterson rushed the ball nine times for 42 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Cardinals. He added six receptions on eight targets for 42 yards.

Impact Patterson was more than doubled in rushing attempts by Tyler Allgeier, but he punched in a touchdown late in the second quarter from five yards away. After being surprisingly unused as a receiver for most of the season, Patterson got involved as a pass catcher and managed a season high in targets, receptions and receiving yards. Overall, Patterson has managed more than 50 rushing yards in five of his last six games while scoring two touchdowns in that span.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Tyler Allgeier - Rushing score against Arizona Allgeier rushed the ball 20 times for 83 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-19 win over Arizona. He added one reception for 12 yards.

Impact Allgeier continued his late-season breakout, and he saw a career-high 20 carries in Atlanta's Week 17 win. Though he failed to crack 100 yards, he still managed long gains of 17 and 14 yards while also plunging into the end zone from five yards away early in the second quarter. Since emerging out of a committee to serve as Atlanta's top back in Week 15, Allgeier has combined to rack up 348 total yards and two touchdowns across three games.

JANUARY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Drake London - Momentum stalled London recorded five receptions on eight targets for 47 yards in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Cardinals.

Impact London finished tied for the team lead with eight targets, though that was his lowest total since Week 12. Unsurprisingly, he also recorded his lowest reception and yardage total in that span. In addition to lost volume, London was also limited to working in the short areas of the field, as his longest catch went for 13 yards and three of his five receptions went for single-digit gains. Despite the disappointing output, London entered the game having recorded at least 70 receiving yards in three consecutive matchups and is ending his rookie season in strong form.

JANUARY 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Cardinals come up short again going with 4th QB in 4 weeks

For the first time in three years, David Blough trotted on the field as a starting quarterback

JANUARY 1, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Koo kicks short field goal, Falcons edge Arizona 20-19

Younghoe Koo made a 21-yard field goal on the final play, lifting the Atlanta Falcons over the Arizona Cardinals 20-19 to end a four-game skid

JANUARY 1, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Avery Williams - Will not return Williams (foot) will not return Sunday against the Cardinals, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Impact Williams had one carry for minus two yards and a reception for two yards before exiting, as well a kick return for 23 yards. As the team's No. 3 back, behind Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson, Williams' absence won't have much of an impact. However, it could force Patterson in taking over all return duties for the remainder of the contest.

JANUARY 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE