Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons' passing attack could receive another shake-up after No. 1 wide receiver Julio Jones was ruled out of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs with a hamstring injury. 

It's the third straight missed game for Jones, who has been dealing with the injury since early in the season.

Let's analyze how the other notable members of the Falcons pass-catching group may be impacted from a fantasy football perspective if Jones spends some time out of the lineup.

Calvin Ridley

Ridley has been a major fantasy contributor even when Jones has been available, but an extended absence for the seven-time Pro Bowl selection could turn the 26-year-old University of Alabama product into one of the position's top scorers.

The Falcons' Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears was a good example of what he can do while operating as the top target. He amassed 13 targets, seven more than anybody else on the team, and caught five of them for 110 yards.

His big-play ability combined with Atlanta's poor defense makes for perfect fantasy conditions. He was already a must-start player in almost every league and situation, but fantasy managers can now feel even more confident that he can put up numbers on a weekly basis.

Russell Gage

Gage opened the 2020 campaign with nine catches for 114 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, a breakout performance that made him a popular waiver-wire target. He hasn't maintained that level, but his stock could now rise again.

His overall fantasy upside is capped by his size (6'0'', 184 pounds), which will keep him lower in the pecking order in the red zone, but he should still receive enough looks to maintain relevance. That's especially true in PPR leagues for the duration of Jones' absence.

Consider him a flex option in the short term, starting him against weaker secondaries, but he could ultimately play his way toward No. 2 value.

Hayden Hurst

Hurst hasn't been a massive fantasy contributor throughout the campaign, which isn't a major surprise given the amount of other pass-catching talent on the Atlanta roster, but his red-zone presence makes him a player to watch with a possible uptick in targets.

He's never been asked to handle too large of a role across his first three seasons, the first two of which he spent with the Baltimore Ravens. This could represent his chance to post some breakout performances.

That's particularly noteworthy for a tight end given the relative weakness of the position in fantasy. He could prove himself as a weekly starter if Jones is out for a while.

Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones will stay on the sidelines as a result of his hamstring injury. The receiver has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Jones has had problems staying on the field this season because of hamstring issues. He missed two games early in the year after suffering the injury in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. 

Upon returning in Week 6, Jones looked like his usual self. The seven-time Pro Bowler had at least 97 yards receiving and seven catches in three straight games from Week 6 through 8. He injured his hamstring again in Week 11 against the New Orleans Saints and will now miss his third straight game.

Injuries are the only thing that have slowed Jones down this season. The 31-year-old is averaging 85.7 yards per game, 15.1 yards per reception and scored three touchdowns in the first nine games. 

This has been a difficult season for the Falcons, though they have played better under interim head coach Raheem Morris. They have a 4-5 record under Morris after an 0-5 start under Dan Quinn. 

Jones' absence creates a huge void for the offense, but Calvin Ridley has emerged as Matt Ryan's go-to target on the outside. Russell Gage should see more targets until the Falcons get their star wideout back in the lineup. 

It may be difficult to envision the current iteration of the Atlanta Falcons without Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, but team president Rich McKay said the next general manager will have the freedom to move on from the pair as long as there is a plan in place.  

"Give us a plan," McKay said when asked what his reaction would be to a general manager candidate expressing a desire to go a different direction, per Jeff Schultz and Tori McElhaney of The Athletic. "Show us what you want to do and show us why. Show us how this gets us to Ws and make sure you actually execute the plan."

McKay made his first public comments to reporters since Atlanta fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn in October and made it clear he will not stand in the way of the next hire's job.

"Hey, listen: You're the GM," McKay said. "Whatever [part of the job] you can take, you take. Whatever you can't take, I'll help."

Schultz and McElhaney noted the NFC South team considers 11 or 12 of the "20 to 25" general manager candidates it has vetted as legitimate options as it looks to re-establish itself as a winning franchise following what will be a third straight losing season.

The 2020 campaign has been defined by blown leads down the stretch of games, bringing back painful memories for Falcons fans of the 28-3 advantage it lost in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots that ended the 2016 season.

Ryan has been the franchise quarterback for Atlanta since it selected him with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2008 NFL draft. He has a league MVP and four Pro Bowls on his resume and just passed Fran Tarkenton for 10th on the NFL's all-time touchdown pass list during Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jones has been with the Falcons since they selected him with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2011 NFL draft and is one of the best receivers of his generation as a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection.

Still, Jones turns 32 in February, while Ryan is 35 years old. Moving on from both would also clear up salary-cap space, which would facilitate a rebuild in the coming years for whoever is in charge of football moves.

It would be a drastic change for the franchise, but the next general manager will apparently have the clearance to do so as long as there is a solid line of thinking that goes into such a decision.

Raheem Morris may not see his run as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons end with the 2020 season.

Team president Rich McKay told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter that Morris, who took over for Dan Quinn after the team fired him following an 0-5 start, has "earned" an interview for the job this offseason.

"He is really a good football coach," McKay said. "He inherited a situation. We were 0-5. When you're an interim coach with 11 weeks to go, that's more than challenging. He's earned that right to be interviewed, and he will." 

Morris has led the Falcons to a 4-5 record since taking over before Week 6, when Atlanta beat the Minnesota Vikings for its first win of the season.

The 44-year-old, who has worked with the Falcons since 2015 in various capacities, including defensive coordinator to begin this year, brings head coaching experience from his time in Tampa Bay. He worked with the Bucs during their 2002 Super Bowl championship through 2005 as an assistant and returned in 2007 as the team's defensive backs coach.

He took over the squad in 2009. In his second year as a head coach, he just missed the postseason at 10-6, but he lost the job after going 4-12 in 2011. 

After he moved on from Tampa Bay, Morris went to Washington as a defensive backs coach.

Everyone has that special holiday present from their childhood they remember. 

Fittingly, it was a football for Matt Ryan.

"I remember one of my favorite gifts of all-time was a Nike football I got in eighth grade," the Atlanta Falcons quarterback told Bleacher Report. "It was a legitimate college Nike football, for me that was one of the things that I just wouldn't put down."

The rest is history, as Ryan is among the best quarterbacks of his generation with a league MVP and four Pro Bowls on his resume.

It is no wonder, then, that the face of the Falcons wants to set today's children up for success by providing access to sports equipment and gear during the holiday season. Ryan teamed up with Dick's Sporting Goods and the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation to help give under-resourced communities just that.

"There's just no telling which gift they're giving is going to connect with that kid and springboard them to use it as motivation to move forward in that area," he said. "I believe that sports matter and impact kids in a positive way, and I think that Dick's is doing a great job of promoting that."

Dick's Sporting Goods and the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation are giving the gift of sport to 10,000 children in New York City, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, New Orleans and Atlanta through the Sports Matter Giving Truck and with the help of athletes such as Ryan, Candace Parker and Blake Griffin.

The truck recently stopped at the houses of young athletes from the Atlanta Youth Tennis & Education Foundation and surprised families with equipment and a virtual appearance from Ryan himself.

To stay safe during the pandemic, Ryan—who posted about the experience on his Instagram page—appeared on television screens that were mounted to the truck and was still able to interact with the children and enjoy their reactions to the gifts.

"It was cool to see their faces light up," he said. "You know, 2020 has obviously been a tough year for everybody, so to put a smile on the faces of some kids that can use it was fun to be a part of and a huge credit to what Dick's is doing and their Sporting Goods Foundation is doing across the country. They're to be commended for that."

Focusing on helping children is nothing new for Ryan, who has consistently teamed up with the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for the Matt Ryan Celebrity-Am Classic golf tournament and sought out opportunities to give back to his community.

"It's always been important to my wife (Sarah) and I to help out in our community, specifically in the area," he said. "It's just been a tough year for kids in general. They've had to go through so many changes with different ways to do school and not as many after-school activities and sports. To just play a small part during the holiday season by giving back and putting smiles on kids' faces in a year where they could really use it just seemed like something that, not only myself, but we all should be doing."

While Ryan has continued to give back off the field, it has been a disappointing season on it.

His Falcons fell to 4-10 with Sunday's 31-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which featured yet another blown lead. Atlanta lost its 24-7 advantage in the second half, continuing the theme of an inability to close out games after impressive starts.

It was not all bad, though, as Ryan played well on an individual level and threw for 356 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions even with Julio Jones sidelined. A major reason for his success was the immediate connection he established with Calvin Ridley, who finished with 10 catches for 163 yards and a score.

Ryan had nothing but positive things to say about the third-year receiver who already has career highs with 77 catches and 1,192 receiving yards this season:

"He's only going to continue to get better. Year 3 is typically a year where guys start to take off, and I think Calvin has done that. He had a great rookie year, really good second year, but I think he's played at another level. He's just so comfortable in his routine of getting ready week-to-week. Knows how to get himself from a physical standpoint and also mental standpoint just dialed in week-in and week-out. I think his confidence is continuing to grow. His skill set is awesome, and now that his confidence is getting greater and greater, I think that the sky's the limit for him. He's going to be one of the better receivers in our league for a long time."

With Ridley helping spearhead a strong aerial attack, Ryan also passed Fran Tarkenton for 10th on the all-time touchdown pass list with his 343rd. He is now behind only Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning in the category.

"He's one of the greats of all-time," he said when talking about Tarkenton. "To be on that list and in that same category is special, I'm proud of that for sure. Hopefully there's still a lot of good football in front of me and many more years to go, but I'm certainly proud of where I'm at."

There isn't much football in front of the Falcons for the rest of the 2020 campaign with no chance at the playoffs, but they can still play spoiler in the race for seeding for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buccaneers.

Ryan believes such a challenging two-game road trip to end the season presents an opportunity for the struggling team.

"We're playing two really good football teams to finish," he said. "It's a good measuring stick for us and hopefully a momentum-builder as we head into 2021. There's gonna be a lot of changes, there's no doubt about that for us in our organization. But for the guys that remain, this can be one of those things, particularly for young guys, to learn how to go on the road and how to beat a good football team. This can be a building block for us as we move forward."

Just like the gear he and Dick's Sporting Goods provided can be a building block for kids to develop their skills and pursue their athletic careers.

Despite the Atlanta Falcons currently sitting at 4-9, receiver Julio Jones doesn't want to be shut down for the season.

Jones has been dealing with hamstring injuries all year and was ruled out of the team's Week 15 game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after not practicing all week.

He is still working to return and received a platelet-rich plasma injection after Week 13, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, a procedure that could accelerate the healing process.

"We'll see what he can do in the last two games," interim coach Raheem Morris said of Jones.

Per Rapoport, the PRP injection often takes a few weeks to work.

The Falcons have little to play for in the final three games, while Jones also has little to prove on an individual level. He recently signed an extension that keeps him under contract through 2023, while his $38.6 million dead cap after this season indicates he isn't going anywhere, per Spotrac.

Jones still seemingly wants to finish the year strongly after a rare down season.

The 31-year-old has already missed four games in 2020, his most since 2013. It also likely ends a streak of incredible production with at least 80 catches and 1,390 yards in six straight seasons.

He currently has 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns in nine games, with his 85.7 yards per game his lowest since 2012, his second year in the NFL. However, it's still eighth-best in the league, slightly behind teammate Calvin Ridley for seventh (85.8 yards per game).

Atlanta ends its season with road games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Buccaneers again.

The Atlanta Falcons have conducted interviews with Anthony Robinson and Rick Smith for their vacant general manager position, according to Matthew Tabeek of the team's website. 

Former GM Thomas Dimitroff was dismissed along with head coach Dan Quinn after the team began the 2020 season winless through five games. 

Robinson currently serves as the Falcons' director of college scouting and is in his 13th year with the organization while Smith previously served as the general manager, and later executive vice president, for the Houston Texans. 

During Smith's tenure, the Texans acquired and drafted a number of star players including J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins, Deshaun Watson, Jadeveon Clowney, Eric Winston, Will Fuller and A.J. Bouye. He left the team in 2017 to help care for his wife after she was diagnosed with cancer. 

Before joining Houston, Smith worked as the Denver Broncos director of pro personnel and has also sat on the league's Competition Committee. 

Robinson, meanwhile, has helped scout a plenty of NFL stars during his time in Atlanta, including Julio Jones, Grady Jarrett, Calvin Ridley, Tevin Coleman, Jake Matthews, Austin Hooper, Keanu Neal and Vic Beasley. 

Both interviews were conducted virtually and their disclosure does not necessarily mean a decision was near. Teams are not permitted to interview candidates currently working for opposing clubs until the end of the regular season. 

That means there could be a few more names out there the Falcons would like to check in on before making their hire. 

In any case, Atlanta has connected with two strong candidates and given itself a head start on what's sure to be a tough rebuild in a competitive NFC South. 

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced Friday wide receiver Julio Jones will miss Sunday's Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of a hamstring injury.

The 2020 season has been riddled with injuries for Jones, who has missed three games and parts of several others.

When the Alabama product has been in the lineup, he is one of the most effective receivers in football. He has compiled 51 receptions for 771 yards and three touchdowns in nine appearances.

Calvin Ridley is set to serve as the Falcons' top wideout with Jones again out of the lineup. Russell Gage and Christian Blake will provide depth.

Jones' next chance to play will come Dec. 20 against the NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ESPN commentator Louis Riddick, who played two of his six seasons in the league with the Atlanta Falcons in 1992 and 1996, is among candidates to replace Thomas Dimitroff as the Falcons' general manager, according to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. 

Riddick, who has worked as the director of pro personnel for the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles, has interviewed for general manager positions before, per Schultz.

The Falcons fired Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn in October after the team started the season 0-5 for the first time since 1997. Rich McKay, the team president, is serving in an interim general manager role, per ESPN's Vaughn McClure. 

Riddick, who was a ninth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 1991, did not have his contract renewed with Philadelphia in 2013 and found his way to ESPN's NFL Front Office Insider show, according to Joseph Santoliquito of PhillyVoice.com. 

He told Santoliquito last week that ESPN is aware of his desire to return to a position with a team and he has interviewed "with a few places" over the past few years, but if he does head back to a front office, he wants to be in "a place where everyone is pushing in the same direction and people are confident and competent":

"What happens is the extreme circumstance show you a lot about people. When you're winning, people want credit. It's about people that run around saying, 'It's me, it's me.' When everything goes bad, they point fingers, 'It's him, it's him; it's not me.' In a team sport like football, you get a lot of sniping and back-stabbing, and I won't have that ever happen again in my life. If I have the chance, where I can set up with people I know and I trust to do it the right way, I'm 100-percent interested in a situation like that."

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Riddick is competing with former Texans general manager Rick Smith, former Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie and Chicago Bears assistant director of personnel Champ Kelly for the job.