Which Falcons should you draft in fantasy football? Meet slam-dunks and fliers.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with Sports Illustrated senior fantasy analyst Michael Fabiano to get his take on the Falcons’ fantasy-relevant players.

Here’s how Fabiano — along with consensus boards from SI, ESPN and CBS Sports — views the Falcons’ fantasy football candidates.

“Atlanta has three guys who are locked and loaded,” Fabiano said, “and then a roster full of question marks after that.”

The slam-dunk draft picks

RB Bijan Robinson

Ranking:

Draft range: Top five

Want Bijan Robinson on your team? You’d better have the first pick, or at worst No. 2 overall, and hope the person above you fancies Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the other premier challenger for the top spot.

Fabiano’s take: “I still have Bijan ranked higher (than Gibbs) because I don’t think he’s hit his touchdown ceiling yet. He only had 11 last year, and Tyler Allgeier had eight rushing touchdowns, and Allgeier’s gone. So, if Bijan can produce the same yardage and reception level, which I think is very reasonable to project this year, and he tacks on four or five touchdowns — I mean, you’re looking at his best season.”

The AJC: The Falcons made Robinson the highest-paid running back in the NFL on Aug. 4, only for the Lions to give Gibbs a slightly higher payday soon after. Robinson led the NFL in yards from scrimmage last season, and he’s been used heavily as a runner and pass-catcher in the Falcons’ offense during training camp. Early signs of his usage, coupled with the Falcons’ financial investment, suggest Robinson will produce at a similar level to last year.

WR Drake London

Ranking:

Draft range: Middle second round to early third round

Quarterback play is the primary question surrounding London, but Fabiano feels it shouldn’t be viewed as a limiting factor. London has a strong connection with Michael Penix Jr., and a quick glance at Tua Tagovailoa’s past — he made Tyreek Hill a fantasy star and Jaylen Waddle a solid fantasy starter — suggests he can distribute the ball to his weapons.

This is perhaps where the mind is forced to shift from normal football thoughts to fantasy-specific thinking. Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase performed better with Joe Flacco as his quarterback than Joe Burrow. Cardinals receiver Michael Wilson was one of the best fantasy receivers in the second half during the season with veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett throwing him passes.

“At the end of the day,” Fabiano said, “it’s more about the targets and the opportunity.”

Fabiano’s take: “Drake London is easily the second-most-valuable member of the Falcons. With Atlanta’s somewhat-deficient wide receiver group behind him, I mean, he’s going to get a ton of targets.”

The AJC: Take training camp stats as you wish, but London led the Falcons in targets (67) and receptions (39). He had 27 more targets and 12 more catches than his next-closest competitor. The takeaway? The Falcons will pepper London with targets, and like Robinson, he also signed a gaudy new contract extension this summer. London, who missed five games because of injuries late last season, feels like he’s due for a monstrous campaign.

TE Kyle Pitts

Ranking:

Draft range: No. 60-80

When Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski led the Browns’ offense, tight end David Njoku annually finished in the top 12 among fantasy tight ends. Pitts, who set career highs with 88 catches and five touchdowns last year, is in line to be the Falcons’ No. 2 target this fall.

Fabiano’s take: “Kyle Pitts is going to be drafted as a starting fantasy tight end. Last year, first half the year, he was not great statistically. And then when (Kirk) Cousins got the job and London was hurt, all of a sudden, Pitts went off. So, I still temper my expectations for him. I don’t know that he’s going to be a 200-point tight end like he was last year. But the fact Kevin Stefanski is the head coach and is going to be running the offense gives me hope that Pitts is still going to be top eight, because Stefanski has always loved to use his tight ends.”

The AJC: Pitts ranked third on the Falcons’ offense in targets (40) and catches (23), and perhaps more important, the team’s play book appears well-stocked with passing plays designed to get the ball in the hands of its tight ends. Pitts joined Robinson and London in signing a new contract extension this summer, aided by his strong finish to 2025. If he carries his momentum into 2026, he’ll be a valued fantasy asset.

May sneak in

RB Brian Robinson Jr.

Ranking:

Allgeier ranked No. 143 leaguewide in PPR fantasy scoring last year at 123 points, and Robinson has been involved in the Falcons’ offense this summer. Bijan Robinson aside, Brian Robinson Jr. left training camp as the only other running back on the team’s roster. He’ll get touches, likely in short-yardage situations, and showed more than expected as a pass-catcher. He’s worth a late-round stash.

Worth late consideration in the right situation

WR Jahan Dotson

Dotson is the Falcons’ No. 2 receiver behind London. The 2022 first-round pick started on the perimeter throughout training camp and is hoping to resurrect his career in Atlanta after two years as a rotational receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles. Fabiano isn’t sold on his fantasy upside.

Fabiano’s take: “Flier, I guess, if you’re in a bigger league.”

The AJC: Dotson finished training camp fifth on the team in targets (29) and receptions (20). He didn’t demand targets, but he hit a few chunk plays and created space several times in the deep and intermediate quadrants. He’s not a traditional No. 2 receiver — Pitts and Robinson are above him in the pecking order for targets — but Dotson should have a few weeks where he produces at a high level.

WR Zachariah Branch

Branch, the Falcons’ third-round draft pick, is an energizer bunny and the fastest player on the team’s offense. He’s the Falcons’ No. 4 receiver, behind London, Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus, but he has a niche skill set that should warrant opportunity.

Fabiano’s take: “Fantasy managers love rookies, and Zachariah Branch could be a guy that maybe is worth a late round flyer. Maybe he starts off slowly (and) earns a bigger role as the season progresses. … Branch ended up in a good spot, because again, the No. 2 wide receiver is Jahan Dotson.”

The AJC: If the Falcons want to run a receiver screen, they’ll likely throw the ball to Branch. If they want to run an end-around, they’ll likely do it with him. If they want a receiver to outrun an opposing corner, they’ll likely ask him. That’s what training camp told us, and Branch, who finished second on the team in targets (42) and catches (27), produced at a high level. He has a clear role — quick-hit specialist with some receiver nuance blended in — in the Falcons’ offense, which bodes well for him to have a few big weeks.

Any shot for the defense?

The Falcons’ defense finished 2025 ranked No. 11 in the league with 122 fantasy points, according to FantasyPros. Fabiano thinks there are no more than 10 draftable defenses, but the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans are the only sure-fire candidates to start every week.

It’s common in fantasy football to choose defenses based on matchups and change their unit nearly every week. Fabiano, for instance, will draft the Los Angeles Chargers, because their first two matchups — the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders — come against subpar offenses.

The Falcons will factor into the matchup-based discussion.

“Atlanta’s defense is not going to get drafted, but will Atlanta’s defense end up being a streaming option if they play a favorable matchup in a given week? 100%,” Fabiano said. “But I think you could say that about almost every defense in the league. ”

What about the quarterbacks?

It’s entirely league dependent. In a one-quarterback league, neither Penix nor Tagovailoa should be drafted. In a superflex league, where quarterbacks can be used as “flex” players, both should get picked — even with uncertainty over who starts.

Perhaps that’s part of the allure for such a league.

“I would not be surprised if at the end of the season, both of these guys started seven or eight games apiece,” Fabiano said. “So, kind of hard to put your flag on either one of these quarterbacks.”