Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has been one of the biggest disappointments of the fantasy season, as hamstring and ankle injuries have rendered him completely ineffective. White has only appeared in six games this season, catching 15 passes for 149 yards and no touchdowns. However, White returned from injury last week and played nearly every snap in the Falcons’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
White was unable to make an impact with all those snaps, but he is far from the first receiver to have a bad game against Seattle’s outstanding secondary. Heading into Week 11, White could finally be ready to get back to playing like himself and being a solid starter in fantasy football. However, it is a risk to start White before we see him perform at a high level, making the decision to start him a tough call for fantasy owners.
The Falcons’ passing attack has suffered quite a bit without White and Julio Jones in the lineup, and Matt Ryan figures to try to get White the ball as much as possible if he is healthy enough to make plays. However, the Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, and White will likely spend at least a portion of the game being covered by Darrelle Revis.
While Revis is concerning, the Bucs still only have the NFL’s 14th ranked pass defense in terms of yards per game, and they rank 22nd in pass touchdowns allowed. Despite the presence of Revis, the Bucs spend quite a bit of time in zone coverage, which should make things easier for White. The fact that he handled a high workload last week also bodes well, and now he needs to add the receptions to go with his play count.
Whether or not you should start White comes down to your depth at wide receiver. If you can afford to wait and see another week with White, then do it. However, if you are missing key players because of byes or injuries, White is worth the gamble as a low WR2, high WR3 or flex play. Make no mistake, starting White is a major risk, and there is a good chance you could be left with another one catch dud. However, gambling on White is a better play than a waiver wire addition, and for owners in need of injury and bye replacements, White is definitely worth a start.
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