Faceoff - WR Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons

Posted 6/23, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by David Dodds

It all came together last season for Roddy White, who finished the year with career highs in targets (137), receptions (83), yards (1,202), touchdowns (6), and fantasy points (156). He finished as the 14th best WR in 2007. He also got better as the season wore on. He had 83 targets, 47 receptions, 617 yards and four scores in the last eight games.

And he did all this despite playing with three different quarterbacks (Joey Harrington, Chris Redman and Byron Leftwich). Atlanta finished the year as the 21st best passing offense (based on fantasy points), but were 14th in pass attempts. I see no reason for either of these statistics to be much different in 2008. The team will likely be playing from behind in most contests so expect the pass/run ratio to continue to favor the pass.

Roddy White is the clear #1 WR on this team. The Falcons let go of underperforming TE Alge Crumpler and have demoted Michael Jenkins to behind Laurent Robinson. This should translate into more targets, more catches and more production for Roddy White as the playbook is redesigned to get him the ball often. Free agent RB Michael Turner should help move the chains giving Atlanta even more redzone looks (The Falcons finished 25th in redzone chances).

- by Marc Faletti

Downside - by Anthony Borbely

Roddy White had a breakout season in 2007, catching 83 passes for 1202 yards and five TDs. He literally came out of nowhere and surprised everyone, finishing 14th in fantasy scoring among WRs. White has always had the ability, but prior to last season there was little reason to believe he would put up the big numbers he did last year. White should continue to improve, but it may not mean better numbers in 2008.

This year, there are some concerns about whether White can build on last season's success and most of it has nothing to do with White himself. First and foremost is the Falcon's QB situation. In the 2008 NFL draft, the Falcon's drafted QB Matt Ryan with the 3rd overall pick. Ryan was not only drafted to be the QB of the future, but also as the new "face of the franchise". The question is when will Ryan start? The Falcon's want to put the Michael Vick debacle behind them and for that reason, there is a chance that they may start Ryan sooner rather than later. Chris Redman may be the better short-term option, but the Falcon's want to wipe their hands clean of Vick and starting Ryan may be the first step in doing so. Should this happen, it will almost certainly have a negative affect on White and the other Atlanta receivers.

The Falcons hired former Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Smith as their head coach, replacing the departed Bobby Petrino. Most defensive oriented coaches want to play solid defense, run the ball, and minimize turnovers. The Falcon's made a commitment to the running game by signing free agent RB Michael Turner to a long-term contract. It's obvious the Falcons want to run the ball regardless of who starts at QB.

White had a solid year in 2008, but over 25% of his targets and 25% of his receptions came in two games last year, along with more than 20% of his receiving yards. Defenses will be focusing heavily on White this year and games with 17 or 18 targets will be much tougher to come by, especially with the possibility of a rookie QB playing behind a line that may not give him any time to look downfield.

Roddy White is a talented WR and he improved tremendously last season. But with defenses more aware of him, the potential for a rookie starting at QB, a porous offensive line, and a more conservative offensive approach, White could improve and still not come close to matching his 2007 numbers. Many expect White to be a WR2 this year, but with so many red flags, it may be better to look elsewhere for your second WR. Through no fault of his own, a mid WR3 is the place where White should be drafted this year.

- by Jeff Tefertiller