Fantasy Upside
While nearly every other player in the Falcons offense saw a drop in production last year as the team transitioned from Kyle Shanahan to Steve Sarkisian, Mohamed Sanu actually posted slightly better numbers than he did in 2016. He caught 59 passes for 653 yards and 4 touchdowns in Shanahan's final season with the team but bested those numbers in 2017 by catching 67 passes for 703 yards and 5 touchdowns. Finishing as fantasy's WR32, it was Sanu's highest ranking since 2014 when he was fantasy's WR30. While the addition of Calvin Ridley could be viewed as a detriment to Sanu's fantasy potential, it might not hurt as much as it would seem on the surface. Sanu did most of his damage a year ago in the short and deep middle of the field. With Ridley and Julio Jones lined up outside, Sanu can line up in the slot and continue to attack the middle of the field. He will have a role in this offense.
Fantasy Downside
There are just too many mouths to feed in Atlanta's offense. Jones will see another 170+ targets as the No. 1 option in the passing game and the rest of the looks will be parceled out to Sanu, Ridley, tight end Austin Hooper, and backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The Falcons continue to talk up Coleman and Hooper's potential in the passing game and even though he's a rookie, Ridley's learning curve isn't that steep coming out of college because he was regarded as one of the best route-runners in the nation last season. After seeing 109 targets in this offense a year ago, there's a chance Sanu sees that number dip.
2018 Bottom Line
Sanu ranks as our No.53 WR and will likely go undrafted in 10-team leagues. There were times last season where he made for an intriguing streaming option and that will be the case again this year because Atlanta's passing game is so good. That said, he'll likely max out as a WR4/WR5 with so many mouths to feed in the Falcons offense.
