Mohamed Sanu

Fantasy Upside

Signed to a five-year, $32.5 million contract last March, Mohamed Sanu carved out a key role for himself in a Falcons offense that spread the ball around a great deal in 2016. Even though the architect (Kyle Shanahan) of that offense is gone, Sanu, reigning MVP Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, and up-and-coming tight end Austin Hooper all return. A regression is likely, but this offense is too talented to fall off too much and Sanu will once again play a part. Plus, if Jones were ever to miss significant time due to injury, Sanu would assume the role of the Falcons’ top receiver, at least on paper.

Fantasy Downside

Sanu was targeted 32 more times last year than he was his final season in Cincinnati but still only finished as fantasy’s WR57. Even playing in an offense that does an excellent job spreading the ball around, Sanu doesn’t offer fantasy owners much upside. In fact, the problem is that between Sanu, Jones, Gabriel, Hooper, and two excellent pass-catching backs, there are too many mouths to feed in Atlanta’s offense. In his five-year career, Sanu has never reached 800 yards receiving in a single season or caught more than five touchdowns.

Bottom Line

Sanu is a quality real-life player but doesn’t provide much upside in fantasy. It would take a major injury to Jones for Sanu to have fantasy appeal and even then he would max out as a WR3. Ranked as our preseason WR67, Sanu is going undrafted in 10-team leagues. You can avoid him on draft night unless you’re in deeper leagues.

NFC Championship vs. Green Bay
Mohamed Sanu caught four-of-five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons' 36-20 victory over the Seahawks in the Divisional Round last Saturday. Sanu had a couple of big catches, including a first down grab on which he held onto the ball despite the corner attempting to knock it out as the pair fell to the ground. His touchdown was the exclamation point on the Falcons' outstanding day on offense, as he caught a fade route over Neiko Thorpe with just 3:40 remaining in the game. Ranked as our WR8 for Championship Sunday, Sanu is a decent DFS play against a banged-up Green Bay secondary.

Week 17 vs. New Orleans
Mohamed Sanu caught three-of-four targets for 56 yards in the Falcons' Week 16 win over the Panthers. The team's 2016 free agent signing continues to be a key role player in the Falcons' explosive offense, but is off the fantasy radar. He ranks as our WR41 for Week 17 and despite a great matchup against the Saints, we would avoid using Sanu in standard and PPR formats. He's not much of a value play in DFS either.