Atlanta Falcons Vs. Minnesota Vikings: DFS Betting Picks, Preview, Predictions, & Odds
After a disastrous start to the season and Dan Quinn firing, Atlanta (0-5 SU, 1-4 ATS) will look to newly appointed interim head coach Raheem Morris to provide some spark as they visit the Minnesota Vikings (1-4 SU, 3-2 ATS) on Sunday. Minnesota also kicked off the season poorly, but they have improved in the last couple of weeks with the away win at Houston and almost snatching the victory against the undefeated Seattle.
Atlanta Falcons Vs Minnesota Vikings: DFS Betting Picks, Preview, Predictions, Odds, & Line Movements
The Falcons opened as a +6.5 underdog but after the front office and coaching shakeup, the line has moved to +3 before settling at +4. Houston winning and covering the spread week after firing their own coach seems to have alerted the bettors that a similar scenario may be possible in Atlanta’s case. Still, away at Minny, the Falcons are facing a much tougher matchup. The total is at 54, after starting the week as high as 57.
Thoughts On The Atlanta Falcons
The general feeling around the league is that the coaching change came too late for the Atlanta Falcons and that the most Raheem Morris can do is help the Falcons get a decent first-round pick next year. One thing is certain, they can hardly do worse than they did under Quinn who not only led them to a 0-5 record but managed to cover the spread only once. The main issue for the Falcons in the first 5 weeks was the defense, and we’ll see if Morris, the former defensive coordinator, will have more success in this area as the head coach. The switch at the helm should, if nothing else, provide a shock therapy for the increasingly lethargic Atlanta team.
Despite poor performance last week, QB Matt Ryan has been pretty decent this year and could be a worthy fantasy pick in Week 6. Although he’ll probably again be without his favorite target, WR Julio Jones, he has proven against Chicago and Green Bay that he can handle much tougher defenses than the one expecting him on Sunday. Jones’ likely absence means that we should probably expect another good game from Calvin Ridley. RB Todd Gurley is slowly returning to the form from previous seasons and could put up good numbers against Minnesota’s defense which allows 130 yards on the ground per game.
Thoughts on Minnesota
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings had the game against Seattle all but won, but Russel Wilson made use of a controversial fourth-and-one decision by Mike Zimmer and led his team on a drive that resulted in a final seconds touchdown. Still, the Vikings put up a good fight, especially in the first half, and there’s plenty to build on from that game. The Falcons are at the bottom of the league in almost all defensive categories and Kirk Cousins will be looking to exploit that as Minnesota continues to rely on the offense particularly taking into account the season-long struggles on the other end of the field.
Fantasy players will be looking to Cousins to deliver the goods since this is probably the easiest matchup he’ll have all season. The same goes for the star receiver, Adam Thielen, while the other WR, Justin Jefferson, will try to put the poor performance against Seattle behind him and return to the form from the start of the season. The starting RB, Dalvin Cook is out so more chances for Alexander Mattison who was fantastic last Sunday.
Atlanta Falcons Vs Minnesota Vikings: Betting Pick: Over 54
We feel that even the starting total of 57 would have some value so you should be all over the 54 line. Both teams have proven that they can score while the defenses don’t instill much confidence on either side.
