Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones’ 2020/21 Receiving Yards - Predictions & Odds

• Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is a 7x Pro Bowler, a 2x First-team All-Pro and a 3x Second-team All-Pro and he has led the league in total receiving yards twice in his nine NFL seasons.
• Jones came close to winning a Super Bowl ring with the Falcons in 2016, his impressive fourth-quarter catch putting the team in field goal range, though a sack and a holding penalty would prove to be the final undoing of Atlanta’s chances to win that game.
• Since entering the NFL in 2011, Jones has posted more receiving yards than any other player, with a total of 12,125 yards in his nine pro seasons.
• “Julio” is Jones’ nickname – his actual name is Quintorris Lopez Jones, and in high school, he was a starter in football, basketball, and track.

After two 7-9 seasons, it is sometimes tough to remember just how good the Atlanta Falcons were in 2016 and 2017, with a Super Bowl appearance and a Wild Card win in those back to back seasons of double-digit wins.

A big part of the Falcons’ success is their star receiver Julio Jones, who for the last half dozen seasons has been an impressive contributor who routinely posts 1,400+ total receiving yards in the regular season, his connection with quarterback Matt Ryan made practically flawless after nine years of playing together.

The 2020 NFL season should be no exception for this pair, the oddsmakers predicting another productive season for Jones, and we take a closer look at how he and his Falcons are set up to get back to double-digit wins and postseason football.

Odds taken 4, June 2020 from DraftKings

Jones has caught for more than 1,300 yards in his last six seasons, so it seems likely that he will beat the over of this wager.

Julio Jones Has Been the NFL’s Most Overall Productive Receiver

Ever since Jones became an NFL player in 2011, he has compiled more receiving yards than any other player in the league, his career total (so far) of 12,125 yards in his nine pro seasons the direct result of averaging 96.2 receptions yards per game.

Tough to imagine how the Falcons and Jones have managed to avoid the postseason for two years in a row now, especially given his quarterback, Matt Ryan, was the fifth most productive at his position last season and the third most productive the season before.

Add to the mystery the fact that the Falcons had the fourth-best passing attack last season, averaging 290.8 yards through the air per game, and it’s no wonder the fans in Atlanta are frustrated with their talented teams run of sub .500 seasons.

Adding Running Back Todd Gurley in the Offseason Helps Jones

Only two teams had a worse run game than the Falcons in 2019, with Atlanta averaging just 85.1 yards on the ground per game, which gave defenses the ability to focus more on Jones (meaning double teams) which tends to limit opportunities, even for the speedy Jones.

By signing free-agent running back Todd Gurley, the Falcons have added a major factor to their backfield that defenses will have to begin to game plan around, which will free up some field for Jones to get open.

Of course, that’s assuming Gurley still has “gas left in the tank,” his 2019 numbers coming up short, with 857 total yards rushing on 223 carries with 12 touchdowns, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry.

Jones Must be Excellent For Falcons to Win NFC South

The Atlanta Falcons have the distinct disadvantage right now of being in the same division as Drew Brees and his New Orleans Saints, who have a habit of winning double-digit games and making first place of the NFC South a bit of a recurring given.

Add to that the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just got significantly better with their GOAT and GRONK upgrades, so for Atlanta to be in the divisional race at all, a season of successful Ryan to Jones connections will be absolutely necessary.

Good news is Jones is always productive – head coach Dan Quinn just needs to figure out how to keep the rest of his team healthy for sixteen weeks and more, plus how to balance a newly formed rushing attack with a proven passing game featuring Julio Jones.

Pick: Take the over since a healthy Jones should top 1,300 receiving yards by at least Week 15 if his production history is any indication.