Julio Jones Injury: What Is Fantasy Effect on Matt Ryan, Roddy White?

Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Julio Jones will not play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers due to a hamstring injury suffered in Sunday night's 25-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers. For a Falcons offense that has struggled to put points on the board this season, that could be bad news.

For fantasy players who own Matt Ryan and Roddy White, Jones' absence brings a mixed bag.

White missed most of last week's practices while recovering from a thigh injury. Though he returned to full speed practices last Thursday, he had a sub-par night against the Packers, catching six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. White was targeted a team-high 10 times though, and with Jones out that number should only rise.

So far this season, White has 32 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns, and for several weeks he was battling the thigh injury mentioned above. Now that he appears to be recovered, White should be a No. 1 receiver on your team regardless of whether or not Jones plays.

Ryan has had a really tough start to the 2011 season.

Through five games, the Boston College product has completed 120-of-196 passes (61.2 percent) for 1,302 yards with seven touchdowns, six interceptions and three fumbles. His 79.9 passer rating ranks him 21st among the 32 quarterbacks who qualify.

While I think everyone around the NFL expects Ryan to bounce back and play up to the level he's capable of, missing one of his key targets will not help him much. Jones was starting to really be a factor for the Falcons, and his absence will put more pressure on Ryan to step up his game.

I expect Atlanta's Week 6 matchup with the Panthers to become a shootout, and even with Jones sidelined, the Falcons should gain a lot of yardage through the air. If you've got Ryan you might as well play him unless you've got a top-tier option on your team.

Maybe a shootout is exactly what he needs to break out of his currently slump.