Russell Gage

He missed three games for the Falcons early last season and then initially failed to take advantage of Calvin Ridley's absence, but Gage turned things around in November and has been on a winning streak ever since. He averaged 6.3 catches for 76.4 yards in the final eight weeks last season, which allowed him to essentially match his 2021 receiving line with two fewer games and 15 fewer targets. The 26-year-old then cashed in with a three-year, $30 million contract from Tampa Bay, where he could be Option B for Tom Brady while Chris Godwin rehabs an ACL tear. The Bucs hope to have Godwin available for Week 1 (and also signed Julio Jones in July), but there's still some chance of Gage seeing an even larger workload than he got in Atlanta, at least temporarily. The Bucs made a sizable investment, with the $15 million guaranteed in Gage's contract including half his 2023 base salary, whereas Kansas City's Marquez Valdes Scantling signed a "three-year, $30 million contract" with only injury protections beyond Year 1 and $9 million guaranteed at signing.

Since the Falcons dealt Mohamed Sanu in the middle of the 2019 season, Gage has operated as the team's primary slot man. Last year, Gage established new personal bests in targets (109), receptions (72), yards (786) and TDs (four) in 16 games. His most consistent run of production came over the final four contests, which coincided with Julio Jones sitting out with a hamstring injury. Though Jones has expressed a desire to be traded, Atlanta thus far has shown no motivation to honor that request, so, for now, Gage remains third on the depth chart behind Jones and Calvin Ridley. Perhaps more than Jones' status, 2021 fourth overall pick Kyle Pitts - touted as one of the best tight end prospects in history - will influence Gage's outlook, with both working in the short and intermediate range.

Gage emerged as a playmaker in the second half of the 2019 season, when he was promoted to the No. 3 slot in the receiving corps following Mohamed Sanu's trade to New England on Oct. 22. The third-year man out of LSU could pay dividends as a late-round pickup for invested fantasy GMs, with all signs indicating that he will remain the third wide receiver for a Falcons offense that last season finished behind only Tampa Bay and Dallas in passing yards per game (294.6). He came into his own by averaging five receptions per game between Weeks 8 and 17, and he may become even more involved this season considering the possibility of a tight end downgrade going from Pro Bowler Austin Hooper to unproven Hayden Hurst. What's more, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter gave a recent nod to his young receiver during virtual OTAs, noting Gage's talent and that he'll "see a jump in his game."

The ultra-athletic Gage got an audition at receiver in 2018 after Atlanta's playoffs hopes disintegrated with a 4-9 start. His workload remained relatively minimal, but Gage proved to be somewhat efficient, hauling in six of 10 targets. What was surprising was his inability to produce explosive gains with those touches, as he accumulated 10.5 yards per catch, a stark drop-off from his 13.6 YPC average during his senior year at LSU. In a best-case scenario, Gage will fully overtake Justin Hardy for the No. 4 receiver job, while continuing to play a key role on special teams. Gage fielded 63.6 percent of the special teams snaps last year for the Falcons, recording seven tackles while serving as one of the primary gunners on punts.

The rookie out of LSU has been featured all over the field since the Falcons selected him in the sixth round of April's draft. He started off taking snaps at cornerback during rookie minicamp in May and then transitioned over to wide receiver during minicamp and training camp, while also seeing reps on special teams coverage. Gage is highly unlikely to break the top four on the depth chart at either receiver or cornerback, leaving him with the opportunity to pursue playing time as a member of the Falcons special teams coverage unit. Though he possesses a slight frame of 6-foot, 180 pounds, Gage boasts blazing speed as exemplified by his 40-yard dash time of 4.42 seconds at LSU's pro day. He has a long way to go in terms of polishing his skill set to become an offensive or defensive starter, but Gage's track team-caliber speed could lead to him locking down a gunner position on punt coverage.