Overall Ranking
| 53 | '11 | '10 | '09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | -- | 16 | 11 |
| Attempts | -- | 334 | 178 |
| Rushing Yards | -- | 1371 | 871 |
| 100 Yard Games | -- | 7 | 4 |
| Receptions | -- | 12 | 5 |
| Receiving Yards | -- | 85 | 35 |
| Total TDs | -- | 12 | 10 |
Week 1 - Sep 09
ATL 40 @ KC 24
Week 3 - Sep 17
DEN 21 @ ATL 27
Week 4 - Sep 30
CAR 28 @ ATL 30
Week 5 - Oct 07
ATL 24 @ WAS 17
Week 6 - Oct 14
OAK @ ATL
Week 7 - Oct 21
bye
Week 8 - Oct 28
ATL @ PHI
Week 9 - Nov 04
DAL @ ATL
Week 10 - Nov 11
ATL @ NO
Week 11 - Nov 18
ARI @ ATL
Week 12 - Nov 25
ATL @ TB
Week 13 - Nov 29
NO @ ATL
Week 1 - Sep 11
ATL 12 @ CHI 30
Week 2 - Sep 18
PHI 31 @ ATL 35
31 rushes
214 rush yards
1 TDs
4 receptions
72 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 3 - Sep 25
ATL 13 @ TB 16
Week 4 - Oct 02
ATL 30 @ SEA 28
Week 5 - Oct 09
GB 25 @ ATL 14
Week 6 - Oct 16
CAR 17 @ ATL 31
Week 7 - Oct 23
ATL 23 @ DET 16
Week 8 - Oct 30
bye
Week 9 - Nov 06
ATL 31 @ IND 7
Week 10 - Nov 13
NO 26 @ ATL 23
Week 11 - Nov 20
TEN 17 @ ATL 23
Week 12 - Nov 27
MIN 14 @ ATL 24
Week 13 - Dec 04
ATL 10 @ HOU 17
Week 14 - Dec 11
ATL 31 @ CAR 23
Week 16 - Dec 26
ATL 16 @ NO 45
301 rushes
1340 rush yards
11 TDs
17 receptions
168 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 1 - Sep 12
ATL 9 @ PIT 15
Week 2 - Sep 19
ARI 7 @ ATL 41
Week 3 - Sep 26
ATL 27 @ NO 24
Week 4 - Oct 03
SF 14 @ ATL 16
Week 5 - Oct 10
ATL 20 @ CLE 10
19 rushes
140 rush yards
0 TDs
0 receptions
0 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 6 - Oct 17
ATL 17 @ PHI 31
Week 7 - Oct 24
CIN 32 @ ATL 39
23 rushes
121 rush yards
2 TDs
2 receptions
23 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 8 - Oct 31
bye
Week 9 - Nov 07
TB 21 @ ATL 27
24 rushes
107 rush yards
2 TDs
0 receptions
0 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 10 - Nov 11
BAL 21 @ ATL 26
Week 11 - Nov 21
ATL 34 @ STL 17
28 rushes
131 rush yards
1 TDs
1 receptions
-4 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 12 - Nov 28
GB 17 @ ATL 20
23 rushes
110 rush yards
1 TDs
1 receptions
4 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 13 - Dec 05
ATL 28 @ TB 24
Week 14 - Dec 12
ATL 31 @ CAR 10
28 rushes
112 rush yards
3 TDs
1 receptions
12 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 15 - Dec 19
ATL 34 @ SEA 18
Week 16 - Dec 27
NO 17 @ ATL 14
Week 17 - Jan 02
CAR 10 @ ATL 31
334 rushes
1,371 rush yards
12 TDs
12 receptions
85 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 1 - Sep 13
MIA 7 @ ATL 19
Week 2 - Sep 20
CAR 20 @ ATL 28
Week 3 - Sep 27
ATL 10 @ NE 26
Week 4 - Oct 04
bye
Week 5 - Oct 11
ATL 45 @ SF 10
22 rushes
97 rush yards
3 TDs
0 receptions
0 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 6 - Oct 18
CHI 14 @ ATL 21
Week 7 - Oct 25
ATL 21 @ DAL 37
Week 8 - Nov 02
ATL 27 @ NO 35
Week 9 - Nov 08
WAS 17 @ ATL 31
18 rushes
166 rush yards
2 TDs
2 receptions
14 rec yards
0 TDs
Week 10 - Nov 15
ATL 19 @ CAR 28
Week 11 - Nov 22
ATL 31 @ NYG 34
Week 12 - Nov 29
TB 17 @ ATL 20
Week 13 - Dec 06
PHI 34 @ ATL 7
Week 14 - Dec 13
NO 26 @ ATL 23
Week 15 - Dec 20
ATL 10 @ NYJ 7
Week 16 - Dec 27
BUF 3 @ ATL 31
Week 17 - Jan 03
ATL 20 @ TB 10
5 spaces left for purchase
5 spaces left for purchase
5 spaces left for purchase
vitals
RUSHING RECEIVING FANTASY
Rush Yards TD Rec Targets Yards TD Tot Pts Pts/Gm
2011 Stats 301 1340 11 17 26 168 0 216.8 13.6
2010 Stats 334 1371 12 12 20 85 0 217.6 13.6
2009 Stats 178 871 10 5 7 35 0 150.6 13.7
2008 Stats 376 1699 17 6 9 41 0 276.0 17.3
(+) Michael Turner has been a major workhorse since the day he came to Atlanta in 2008 (59 games – 20.2 carries per game)
(+) Turner has put up 10+ TDs every year since joining the Falcons in 2008 (50 TDs in 59 games, second in the league to Adrian Peterson who has 52 TDs in 59 games over that span)
(+) Increased his overall effectiveness last year averaging 4.5 yards per carry to 4.1 YPC the previous season
(+) Set a career high in receptions and receiving yards last season (17 for 168 yards)
(+) With the Falcons passing attack as scary as any in the league, defenses can’t focus on the Falcons running game
(+) Atlanta sports one of the easiest schedules against the rush this season
(+) He also plays at ten games in domes (eight at home, one in New Orleans, and one in Detroit) and isn’t assured of a single cold-weather game this season
(–) Never been a great receiver out of the backfield (in fact he’s been downright awful) and now Quizz Rodgers is expected to get even more playing time, especially on 3rd down
(–) Turner has looked worn down towards the end of the last two seasons, right when you need your top fantasy players to be at their best…
(–) …and now, he just turned 30-years-old, so you have to figure Atlanta will give him less carries in order to keep him healthy and strong for the playoffs
(–) With receivers like Roddy White and Julio Jones, the Falcons are expected to lean more towards the passing game than in years past
It was obviously a disappointing season for the Centaur, Michael Turner, but far from unexpected. After lugging around the punishment that comes with a 376-carry season in 2008, the statistics (The Curse of 350+ Carries) clearly foresaw the fate that awaited him in 2009. That’s not to say he didn’t fight the odds with everything he had, as can be seen by the 831-yard, 10-TD output he put forth in the first nine games of the Falcons season, but 350+ carries is eventually going to catch up to you no matter who you are. That being said, Turner did well enough to prove to his fans that the numbers he amassed in 2008 wasn’t a fluke and that he still has plans to make the Chargers pay for making him sit behind LT21 for the first four years of his career.
2010 will see Turner two years removed from the overload the Falcons put on his back in 2008. Couple this with the fact that he’s only 28-years old and it’s reasonable to think that it’s well within his reach to provide another top-of-the-line season for fantasy owners. In the past, Turner was referred to as the “Swedish Meatball” due to his gigantic body structure, but that handle really has no authenticity to it at all. In truth, he actually has a size 34 waist (which is quite slim in America today), but needs to buy size 42 jeans because it’s the first size up that fits over his monstrous legs (don’t ask us how we know this). My point is that Michael is in incredible shape, so don’t be scared off by his injury in 2009 and have confidence drafting him to your fantasy team as your #1 RB in 2010.
~ Turner will be healthy coming into the 2010 season
~ Unlike 2009, Atlanta has a relatively easy rushing schedule this year
~ Both WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez demand enough attention to make sure the defense doesn’t stack the middle of the field
~ How will Turner respond to coming off an injury-plagued season?
Michael does not have a Twitter account. The official Team Twitter account comes through here: Falcons Player Tweets
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So one of the things that freaks us out about Turner is all those carries from 2008. 370+ is unsustainable. Here's what happens to RBs the year following a heavy workload - we went with 350+ for this one to show a rounded result, and went back 15 years. As we saw, Turner's carries and yards decreased by over half in 2009, which fits right in with this trend. Only two RBs over the last 15 years were able to string together two years of top production after toting the ball 370+ times - Edge and LT. And only another couple were able to follow up 350+ carry seasons with a similar result the next year. We know he's a year removed from the load, and we still love his possibilities this year, but Turner buyers... you've been warned.
Michael signed a six-year, $34.5 million contract in March of '08 that included $15 million guaranteed. Here is how the remainder of the deal plays out:
2010 - $2 million
2011 - $5 million
2012 - $5 million
2013 - $5.5 million
2014 - Free Agent
Jason Snelling did well enough as a replacement for Turner in 2009 to be the handcuff over Jerious Norwood
Missed games last year with a high ankle sprain, he is back to 100% for the 2010 season
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