The Atlanta Falcons suffered a brutal loss to the Denver Broncos 38-6. Fantasy goodness was the furthest thing from the menu for Falcons players. Bo Nix carried the day for the Broncos with an 85% completion percentage against the banged up Falcons defense. 

The Falcons were shut out of reaching the end zone on Sunday. Kirk Cousins managed 173 passing yards, 0 touchdown passes, and threw an interception. Drake London had a respectable 3 catches for 61 yards. London’s wide receiver counterpart Darnell Mooney left the game early with a hamstring injury.

Bijan Robinson had his 5 game streak of 100 total yards or more snapped. Bijan, who is agnostic to game script saw his opportunities slip away as the game wore on. Kyle Pitts managed 1 reception for 9 yards much to the chagrin of his fantasy managers. 

The Falcons mercifully have a week 12 bye. Their fantasy football playoff schedule will certainly make this week 11 debacle a distant memory. From weeks 15-17 the Falcons will play on the road against the Raiders, home versus the Giants, and square off in Washington against the Commanders. Up against any trade deadlines, this is the last call for scooping up Falcons players in fantasy football before they soar to new heights!

Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1

The Giants are benching Daniel Jones for their upcoming Week 12 bout versus the Buccaneers, and most likely for the remainder of the season. The former No. 6 overall pick (2019) was coming off a two-interception game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 before the team’s Bye this past week.

The Giants are 2-8, having lost their last game to the lowly Carolina Panthers (3-7) in overtime. Jones has thrown only eight touchdowns on the season to seven interceptions, and has an injury guarantee that kicks in if he is injured and cannot pass a physical by March of 2025. The team is not in contention and if Jones was injured during play, it would cost the Giants an extra $23M in dead cap if they released him. That means Daniel Jones’ time with the Giants is likely done. Tom Pelissero reports the Giants are likely to name Tommy DeVito their starter going forward.

– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb

When the final whistle blows on Monday night, the NFL season will enter its final third. For playoff hopeful teams this is what Redzone’s Scott Hansen would call “the witching hour, where wins become losses and losses become wins.” Unfortunately, the Dallas cowboys have a crack in their cauldron.

From a purely statistical standpoint Dallas, currently, has a 3% chance to make the playoffs. That would drop to 1% if they lose on Monday night. The bleak outlook gets even worse when you consider the current state of the team. With Cooper Rush at quarterback, don’t expect the Cowboys to be able to keep up with the Texans on Monday night.

However, there still may be some fantasy juice to squeeze from this lemon. This week Coach McCarthy made a commitment to feature Rico Dowdle at RB.  “Definitely, you have to get him the ball. That’s my focus to continue to get him opportunities. He’s the lead back.,” McCarthy told the media, per Clarence Hill of All City DLLS.  Even in light of the anemic offense in Dallas under Cooper Rush, this makes Dowdle a flex play for teams in need.

Joe Prinzivalli | @latehottakes

Concern in Duval has risen this week, as QB Trevor Lawrence has been ruled out for the second consecutive week. What is of greater concern is that Ian Rapoport reported that Lawrence is “weigh(ing) options,” in regards to surgery.

Mac Jones will get the start again. Mac entered the league with a solid college pedigree and excellent draft capital as the 15th overall pick in the 2021 draft. his opportunities were stifled by a Patriots team that was grasping for an identity after Tom Brady’s departure, and the talent vacuum of a full rebuild.

Jones is now surrounded by the strongest cast of position players he has ever taken the field with in his still short NFL career. Brian Thomas Jr. is a rookie breakout, Evan Engram continues to be a sure handed mismatch at TE, and running back Travis Etienne is quality check-down option.

Jones looked terrible in his debut as a starter for the Jaguars. However, with his pedigree and an opportunity to audition for a new contract, I believe Jones will exceed expectations going forward.

Joe Prinzivalli | @latehottakes

The Atlanta Falcons are banged up on defense, but got some good news for their offense heading into Sunday’s game in Denver. Darnell Mooney is not listed on the game report for injury. 

There was a scare for Darnell Mooney fantasy managers when he popped up on the injury report for an Achilles aggravation. Processing the word Achilles does not bring favorable memories to light, just ask Christian McCaffrey fantasy managers. 

Darnell Mooney is the WR-8 on the season. Kirk Cousins has connected with Mooney to put a damper on any questions about the Falcons having receiver talent behind Drake London who is the WR-4. He is 3rd in Explosive Rating (EPX) with a score of 131. Mooney is also 11th in Best Ball Points Added with 68.7.

Start Darnell Mooney with confidence. Oftentimes it is easy to fade players who don’t have name brand value, however Darnell Mooney’s game in 2024 has been name brand worthy.

Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1

JuJu Smith-Schuster is expected to return to the Kansas City Chiefs’ lineup in Week 11 after missing four games with a hamstring injury. While the veteran wide receiver was a full participant in practice this week, his fantasy outlook remains murky. On the season, Smith-Schuster has caught just nine passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. His lone standout performance came back in Week 3 when he posted 130 yards against the Saints, but outside of that, he’s had little fantasy relevance. With DeAndre Hopkins now firmly entrenched as the Chiefs’ top target and Travis Kelce still Patrick Mahomes’ go-to guy, JuJu figures to be no better than the third option in this high-powered offense. 

While JuJu’s return provides a much-needed boost to the Chiefs’ receiving corps, fantasy gamers shouldn’t expect a significant impact. With plenty of competition for targets, including Hopkins and Kelce, Smith-Schuster’s fantasy value is diminished. Even when healthy, he has struggled to find consistent production, which makes him a low-priority option moving forward. For Week 11, it’s wise to leave him on your bench and monitor how his role develops over the next few weeks. If he fails to carve out a steady role in Kansas City’s offense, he’ll remain a fringe fantasy option for the remainder of the season.

@FFCanuck99