Amid struggles of quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Atlanta Falcons are making a change to Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback.
The Atlanta Falcons are making a big change at quarterback. With Kirk Cousins struggling to move the ball and complete passes to his own teammates, the Falcons announced they will be starting rookie Michael Penix Jr. in week 16 versus the New York Giants.
Michael Penix Jr. was drafted 8th overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. At the time, the move was met with curiosity and plenty of raised eyebrows. After securing Kirk Cousins with a 4-year, $180 million contract the Falcons front office was met with plenty of incredulity.
Michael Penix will provide an instant boost to the passing game. His cannon of a left arm will give life to Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and hopefully resuscitate tight end Kyle Pitts. Kirk Cousins showed in recent weeks that he was unable to drive through is lower body to add zip to his passes. This will not be a problem for Michael Penix.
The Falcons offense will get a massive boost. Penix’s ability to sling the football will make life easier for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier out of the backfield. Fire up all Falcons in week 16 versus the Giants.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney hauled in six ...
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (Achilles) ...
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney hauled in five...
The Atlanta Falcons have a quarterback conundrum on their hands.
In what is becoming a weekly routine, the Atlanta Falcons fall short in week 14 against the Vikings after a rough outing from Kirk Cousins. The Falcons lost decisively to the tune of 42-21. The calls for Michael Penix Jr. to start at quarterback are getting louder.
Kirk Cousins has thrown 8 interceptions in the last 4 games. While Cousins threw for 344 yards, he ended the day with zero touchdown passes and 2 interceptions. The Falcons have dropped their last 4 games and are now in 2nd place in the NFC East. The Falcons 6-7 record is a cause for concern, however Falcons skill position players remain viable in fantasy football.
Bijan Robinson has been ‘Cousins-proof’ with his fantasy output. The last 2 weeks, Bijan has totaled 25.5 and 20.1 fantasy points. Receiver Darnell Mooney had a superb day with 6 receptions and 142 receiving yards. Drake London had a respectable 70 yards receiving on 5 receptions.
The Falcons get the Raiders on the road in week 15. Aside from Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts, Falcons skill position players need to be in lineups. While Tyler Allgeier had a respectable 63 yards rushing and a touchdown, he is only a desperation flex unless he were to get the full workload via a Bijan Robinson injury.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1
The Falcons will have their starting wide receivers when they face the Chargers this week.
Atlanta Falcons beat reporter Marc Raimondi posted on X that the Falcons will have both Drake London and Darnell Mooney for Sunday’s matchup at home versus the Chargers. This is welcome news as London had a midweek hiccup on the injury report and there was concern for Mooney after the bye week regarding his hamstring injury.
The Falcons had a dud of a game in Denver before their week 12 bye. Recency bias is having fantasy gamers down on the Atlanta Falcons. Drake London is the WR-7 and Darnell Mooney is the WR-12. It will be a fool’s errand to fade the Atlanta pass catchers and fantasy weapons as a whole down the stretch.
Drake London is 4th in red zone targets with 16 and 4th in touchdowns with 6 while collecting the 7th most receptions with 61. Darnell Mooney’s 18 deep targets and 1,019 air yards have him ranked 7th and 8th respectively for wide receivers.
Continue to fire up Falcons players with confidence. A lack of confidence in Kirk Cousins is overblown in real football and in fantasy. The Falcons are atop the NFC South and Cousins is supporting 2 top-12 wide receivers.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1
It was a forgettable day for the Falcons against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in week 11.
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 Falcons breathe a sigh of relief as Darnell Mooney is off the injury report heading into this week’s game against the Denver Broncos.
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
With an early injury to Drake London, Darnell Mooney capitalized on the opportunity with a big day in week 9.
The Atlanta Falcons outlasted the Dallas Cowboys 27-21 on Sunday. The pleasant week 9 result pushes the Falcons to a 6-3 record atop the NFC South standings.
Early on it looked like a Drake London day, but a hip injury made it a short afternoon for the Falcons star wide receiver. Darnell Mooney capitalized with 5 receptions for 88 receiving yards on 9 targets. Mooney scored a touchdown and came away with 19.8 fantasy points.
Darnell Mooney ended the week as the WR-11 and is the WR-12 on the season. Kirk Cousins has shown he can support multiple weapons. Darnell Mooney has earned a weekly role as a starter in fantasy lineups. The Falcons travel to New Orleans in week 10 to face the downward spiraling Saints.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1
