Amidst the shuffling at the quarterback position, the Atlanta Falcons are expected to move on from Kirk Cousins this offseason.
Adam Schefter reports that the Atlanta Falcons are set to move on from quarterback Kirk Cousins prior to his $10 million roster bonus due March 17. The anticipated move is an outright release which would grant Cousins free agency status.
The Falcons signed the veteran quarterback in the offseason to a 4-year, $180 million contract. The move at the time was viewed through the scope of the Falcons having done their due diligence on Kirk Cousins’ recovery from his Achilles injury. What drew plenty of consternation and bewilderment was when the Falcons followed up in the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th pick in the first round.
The fallout as to who loses their job over this mismanagement of money remains to be seen. In the meantime, Michael Penix Jr. will be given every opportunity to show he is the quarterback of the future. With free agency status, Kirk Cousins will have many paths available to him. Due to the nature of Cousins’ poor play and injury recovery, a Russell Wilson path as a starter on a team in transition on a low budget deal looks enticing. The Cleveland Browns are a team that comes to the forefront in a scenario like that.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1
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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
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
Despite issues with quarterback play, Bijan Robinson continues to be an every week must start.
Bijan Robinson is having an excellent sophomore campaign. Bijan is the current RB-4 in fantasy football with no signs of slowing down.
In the heartbreaking 17-13 loss to the Chargers last week, Bijan Robinson continued to put up top tier fantasy numbers for his fantasy managers. Bijan came away with 25.5 fantasy points despite Kirk Cousins throwing for 4 interceptions and having only 2.1 fantasy points of his own.
Bijan is 4th in targets with 56 and 8th in carries with 193. Despite a 67% opportunity share, Bijan has feasted in 2024. Bijan has totaled 100 total yards in 6 out of the last 7 games. Bijan is also No.1 in yards created with 912.
This time of year the term ‘league winner’ gets thrown around for a handful of superior performers across fantasy football with favorability towards players who were drafted in the later rounds. Despite being a first round pick, Bijan Robinson is in contention to be a league winner across all formats with a juicy playoff schedule that includes the Raiders, Giants, and Commanders.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, @coachretzlaff1
The Atlanta Falcons are fighting for a playoff spot and have flexibility to start rookie Michael Penix Jr. if needed.
Kirk Cousins had a disaster of a day Sunday versus the Los Angeles Chargers. The calls for Michael Penix Jr. to take over the starting role in Atlanta are growing louder by the hour.
Kirk Cousins threw 4 backbreaking interceptions in a losing effort to the Chargers. The narrow 17-13 loss could be a key differentiator for seeding come playoff time. The loss drops the Falcons to a tie in the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 2.1 fantasy point performance is difficult to forgive, yet easy for fantasy gamers to either bench or cut Kirk Cousins. For real life implications in the NFL, the Falcons may feel it is just as easy to bench Kirk Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings.
Ironically, Kirk Cousins is set to face the Minnesota Vikings who he played for the last 6 seasons. While a change may occur this week, there is a chance that the Minnesota game allows Kirk Cousins one more opportunity to take over his opponent’s trap. This is a situation to fluidly monitor. The big takeaway is that Michael Penix Jr. dynasty shares are close to being alive and that he should be picked up off of all Superflex waiver wires in redraft leagues.
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
