Team Profile
Atlanta Falcons
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3.5% 14thOff DVOA
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18.7% 16thPassing DVOA
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3.1% 7thRushing DVOA
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6.8% 26thDef DVOA
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17.2% 26thDef Passing DVOA
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-7.1% 20thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For20.9 21st
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Points Against24.4 25th
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Yards Per Game363.0 9th
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Yards Allowed Per Game343.0 20th
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London had been one of the most consistent, higher-scoring wide receivers for fantasy in the early going of the season, but as Kirk Cousins has faded, so too has London. After recording five touchdown catches through the first seven games, the 23-year-old has just one TD over the last five games. On the bright side, the 6-foot-4 wideout still maintains a 27.1% target share, even drawing totals of 13 and 16 targets in two of the last three contests, resulting in an eight-catch and a nine-catch performance respectively. This week's opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, are one of the toughest teams to run on, so the Falcons could be forced to take to the air, even if they'd rather not given Cousins' recent struggles. Atlanta is a six-point underdog in this contest, and if they are also forced to play catch-up, it should work in London's favor. View the former first-round draft pick as a borderline WR1 this week who could get back into the end zone if his quarterback cleans up the turnover issues.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is coming off of a 32-touch performance last week in which he eclipsed 100 yards rushing and scored. It was the eighth time in 12 games that the 22-year-old tallied 100-plus total yards rushing and receiving and the eighth time he scored. All that has made him a top option at RB in fantasy this season, however, production will be harder to come by in Week 14 against a Vikings defense that is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs, limiting them to the second-lowest yards per carry average in the entire NFL (3.7 YPC) while yielding a league-low five rushing touchdowns. Working in Robinson's favor, though, is that the former first-round draft pick has recorded three or more receptions in 11 of 12 games in 2024, giving him a solid weekly floor. You won't find many backs that handle as many touches as the second-year pro does on a weekly basis, so fire him up as a higher-end RB1 despite the tough matchup.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has gone without a touchdown pass in three consecutive games while throwing six interceptions during that stretch, four of which came just last week in a loss to the Chargers. Even though those are poor numbers any way you slice it, the silver lining is that all three games came against top 10 defenses in terms of QBR and fantasy points allowed. This week, the 36-year-old will face a Vikings defense that is middle-of-the-pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks and the most fantasy points to wide receivers. The other side of the coin is that the Vikings have the fourth-most sacks this season, so production won't come easy. The Falcons may want to limit how many times Cousins drops back in an attempt to limit turnovers, but Minnesota has yielded the fewest rush yards and rushing TDs in the NFL while allowing the second-lowest yards per carry. Factor in that Atlanta will be on the road, and it all points to another tough week for the veteran signal-caller, even if it is a "revenge game." If it gets ugly, they may have to turn to their first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. Hopefully managers have other options to choose from, even in a week with six teams on bye, as Cousins projects as a low-end QB2 in Week 14.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (Achilles) was a full participant during Thursday's practice session. Mooney was back on the practice field here after sitting out on Wednesday due to rest purposes. The 27-year-old has been dealing with an Achilles issue, but it doesn't appear to be something that is going to hold him out of action. Fantasy managers should expect Mooney to be ready for the Week 14 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Mooney has five receptions for 47 yards over his last two games. He should be considered a WR3 for this weekend.
Atlanta Falcons kicker Riley Patterson was elevated to the active roster ahead of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Patterson was added to the roster as insurance in case Younghoe Koo (hip) was unable to play. Koo ended up being able to play through the issue and appears to be fine going forward. That being said, the Falcons have decided to release Patterson on Tuesday. This does make sense considering there really is no need to keep another kicker on the roster with Koo healthy. Patterson has only played in one game this season and made all three of his extra point attempts during his lone game with the New York Jets. He'll look to catch on elsewhere as the 25-year-old should be able to find another spot.