Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw his first touchdown pass since Week 9 in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders, however, the team leaned heavily on the run game in this one, tallying 168 rush yards between Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Cousins completed only 11 passes but was asked to throw the ball just 17 times in the contest, racking up a paltry 112 yards passing. The 36-year-old threw the touchdown pass late in the first quarter, but also tossed an interception and looked out of sorts outside of the lone TD, which seemingly exacerbated the need to lean on the run and was the reason for so few pass attempts. Despite the win, it was not an encouraging performance if you're a Falcons fan hoping for a playoff run. The veteran will take on the Giants in Atlanta next Sunday, but for fantasy, hopefully managers have other options available at this point with fantasy championships on the line.

Cleveland Browns kicker Riley Patterson made his lone extra-point attempt in a 21-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15. Patterson was elevated from the team's practice squad on Saturday and replaced Dustin Hopkins as the team's kicker for the game as the latter has made just 16 of his 25 field goals in 2024. Patterson didn't get a chance to do much in the loss and will likely revert back to the team's practice squad as head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the loss that Hopkins will be his kicker in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals as he just wanted to give the veteran the week off after his struggles this season.

Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo knocked through a pair of short field goals and a couple of extra points last week, restoring some faith in the kicker's abilities. The 30-year-old went through a rough patch from Weeks 5-10 where he missed seven field goals, however, over the last three contests he's 6-for-7 while remaining perfect on extra point attempts, going 25-for-25 on the season. Week 15 brings a favorable environment for the kicker, as the Falcons take on the Raiders in Las Vegas. The Falcons are 4.5-point favorites in this game and the Raiders have allowed the most fantasy points in all of football to opposing kickers. Atlanta, despite Kirk Cousins' recent struggles, should be able to move the ball down the field on Monday night, and Koo is tentatively back in the circle of trust, looking like a top-12 option this week.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III has had a consistent -- albeit small -- role in the offense all season long, but has seen it grow over the last three weeks, averaging nearly eight targets and six catches per game along with back-to-back performances of 95-plus yards. The 28-year-old is not a red zone threat having scored just once all season, which limits his upside, but the involvement makes him highly useful in PPR leagues. The Falcons take on the Raiders in Week 15 who have been generous to wide receivers as of late, allowing six touchdowns and the second-most receiving yards over the last four weeks. McCloud in particular has a favorable matchup with Darnay Holmes expected to cover him out of the slot. Atlanta is favored in this contest and with Drake London and Darnell Mooney attracting coverage, the Clemson product should again see a healthy workload. The veteran wideout has WR3 upside in PPR leagues and is a potential Flex option in all other formats for Monday Night Football.

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts continued his stretch fantasy futility last week, catching just a single ball from Kirk Cousins, which was the fourth time in the last five contests that the 24-year-old has caught one pass or fewer. The former first-round draft pick has fallen to a distant fifth option in the passing game, well below Ray-Ray McCloud III who earns nearly 17% of the team's targets compared to Pitts' 14%, with running back Bijan Robinson garnering 23 looks over the last five weeks compared to Pitts' 18. The Falcons play the Raiders this week, a defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to TEs on the season, so if there was any week to use him in the final weeks, this would probably be it. With the road to fantasy championships hanging in the balance, however, Pitts can't be trusted as a fantasy starter. The fourth-year pro is nothing more than a low-end TE2 for Monday Night Football, although the favorable matchup does give him some slight upside.