Atlanta Falcons DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts caught four of five passes from Michael Penix Jr. last week, going for 44 yards and a TD, however, the week before he caught a single pass from the lefty QB. So, there still isn't consistent involvement with his new QB yet, and it would be hard to trust him in the final week of the season as the 6-foot-6 pass catcher has produced five games of one catch or fewer in the last eight, while his TD last week was his first since Week 8. The 24-year-old does draw a favorable matchup, though, as the Falcons take on the Panthers in a must-win game to finish off the regular season. The Panthers have allowed the second-most fantasy production to TEs this season, and Pitts hauled in three catches for 70 yards earlier this season against them. Additionally, Darnell Mooney (shoulder) was a DNP on Friday and looks to be very questionable. If Mooney doesn't go, that should free up some targets for the other receivers. It won't feel comfortable doing it, but if there was a week to use Pitts, this could be it. The former first-round draft pick should be viewed as a high-end TE2 this week.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III has seen his role fade recently, catching just a single pass in two of the last three contests, but could be in line for an uptick in productivity if Darnell Mooney (shoulder) were to miss Sunday's contest after being limited Thursday and not practicing on Friday. Despite the recent slump, McCloud III has had a career year, setting highs in receptions (58) and yards (620), and on Sunday he'll take on a Panthers defense that is middle-of-the-pack in limiting fantasy production to opposing wide receivers, but just last week allowed five touchdown receptions, four of which went to WRs (one went to a TE). The 28-year-old is probably a WR5 at best if Mooney plays, but if not, he could see a bump all the way to a borderline WR3/4 or Flex option if Mooney misses the game.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London will look to finish strong on Sunday after a 100-yard game last week put him over 1,000 yards receiving for the season. The 23-year-old has seen 21 targets and logged 12 receptions over the last two weeks with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. under center. Although he hasn't caught a touchdown from the lefty QB, he had a near-miss last week and the 6-foot-4 wideout hasn't seen a drop off in production with the rookie throwing him the ball. The USC product was limited in practice earlier this week but is expected to play; Darnell Mooney (shoulder), however, looks like he's on the wrong side of questionable after a limited session Thursday and a DNP on Friday, which would further solidify London's role as No. 1 receiver in a must-win game. The third-year pro sets up nicely in a matchup versus the Panthers who he logged a 6-74-1 line against in Week 6, but with the Falcons likely to lean on the run game, London looks more like a high-end WR2.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is expected to get a full workload on Sunday as his team still has designs on making the playoffs. If the Falcons win and the Saints beat the Buccaneers, Atlanta is in. Robinson is having a fantastic season, now top 5 in fantasy scoring for RBs with over 1700 all-purpose yards and 13 total TDs. Not to mention, the last time these two teams met, the 22-year-old stampeded his way to 95 yards and two scores on 15 carries (6.3 YPR), adding three catches for 10 yards as well. The Panthers have been run on all season, allowing the most fantasy points to running backs in all of football. With the playoffs in sight, look for Robinson to rumble his way to top-tier RB1 status on Sunday.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. just needs to take care of the football -- and get some help from the Saints -- in order to send his team to the playoffs. The 24-year-old is 37-for-62 (59.7%) in his two games as starter, with two touchdowns and one interception (that was not his fault). But with a strong ground game that rushed for 200 yards and three scores the last time Atlanta faced Carolina in October, Penix Jr. should be handing the ball off much more than he should be passing it. Not that the Panthers can stop the passing attack, allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing QBs including five TDs last week to Baker Mayfield and even three TDs to Cooper Rush in Week 15. With the friendly matchup and some likely volatility at the QB position in the final week of the regular season with some starters sitting or seeing only limited playing time, the former first-round draft pick sets up as a high-end QB2 on Sunday.