Kyle Pitts Injury History & Analysis

Falcons WR Darnell Mooney (shoulder) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Panthers. It’s a significant loss. Mooney ranks second among Falcons in targets, catches, receiving yards, and receiving TDs. WR KhaDarel Hodge figures to pick up most of Mooney’s snaps today but would be a desperation fantasy start. WRs Drake London and Ray-Ray McCloud and TE Kyle Pitts could also get target boosts.

Falcons WR Darnell Mooney appears unlikely to play in Sunday's game against the Panthers. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that he's "considered a long shot ... not ruled out, but an uphill battle." We'll check the official status when inactives come out, but plan to leave Mooney out of your Week 18 lineups.

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. posted modest numbers in Sunday night's loss to the Commanders. He finished with 223 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT on 19-of-35 passing. That's 54.3% completions and 6.4 yards per attempt against a Washington defense that entered the game ranked just 20th in pass DVOA. But Penix did pilot a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then helped set up what would have been the game-winning FG attempt at the end of regulation (which fell short).

The first start for rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. on Sunday couldn't help TE Kyle Pitts. He drew just 2 targets in the win over the Giants, catching one and letting the other bounce off his hands and to a defender for Penix's only INT.

The Falcons are benching QB Kirk Cousins and going to QB Michael Penix, according to both NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter. Atlanta stuck with Cousins for too long, losing four of the last five and falling out of first place in the NFC South. They beat the Raiders on Monday night in spite of Cousins, who completed just 11 of 17 passes for 112 yards, one TD, and one INT. Penix obviously lacks Cousins' experience but should prove to be a big upgrade in terms of arm talent. We'd still expect the Falcons to be a run-heavy offense going forward, especially as big favorites over the Giants this weekend.