Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Falcons HC Arthur Smith announced Wednesday that LB Troy Andersen has entered the concussion protocol. There was no issue reported during or directly following the game, but Smith said Andersen "didn't feel right" Tuesday. This likely means Andersen will miss Sunday's game against the Packers. We'll watch for more on his status. Tae Davis or Nate Landman could be the next guy up. Neither should be in your Week 2 lineup plans at this point.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts led Atlanta with 44 receiving yards in the opener. He saw only 3 targets — a subpar 16.6% team share. He also had one catch wiped out by a penalty. Desmond Ridder attempted only 18 passes here, as Atlanta leaned into a strong run game. That’s the risk for fantasy owners in the weeks ahead, adding volatility to Pitts’ outlook. Still, given the state of TE, the Falcon will remain a fantasy starter for the foreseeable future. Pitts faces Green Bay in Week 2.

Falcons WR Drake London was barely noticeable in Sunday’s win over Carolina. Despite running 20 routes — tied for a team-high — the second-year WR failed to record a catch. He drew just a single target. Desmond Ridder fed his RBs 9 total targets — a 50% share. We’re not ready to panic on London’s season-long outlook, but expect volatility ahead given Atlanta’s run-heavy approach. Next up is a tough matchup with CB Jaire Alexander.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson delivered for fantasy owners in the opener, gaining 83 total yards and tallying 1 score on 16 touches. He caught all 6 of his targets, with one coming on a smooth catch-and-run for 6. On the day, Atlanta fired off only 48 offensive plays. Still, there was enough for Tyler Allgeier to lead the way in rushing (15-75-2). It’s clear Robinson won’t be a workhorse, as long as Allgeier remains efficient and healthy. Still, the rookie will project as an RB1 going forward. He'll get a fine home matchup with Green Bay in Week 2.

Cardinals WR Rondale Moore played 42.8% of his snaps out wide last year. That number is down to 21.1% through two preseason games this year. Assuming that continues, it means Moore won't play much in 2-WR sets in new OC Drew Petzing's offense. It's a significant hit to Moore's 2023 fantasy value. Marquise Brown and rookie Michael Wilson look like the favorites to lead Arizona WRs in snaps this season.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith used the phrase no fantasy owner likes to hear when discussing his 2023 backfield plans: "hot hand." Here's Smith: “We may have the idea that we want to get guys a certain number of carries and then all of a sudden [Tyler] Allgeier gets a hot hand and what you’re doing with him is working. Don’t be rigid. We have to win the game.” Drafters are clearly expecting RB Bijan Robinson, who has a first-round ADP, to dominate the backfield touches this season. But Allgeier might stay involved just enough to keep Robinson from hitting his ceiling. It's worth noting that The Athletic's Josh Kendall projects Robinson for 215 carries and 86 targets this year to Allgeier's 158 carries and 12 targets. Check out our projections for the Falcons backfield.

The Cardinals ran WR Rondale Moore almost exclusively out of three-WR sets in Friday night's preseason opener against the Broncos. According to Pro Football Focus, just one of Moore's 10 snaps came in a two-WR formation. Arizona started Moore, rookie Michael Wilson, and veteran Zach Pascal at WR, with Marquise Brown getting the night off. It's too early to say this is a problem, but it wouldn't be good for Moore's target volume if this setup holds. We'll be watching through the rest of the preseason. Moore sits in low-risk territory of both ADP and our fantasy football PPR rankings.

The Falcons have “slowly added” to TE Kyle Pitts’ workload in training camp, per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. Pitts underwent surgery for an MCL tear back in November. The 22-year-old has avoided setbacks this summer, but we’ll be curious to monitor his preseason snaps. If healthy, a top-3 ceiling remains on the table for this third-year pro. See where he sits inside the fantasy TE rankings.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Saturday that he's "very pleased" with TE Kyle Pitts' progression from offseason knee surgery. "Every day he's doing more," Smith added. Pitts is practicing with a brace on that repaired knee and doesn't look quite 100% to us. But he still has six weeks before the start of the regular season. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.

Bears HC Matt Eberflus is “pleased” with the health of WR Darnell Mooney following last year’s ankle fracture. Mooney’s still seeing limited reps, per reporter Chris Emma. The contract-year WR projects as a volatile fantasy player, given Chicago’s run-heavy attack and the addition of D.J. Moore.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was on the field for Wednesday's training-camp practice -- with a brace on his surgically repaired right knee. Pitts seemingly isn't back to 100% yet, although the fact that he's on the field at all in late July means he should be ready to roll come Week 1. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.

The Falcons begin training camp Wednesday, and it doesn't sound like TE Kyle Pitts will be taking the field right away. "He's still getting back. He's still working," WR Drake London said Tuesday, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "Once he heals up, he's going to be the same Kyle Pitts we all know." We certainly hope that will be the case, but it's worrisome that Pitts isn't yet healed up from a MCL injury that knocked him out in November. Don't be surprised if Pitts slides down our fantasy football rankings a bit in the coming days. Any delay to Pitts' usefulness would likely be good news for London's target share. The WR trailed Pitts in that category before the TE went down last season.

Cardinals WR Rondale Moore continued to struggle with injuries last year, missing nine games and most of a 10th. But he was busy and productive in the other seven, averaging 8.0 targets, 5.6 catches, 59.1 yards, and .14 TDs. Moore ranked 17th among WRs in PPR points and 29th in non-PPR over that seven-week stretch. Durability remains a concern here. And the Cardinals offense figures to struggle at least until QB Kyler Murray returns from his knee injury. But, with WR DeAndre Hopkins gone, Moore could be a cheap source of strong volume this season. His current ADP sits in Round 11 as the 54th WR off the board. He lands considerably higher than that in our PPR WR Rankings.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts missed the offseason program following rehab for a November MCL tear. Tori McElhaney of the Falcons’ official site writes that Pitts’ rehab “will lead him right up to the start of training camp.” It’s been a slow process for Pitts, but we’re not sounding alarm bells. He took to Instagram Monday to say he’ll at least avoid the PUP list. Still, this will be one storyline to monitor closely over the next few weeks. He sits top-5 in our TE rankings.

Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier ran efficiently as a 2022 rookie. Among 61 RBs with 70+ carries (including the playoffs), he ranked sixth in yards after contact per attempt, sixth in Pro Football Focus' elusive rating, and tied for 12th in yards per carry. He also ranked ninth in NFL Next Gen Stats' rush yards over expected per carry, among 36 RBs with 90+ carries. Allgeier took over the backfield after the Week 14 bye, averaging 19.8 carries per game and claiming 56% of the team's rushing attempts over the final four games. He's not going to get anywhere near that after Atlanta drafted RB Bijan Robinson eighth overall. But it's fair to wonder whether Allgeier will cut too far into Robinson's workload to allow the rookie to pay off his Round 1 fantasy ADP. We'll watch for signals of the work share plan through training camp and preseason. Expect Allgeier to remain more handcuff than standalone fantasy option. You can read more about his outlook in our 2023 RB rankings.

Falcons WR Drake London finished his rookie season just 45th among WRs in PPR points per game. Yet he's going 22nd among WRs right now in Underdog Fantasy ADP. Why? Well, London did rank sixth among all wideouts in target share in 2022. He enjoyed a strong finish after QB Desmond Ridder took over for Marcus Mariota, averaging 9.0 targets, 6.3 receptions, and 83.3 yards over the final four games. And Atlanta increased its passing volume over that span. But the team still ranked just 24th in neutral-situation pass rate over that time. London also trailed TE Kyle Pitts in target share before Pitts went down with a knee injury. Atlanta sports a weak receiving depth chart behind those two for 2023, so there's room for both exciting young pass catchers to continue drawing large shares. But London will need more team passing volume to help him pay off at ADP. And drafting RB Bijan Robinson eighth overall would be a funny way for the Falcons to announce that they're going to pass a lot more in 2023. London sits only a little lower in our 2023 WR rankings than he does in ADP.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts ranked just 22nd among TEs in PPR points per game last season. But the underlying numbers show a lot more upside. Pitts ranked second among all TEs in target share, trailing only Mark Andrews. He ranks 14th all-time among TEs in receiving yards through two seasons, despite tying for just 28th in receptions and 137th in games played. Poor QB play and a high run rate clearly hurt last season. Pitts fared worse in catch rate, yards per catch, yards per route, and passer rating on balls thrown his way vs. 2021. Atlanta ran at the second-highest rate for the season. But the neutral pass rate climbed from 32nd in the league with Marcus Mariota behind center to 24th in Desmond Ridder's starts. The 2021 Falcons ranked 14th in neutral pass rate, in HC Arthur Smith's first season and with QB Matt Ryan. We're not betting on a return to that level, especially after the first-round selection of RB Bijan Robinson. But you should bet on the Falcons passing at least a little more in 2023. And the quality of passing should improve at least a little. Combine that with the talent Pitts has already displayed and an ADP lower than last year's, and you have a redraft bet with modest risk and plenty of upside. See where Pitts stands in our 2023 TE rankings.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins said he expects to enter the upcoming season without a new contract. "I think we'll probably talk about the contract next March," Cousins said Wednesday, "and until then just focus on this season and the job to do right now.” Contract negotiations began over the winter, but talks “stalled” — and haven’t resumed — per beat writer Andrew Krammer. Cousins, nearly 35 years old, has reached 4,200 yards in three straight seasons. He projects as a high-end QB2.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson is taking reps with the WRs during individual drills at minicamp. In clips posted to Twitter, Robinson looks smooth running routes and making catches. It’s not exactly a breaking news development. Robinson tallied 60 catches, 803 yards, and 8 TDs across three seasons at Texas. Keep in mind: Falcons RBs totaled only 64 targets last year, as HC Arthur Smith opted for a run-heavy approach. Our current RB projections have Robinson for 53 targets and 41 receptions.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney (ankle) is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. "Darnell is working is butt off and he's right on track," HC Matt Eberflus said Wednesday. Mooney suffered a season-ending left ankle injury last November and has been sidelined for the offseason program so far. Barring a setback, it sounds like he'll be back to 100% before the start of the season. His fantasy value took a big hit when Chicago acquired WR D.J. Moore, but Mooney could still provide some spike-week value in best-ball leagues.