Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts is sidelined for OTAs this week as he continues to recover from November surgery to repair a torn MCL in his right knee. There's been no reported timetable for Pitts' return, but TEs coach Justin Peele said back in February that Pitts was "on schedule" and expected to be ready for training camp. As long as that's the case, there will be no reason to worry about the knee. A healthy Pitts certainly has bounce-back potential after a frustrating 2022. See where he sits in the 2023 fantasy football TE Rankings.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney is sidelined for OTAs this week. He's still working back from the left ankle injury he suffered last November. HC Matt Eberflus said Mooney is "progressing" but didn't provide any other details. We'll see when Mooney is able to get back on the field. But he's not an intriguing fantasy pick in a run-heavy Bears offense that added WR D.J. Moore this offseason.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune shared details on the health of Bears WR Darnell Mooney. Recall that he suffered multiple torn ligaments in his left ankle last November. “From what I hear, Mooney is doing well and there is a chance he will be fully cleared before the conclusion of the offseason program, which ends with mandatory minicamp in mid-June,” Biggs said. “If not, it’s expected he will be at full speed for the start of training camp.” Good to know. Mooney, the WR58 in FFPC best ball ADP, is set to enter a contract season. The 25-year-old watched as Chicago added D.J. Moore and Round 4 WR Tyler Scott this offseason. See where Mooney slots in our updated 2023 WR rankings.

Asked about whether a RB was worth taking inside the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft, Falcons HC said of new RB Bijan Robinson: "He's a lot more than a running back. He's an impact football player." GM Terry Fontenot added that Atlanta wants to play "positionless football." The Falcons hadn't invested heavily into the position since Smith arrived. Their top signings included Mike Davis, Damien Williams, and Cordarrelle Patterson. Tyler Allgeier (Round 5 of 2022) had been the only RB they drafted. So they clearly believe Robinson to be special. Expect his opportunity count to reflect that. Robinson already leads our dynasty RB rankings.

The Falcons selected Texas RB Bijan Robinson with the eighth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Once heralded as the top RB in the 2020 high school recruiting class, Robinson made an immediate impact as a freshman. By the end of 2020, Robinson had seized the starting job and won the Alamo Bowl MVP with a 10-182-0 rushing performance against Colorado. From then on, he never let go of the job and consistently wowed the nation with his incredible combination of size, speed, quickness, and pass-catching abilities. Robinson logged nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards as a junior this past season with 20 total TDs. Still just over 21 years old, the 5’11, 215-pound back is an immediate candidate to lead the league in carries. (Atlanta led the NFL with 559 team carries in 2022.) Robinson projects as a top-5 fantasy RB.

New Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke told reporters on Thursday that his goal is to be "the best backup I can be to Desmond [Ridder]." "They drafted (Ridder) high for a reason," Heinicke added. So that puts to bed any notion of a true QB competition in Atlanta. Of course, there's a chance that Ridder falters and gives way to Heinicke at some point in 2023. But Ridder is the Falcons QB to consider late in fantasy football drafts.

The Falcons have agreed to a two-year deal with QB Taylor Heinicke that could pay as much as $20 million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. That likely means Heinicke will get significant salary escalators if he winds up starting a bunch of games. More importantly, though, this might be the clearest signal that Atlanta expects to have QB Desmond Ridder starting Week 1 of 2023. The Falcons now have two QBs with NFL starting experience rostered, still more than a month ahead of the NFL Draft. We doubt this excludes the franchise from taking a QB in Round 1 of the draft, if the Falcons like a guy who gets to them. But don't bet on them angling to move up for any QB prospect. Ridder obviously has plenty to prove after just four rookie-year starts. And Heinicke looks like a two-year insurance policy. But Ridder has also been going plenty late enough in best ball ADP so far to be worth selecting as a QB3.

The Falcons reached a three-year deal with EDGE Kaden Elliss worth $21.5 million, with $11 million of that guaranteed. It's a big opportunity for a guy who did nothing across his first three seasons with the Saints. Thrust into the lineup last year, the former seventh-round pick delivered seven sacks and 10 QB hits while starting 11 games. Atlanta is clearly looking to him as a full-time starter, but Elliss has plenty yet to prove. He totaled 23 tackles and 1 sack over his first three years in the NFL. Elliss also sports below-average size and speed score for his position. Perhaps something bigger lies ahead, but we're not overly excited about his fantasy prospects as of now.

The Falcons have agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal with S Jessie Bates III, according to multiple sources. Bates is coming off arguably his worst season, his fifth with Cincinnati. Bates' final two years with the Bengals were marred by contract squabbles, as he sought an extension and then played 2022 on the franchise tag. His tackles dwindled, despite no significant change to his role. And Bates matched the lowest Pro Football Focus coverage grade of his career, just two seasons after he led all safeties in overall PFF grade. Atlanta clearly believes the 26-year-old will rebound. We're betting he'll take over the role Jaylinn Hawkins played last year and start next to former second-round pick Richie Grant. The Falcons' safety roles proved nearly interchangeable in terms of where they lined up, which could mean a little more time in the box for Bates. Like Atlanta, we don't have any real long-term concern for Bates' performance. Check out where he sits in our dynasty rankings.

As anticipated, Texas RB Bijan Robinson tested superbly well at the NFL Combine on Sunday. The Longhorn standout measured in at 5’11 and 215 pounds and put his smooth movement and burst on display in drills. The biggest takeaway from Robinson’s day is the fact that he logged a sub-4.5 second 40-yard time. His official 4.46 time ranks 6th among RBs, and his 1.52-second 10-yard split ranks tied-3rd with Texas teammate Roschon Johnson and Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Robinson is a smidge faster than expected, and his performance only solidifies his bonafide RB1 status in this 2023 class.

The Athletic's Josh Kendall expects Tyler Allgeier to operate as the Falcons' lead back in 2023. Allgeier somewhat quietly topped 1,000 rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry as a rookie last year, with 431 of his rushing yards coming over the final 4 games. He ranked 6th among 45 qualifying RBs in Pro Football Focus' rushing grades and 3rd in Elusive Rating. Allgeier totaled just 16 catches last year -- and a lack of pass-catching work could cap his fantasy ceiling this coming season. But he at least has a shot at RB2 value if he can garner 15 or so carries per game. We'll see what else Atlanta does with the RB group this offseason.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts is "on schedule" in his recovery from November knee surgery to repair a torn MCL, TEs coach Justin Peele said this week. “It’s an ongoing process every day,” Smith added. “Ultimately, what matters is getting ready for training camp. Feel pretty good about where he’s at.” We never got a reported timeline for Pitts' recovery, but he should at least be ready for the start of training camp, if not some of the offseason program. Pitts was a major fantasy disappointment in 2022, posting a 28-356-2 line across 10 games. He still ranked 6th among 32 qualifying TEs in yards per route run, though, and remains a player to bet on long term. The big question for 2023 is whether the Falcons open up their passing game after finishing 31st in pass attempts last year.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins completed 31 of 39 attempts for 273 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's Wild Card loss vs. the Giants. He also punched in a 1-yard rushing TD in the contest. The veteran put forth about as valiant of an effort as one can ask for, but the Giants ultimately proved to be too big a challenge. It'll be interesting to see how HC Kevin O'Connell and company rebound from this upset loss in 2023. It's fair to say the effort should start with bolstering their defense that ranked 28th in Football Outsiders' DVOA this season.

Falcons WR Drake London is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Bucs with a foot injury. We'll update the rookie's status when we know more.

Update: London was cleared to return.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Friday that his regulars will start this weekend's game vs. the Bears but that there's a plan to potentially pull them early to get backups some reps, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. The Vikings can't get the NFC's #1 seed and can only climb from #3 to #2 with a 49ers loss to the Cardinals. QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WRs Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen and TE T.J. Hockenson are candidates to leave Sunday's game early.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Commanders are expected to start QB Taylor Heinicke against Dallas in the season finale. But he adds that rookie QB Sam Howell "is also slated to play." Take this news as an admission from HC Ron Rivera that he was wrong to start Carson Wentz in the Week 17 loss to Cleveland. With Washington now eliminated from playoff contention, though, it would seem to make more sense to just play the rookie the whole way. The reported plan, of course, makes both QBs unusable in fantasy football lineups. And the whole situation adds risk to Washington pass-catchers. We're not changing our outlook for RB Brian Robinson Jr., though. Check out the adjusted Week 18 fantasy football rankings.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that he won't sit his starters in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Bears -- although he added that he could make "more subtle" adjustments to playing time. The Vikings can't get the NFC's #1 seed but are still alive for the #2 seed with a win plus a loss by the 49ers. Minnesota kicks off at 1 pm ET, while 49ers-Cardinals doesn't start until 4:25 pm ET, so there won't be any scoreboard watching going on. It's possible that the Vikings pull guys like QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WR Justin Jefferson and TE T.J. Hockenson if they build a big lead, but we're currently projecting full playing time for all of them.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for just 205 yards in Sunday's loss to the Packers, with 1 TD and 3 INTs. The lone TD went to WR Jalen Nailor from 47 yards out, helping him lead the team with 89 yards on 3 catches. TE T.J. Hockenson led the team with 12 targets, catching 7 for 59 yards. WR K.J. Osborn added a TD catch, but it came from QB Nick Mullens in garbage time. WR Justin Jefferson managed just 1 reception for 15 yards among 5 looks. Minnesota closes out the regular season with an upside matchup at Chicago.

Ravens DL Calais Campbell (knee) is inactive for tonight's game against the Steelers. The knee was deemed unready after he tested it in pregame warmups.

Falcons WR Drake London tied for the team target lead (8) in Sunday's win over the Cardinals, continuing his run of strong target shares with 30.8% in the game. He caught 5 for a mere 47 yards, a modest fantasy outing. With Atlanta throwing for just 169 yards and no TDs overall, the ceiling was low for the rookie wideout. He'll close out next week against a Buccaneers squad that might be resting starters after clinching the division title with a Week 17 win.