The Atlanta Falcons will face the Carolina Panthers in Week 18. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Darnell Mooney.
Is Darnell Mooney Playing in Week 18?
Mooney popped up on Thursday’s injury report as limited with a shoulder injury, then did not practice at all on Friday. This isn’t a case of injury management, as head coach Raheem Morris called Mooney a game-time decision.
If Mooney can’t go, Ray-Ray McCloud III would join London as the starting wide receiver, though the Falcons would likely lean on more multi-tight end sets.
We’ll continue to monitor the Falcons’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Darnell Mooney in Week 18?
Mooney has cleared 70 air yards in both of Michael Penix Jr.’s starts but with very different outcomes, production lines that weren’t skewed due to a touchdown.
Week 16: 74 air yards, 9.8 expected points, and 13.2 points
Week 17: 78 air yards, 8.0 expected points, and 5.7 points
I think that is what we are going to see as this offense adjusts to Penix (this week and potentially in the postseason should they qualify). The do-or-die nature of this game is nice, but my lack of clarity as to how much work I can reasonably pencil in for Mooney has him outside of my top 35 receivers this week.
Last week, Drake London saw 13 targets while Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, and Darnell Mooney split 15 evenly. Atlanta’s WR2 was running hot coming into the Week 6 meeting with the Panthers and managed only three catches and a 17.2% target share.
There’s just as much risk as reward in this Week 18 profile, and that has me searching in other places to fill my Flex spot.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Darnell Mooney’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Mooney is projected to score 12.2 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.4 receptions for 58.3 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Darnell Mooney’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
