Who Should I Start? Cooper Kupp or Darnell Mooney

Tuesday, December 9, 2:19 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp finished Week 14 as the WR19 in half-PPR formats, but it came largely on the back of a walk-in touchdown that helped to mask his low volume. Kupp has rarely been taken off the field this year, but in a passing offense run almost entirely through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he has failed to earn more than four targets in six of his last seven outings, and Sunday's touchdown marked only his second in a Seahawks uniform. Across 12 games this season, he has topped 40 receiving yards only three times, and only once since Week 6. While fantasy managers may have relied on him throughout the year as an injury or bye week replacement, it is unlikely he finds a way into any starting lineups for the fantasy playoffs, and he is best left on the waiver wire.

Wednesday, December 10, 5:32 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney was limited to just one catch on four targets for six yards this past week, his fifth one-catch performance of the season in 11 games played. The 28-year-old has had an opportunity to become the team's top receiver with Drake London (knee) missing the last three weeks due to injury, however, that role appears to have been occupied by tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. The 5-foot-11 wideout played on just 77 percent of the team's offensive snaps in Week 14, while David Sills V logged 94 percent and the aforementioned Pitts totaled 92 percent. The veteran will have another chance to carve out an expanded role in Week 15 versus the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, with London ruled out again and against a pass defense that is middle of the road in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers, but a unit that has yielded the sixth-most yards in the NFL through the air this season. For what it's worth, Mooney had a touchdown reception overturned last week because he stepped on the sideline before securing the pass, which could have been his second touchdown in the last three games despite the limited volume. Still, considering the situation at quarterback and Mooney's inability to garner sufficient targets, he falls outside the WR3 range this week, making him more of a boom/bust Flex play on TNF.