Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Christian Watson

Friday, December 20, 10:30 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney picked a terrible time to have his worst outing of the season, recording zero catches on one target against a depleted Raiders defense. The 27-year-old posted a one-catch performance back in Week 1, but averaged almost five catches per contest from Week 2-14. Now, with confidence shaken combined with a rookie quarterback making his first start, fantasy managers who survived Week 15's debacle must decide whether or not to use Mooney in Week 16. The lack of success last week should probably be attributed to Kirk Cousins more than Mooney, however. Still, even though the Falcons are nine-point favorites on Sunday versus the Giants, Atlanta is likely to deploy a heavy dose of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier against a defense that has yielded the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs on the season. If the Falcons do need to ask Michael Penix Jr. to throw, then the receivers should see some success, as New York allows the third-highest completion rate to QBs and has only intercepted a pass twice on the entire year. All that being said, Mooney looks like a shaky WR3 in the fantasy playoffs this Sunday.

Monday, December 16, 12:14 AM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson helped co-lead the Packers in targets and was a solid contributor in the Packers' 30-13 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. Watson co-led the Packers in targets with Jayden Reed and was their downfield thread on the boundary, leading the team with 56 yards receiving. Watson's long catch of 36 yards helped the Packers set up a second-quarter field goal. His 56-yard effort comes off the heels of a 114-yard game in Week 14, so it does feel like a disappointment, but Romeo Doubs returning from concussion protocol may have spread the targets out just a bit. With Watson and the Packers heading back home to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, Watson should be considered a volatile flex option for fantasy purposes.