Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Josh Downs

Monday, November 18, 12:07 PM

The early prognosis on Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (hamstring) is that the hamstring injury he suffered in the Week 11 blowout loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday is not serious, according to a source. Mooney could go for some testing on Monday, but the 27-year-old's injury comes at a good time with the Falcons heading into their bye in Week 12. Barring a setback with his hamstring once he resumes practicing, Mooney should have a good shot to be available for the team's Week 13 game on Dec. 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Before leaving on Sunday, Mooney caught two of four targets for only 27 yards on a day in which the Broncos defense completely shut down Atlanta's offense. Things probably won't get any easier for Mooney and the Falcons offense coming out of their bye in Week 13 against a stout Chargers D.

Friday, November 22, 6:30 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs leads his team in targets (71) and yards per game (63.0). Quarterback Anthony Richardson looked his way five times in Week 11 and Downs caught all five balls for 84 yards and a touchdown. Coming into the contest with a 44.4% completion rate, there were concerns about Richardson's ability to get his receivers the ball, but he proved that he could still do it, even against a strong Jets pass defense (20-for-30, 66.7%). The Colts are seven-point underdogs for Sunday's contest against the Lions so there should be plenty of opportunities for Downs as the offense tries to keep pace with Detroit. With five catches in six of nine games played and the clear No. 1 receiver, the former third-round draft pick has a pretty reliable floor. The second-year pro sets up as a back-end WR2 this week with some small upside given his ability to find the zone (four TDs in 2024).