Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Kenneth Walker III

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.

Friday, December 12, 5:00 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is a risky start in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts. No matter the matchup this season, Walker has been very unpredictable for fantasy purposes. He is hovering around 50-55% of the snaps while splitting time with fellow running back Zach Charbonnet. Despite a low snap count and relatively low volume, Walker has been relatively efficient as a runner, especially over the second half of the season. Additionally, his involvement as a receiver has helped boost him into a flex player with upside. However, Walker cedes just about every touchdown opportunity to Charbonnet. Walker has scored just one touchdown since Week 3 of this season. His lack of touchdown opportunities has resulted in low-end fantasy performances. The Colts are No. 14 against opposing running backs in fantasy. They are also allowing just 3.87 yards per carry to running backs. Walker may be able to buck that trend this week, but he needs to find the end zone to provide any sort of upside. He is a possible flex player this week, but you could very well end up with another 3.8-point dud as we got from Walker in Week 14 against the Falcons.