Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Ladd McConkey

Tuesday, October 21, 12:38 PM

In his first game action since Week 4 due to injury, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney was the team's leading receiver in Sunday night's 20-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, catching three of his five targets for 68 yards. While his 68 yards led the team on a night where Atlanta's offense was stuck in the mud, Mooney's targets were third behind receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. Most of the 27-year-old's production came on a 38-yard hookup with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. late in the second quarter. Mooney and the Falcons' passing game have a get-right matchup upcoming this Sunday against the 1-6 Miami Dolphins, but he figures to continue to be an inconsistent boom/bust WR4/flex for fantasy football managers. Mooney has caught only 10 of his 21 targets through four games this year for 147 yards, and he has yet to find the end zone. He's currently rostered in just 29% of Yahoo leagues. Don't rule him out as a decent flex streamer this week with six teams on bye.

Monday, October 20, 6:49 PM

Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey saw a heavy workload in Week 7, catching nine of 15 targets for 67 yards in the team's 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He led the team in targets for the second straight week, continuing to earn Herbert's trust on short and intermediate routes, although he didn't score after back-to-back games with a touchdown. In Week 8, the Bolts face a tough Minnesota Vikings secondary allowing just 26.9 PPR points per game to wide receivers. With a short week and tired legs, McConkey's ceiling might be limited, but his growing role and target share keep him in the FLEX/WR3 consideration for most leagues.