Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Ladd McConkey

Saturday, September 13, 10:47 AM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) was a full participant in practice on Friday after being limited earlier in the week, and heads into Sunday night's matchup with the Vikings without an injury designation. The 27-year-old should slide back into his role as No. 2 receiver behind Drake London (shoulder), who also practiced fully on Friday. Mooney owned a solid 21.3 percent target share last season with the same receiving corps, although much of that was with Kirk Cousins under center. In the two games he played with Michael Penix Jr. at the helm, Mooney's target share dropped to 17.7 percent. Going up against a tough run defense, the Falcons may prefer to attack Minnesota through the air, but with plenty of receiving options at their disposal and Mooney potentially getting eased back into action, the sixth-year pro should be viewed as a high-end WR4/Flex play in Week 2 with some slight upside in PPR formats.

Tuesday, September 16, 2:00 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey caught all five of his targets for 48 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders in the team's 20-9 win on Monday night. He has been reliable through two weeks but hasn't received a single red-zone target. That limits his touchdown potential and raises some concerns for fantasy managers. In Week 3, McConkey might face Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, though it's unlikely he'll shadow him given Los Angeles' other weapons. McConkey's role stays consistent as a short-to-intermediate option. He's a safe floor play in PPR formats, but managers should temper their scoring expectations at this point in the season.