Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Quentin Johnston

Thursday, August 28, 1:23 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) is at practice and in uniform on Thursday for the first time since July 24, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Mooney injured his shoulder on the first day of training camp and is just now returning. Although it's unclear if the 27-year-old will be ready for Week 1 of the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was able to avoid landing on short-term Injured Reserve, which would have kept him out for the first four games of the year. Expect Atlanta to begin ramping Mooney back up in advance of next week's season opener. In his first year with the Falcons in 2024, Mooney had one of the best years of his career, posting a 64-992-5 line on 106 targets over 16 starts. It might be a stretch for him to duplicate those numbers in 2025, but he's at least worth a late-round flier for receiving depth in fantasy drafts.

Thursday, August 21, 6:32 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (concussion), who suffered a scary-looking concussion in the team's second preseason game last Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams, was back at practice on Thursday, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN.com. While the 23-year-old might not be completely cleared from the league's concussion protocol, the fact that he's back on the field is a good sign that he should gain full clearance to be active for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Friday, Sept. 5, against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil. Johnston should go undrafted in standard 12-team fantasy leagues this fall. The former 21st overall pick in 2023 out of TCU did improve with a 55-711-8 line in 15 regular-season games (11 starts) in 2024, but he continues to struggle with drops and is fighting for the WR3 role with rookie Tre' Harris behind Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen.