Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Rashid Shaheed

Tuesday, August 26, 7:21 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) has avoided landing on Injured Reserve to start the 2025 season, even though he has not practiced since the first day of training camp in late July, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. It means that the Falcons think Mooney could be available within the team's first four games of the season in September. Still, the 27-year-old can probably be considered more of a long shot to suit up in Week 1 against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 7. When healthy, Mooney could serve as the team's No. 2 wideout behind Drake London in starting three-wide sets, although the uncertainty surrounding his injury makes him no better than a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts as a WR4/5. In his first year in Atlanta in 2024, Mooney bounced back in a big way with a 64-992-5 line on 106 targets over 16 starts.

Wednesday, July 30, 11:10 AM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is playing through physical coverage in training camp practices so far, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports. Nowak notes that this has been a clear area of improvement for the fourth-year receiver since he entered the league in 2022. Once known exclusively as a downfield deep-ball threat, Shaheed was showing signs of becoming a more complete receiver in 2024 before tearing his meniscus in Week 6 and missing the remainder of the season. In the six games he played, Shaheed caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, averaging an impressive 2.25 yards-per-route-run. The Saints' question marks at quarterback hold down his fantasy value, but Shaheed is an intriguing late-round dart throw who could be on the verge of a breakout in his age-27 season.