Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Ricky Pearsall

Friday, October 4, 12:50 AM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney caught nine of 16 targets for 105 yards and two touchdowns during Thursday's overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was Kirk Cousins' most-targeted teammate as the quarterback attempted 58 passes for a franchise-record 509 yards through the air. Mooney delivered one of the best fantasy performances of his career, and he would've added even more points had he been able to catch a fourth-quarter pass that ultimately went through his hands and hit his chest. The 26-year-old seems to be enjoying a resurgence after leaving the Chicago Bears in free agency. Over his last four contests as a Falcon, Mooney is averaging 18.4 fantasy points per game. He ranks as an appealing WR3/FLEX for Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers.

Thursday, October 3, 10:27 PM

The San Francisco 49ers are not opening the practice window for rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (chest) this week, but it won't be long until they do. "I know he is really close," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. "When he's good to go, we'll be pumped to have him back. Ricky is a hell of a player." Pearsall missed a bunch of valuable time in training camp due to a recurring hamstring issue and was then shot in the chest during a burglary right before the start of his rookie season. The 24-year-old remains on the Non-Football Injury list. The good news is it sounds as though he's close to getting on the practice field to work his way back. However, Pearsall has a lot of ground to cover and might need the full 21-day window before the Niners decide to put him on the active roster. Fantasy managers in single-year leagues probably shouldn't expect much, if anything, in 2024. Pearsall is currently rostered in only 8% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.