Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Ricky Pearsall

Monday, November 17, 11:21 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney almost had the second 1,000-yard season of his career in 2024 with the Falcons, but this year has been an entirely different story. In eight games played, Mooney has only 16 receptions on 42 targets for 224 yards and no touchdowns. The 28-year-old former fifth-round pick has had four one-catch games and just has not been trustworthy for fantasy purposes. However, Mooney is now on the waiver-wire radar going into a Week 12 divisional contest against the New Orleans Saints after teammate Drake London (knee) sprained his PCL in Sunday's overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers. Mooney also injured his ribs in that game, but he was able to return after halftime and finished with three catches on four targets for 34 yards. Rostered in 31% of Yahoo leagues, Mooney might now become a more attractive flex play for however long London is out. The catch is that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins is now taking over the offense with Michael Penix Jr. (knee) likely done for the year.

Saturday, November 15, 5:11 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) has no designation on the team's final injury report ahead of their divisional clash with the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. When San Francisco last faced Arizona, in Week 3, Pearsall had his most productive game of the season, catching eight of 11 targets for 117 receiving yards. Jauan Jennings and George Kittle both missed that game due to injury, making Pearsall the focus of the 49ers' passing attack. With all three pass-catchers now healthy, there will be less work for Pearsall, but he could see better production as the defense won't be able to focus their efforts on any one player. Pearsall's return coincides with that of Brock Purdy (toe), who provides a slight bump to the prospects of San Francisco's skill players. Pearsall projects as a borderline WR3/4 in Week 11 with the upside that comes with being his team's preferred deep threat.