Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Tyler Shough

Friday, July 25, 9:06 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) is expected to miss most of training camp with a shoulder injury. He exited Friday's practice early after attempting to make a diving catch down the sideline and did not return. The severity of his shoulder injury is unknown, and Mooney is considered day-to-day for now. The 27-year-old was productive as Atlanta's No. 2 wide receiver, catching 64 of 106 targets for 992 yards and five touchdowns over 16 games. Ray-Ray McCloud III, Kyle Pitts, KhaDarel Hodge, and recently signed DJ Chark should see an uptick in snaps and targets if Mooney misses any regular season games. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the situation as the Falcons are expected to provide more details on Mooney's shoulder injury soon. Mooney's draft stock takes a slight hit as his status for Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is up in the air.

Saturday, July 19, 1:30 PM

The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Tyler Shough reached an agreement on Saturday on a four-year, fully-guaranteed rookie deal worth $10,795,000, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Shough, who was taken 40th overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft, is the last player that was taken this year to secure a fully-guaranteed deal. Although Shough will have competition from Spencer Rattler for the starting QB job in his rookie season, he figures to be the favorite to start under center in Week 1 this fall after Derek Carr's abrupt retirement this offseason. The 25-year-old spent seven years in college, so he has plenty of experience, and he threw for 3,195 yards and 23 yards in 2024 at Louisville. He has good size and arm strength, but his downfield accuracy is a concern. There won't be much fantasy upside here early on if he wins the starting gig. Think low-end QB2 as a game manager more than anything.