Who Should I Start? Jared Goff or Darnell Mooney

Wednesday, December 24, 8:16 PM

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has played solid football all season long, completing 68.6% of his pass attempts for 4,036 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions across 15 games. Goff's production has ramped up to another level in recent weeks, as he's attempted 129 passes and thrown for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception over his last three games. However, Goff and the Lions will face a very difficult matchup in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings. Entering the week, Minnesota ranks second in the NFL in total passing yards allowed (2,790) and tied for second in passing touchdowns allowed (14). In their Week 16 win over the New York Giants, the Vikings allowed Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to throw for just 33 yards on 13 pass attempts. In his first matchup of 2025 against Minnesota in Week 9, Goff was sacked a season-high five times. Fantasy managers in single-quarterback formats may want to avoid Goff if possible in Week 17.

Sunday, January 4, 11:54 AM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (knee) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New Orleans Saints. He had been listed as questionable after logging back-to-back limited practices. The 28-year-old has failed to meet expectations while occupying the No. 2 wide receiver role for most of this season. He has played 81.8% of the offensive snaps when healthy but has a modest stat line of 29 catches, 423 yards, and one touchdown. Mooney finds himself buried in the pecking order behind Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. As a result, we expect him to remain off the fantasy radar against the Saints on Sunday. He can be benched in most leagues.