Who Should I Start? Michael Gallup or Darnell Mooney

Monday, August 25, 6:18 PM

The Washington Commanders released wide receiver Michael Gallup on Monday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Gallup was unable to make Washington's 53-man roster heading into the regular season in his comeback bid after retiring in 2024 shortly after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. The 29-year-old veteran could return to the Commanders on their practice squad, but if he signs with another team for the regular season, he will merely be competing for a spot on the active game-day roster and won't be on the fantasy radar at all. The former third-rounder (81st overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 out of Colorado State caught 34 of 57 targets for 418 yards and only two touchdowns in 17 games (13 starts) in 2023 in his final year in Dallas. Gallup's best season came in Year 2, when he put up a 66-1,107-6 line on 113 targets in 14 games (12 starts).

Saturday, November 1, 1:02 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (hamstring) closed out the week with full participation in practice on Friday and heads into Sunday without an injury designation. The 28-year-old was able to muster just one grab on four targets last week despite Drake London (hip) missing the contest with an injury. The veteran receiver has failed to produce consistently this year, catching two passes or fewer in three of the five games he's played in, and has yet to find the end zone. With Bijan Robinson's expanded role in the passing attack in 2025 and Kyle Pitts Sr. finding consistency, Mooney has been pushed down in the pass-catcher pecking order. With London likely to see a lot of cornerback Christian Gonzalez, things could open up a bit for Mooney, but the Pats have limited opposing offenses to 194.7 pass yards per game over the last three games (ninth-fewest) and just 18.3 points per game on the season (fourth-fewest), leaving Mooney as an unexciting WR4/Flex for Week 9.