DarnellMooney

News: 7 days agoSpeaking Tuesday, coach Raheem Morris was non-committal on whether or not Mooney (shoulder) will be ready for the Falcons' Week 1 matchup with the Bucs, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Spin: Mooney suffered a shoulder injury in practice last Thursday and is expected to be sidelined for a "few weeks," Raimondi reported last week. The nature of Mooney's injury still isn't clear, but there's at least some concern it will linger into the regular season. KhaDarel Hodge is next up on the depth chart behind Drake London and slot man Ray-Ray McCloud should Mooney not be cleared in time to face Tampa Bay.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Mooney is entering his sixth NFL season, including his second with the Falcons. Year 1 in Atlanta was a relative success despite Mooney playing behind Drake London in a run-heavy offense. The veteran receiver handled a 21% target share and had his best showings in targets, catches and yards since his breakout 2021 season. He also caught a career-high five touchdowns. Though Mooney played well, the production wasn't enough to allow his first top-30 fantasy campaign (PPG). Mooney remains locked into the No. 2 WR role in a Falcons' offense that very well could make a leap with Michael Penix Jr. entering his first season as the full-time starting quarterback. That's enough to put him on the flex radar, but his upside is limited.