Game Overview ::
By Mike johnson >>
- Atlanta will be without starting QB Michael Penix Jr. and star WR Drake London for this divisional road game, leaving veteran QB Kirk Cousins in line to take command of the offense.
- Falcons RB Bijan Robinson finally handled some goal line work in Week 11 and didn’t disappoint with two touchdowns.
- New Orleans is coming off their bye week and the last time we saw them play they were pulling off a road upset of the Panthers.
- Chris Olave has gone over 24 fantasy points in two of his last four games after scoring less than 16 in each of the first six weeks.
- The Saints defense has performed very well against mediocre offenses this season.
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How atlanta Will Try To Win ::
The Falcons have been one of the league’s more disappointing teams this season and enter this week with a 3-7 record and seemingly everyone’s jobs teetering on the brink. Atlanta took the bold step of trading their 2026 first round pick to move up in last year’s draft and add an edge rusher. That would currently be the 8th overall pick, and the Falcons just lost starting QB Michael Penix Jr. to a knee injury that will end his season. They will also be without star wide receiver Drake London for at least this week due to a knee injury of his own. This will leave the team with a skeleton crew of wide receivers for veteran QB Kirk Cousins, who has looked uninspiring during his appearances so far this season.
The Falcons have leaned pretty heavily on the run this season, as RB Bijan Robinson is in the midst of an outstanding season. Tyler Allgeier has also played well for the team this year, and the duo combined for all three of the team’s touchdowns last week against Carolina. The matchup this week with a Saints defense that is much better against the run than the pass is unlikely to be enough to change Atlanta’s approach after they laid a complete egg in the only other start from Cousins this season, when the Falcons barely moved the ball against Miami’s mediocre defense. Atlanta fell behind early in that game and never established a running game, as they had a season low in rush attempts despite a matchup with a Dolphins run defense that had been very poor to that point in the season. Expect the Falcons not to let that happen again and commit heavily to the run, especially without London on the field.
When the Falcons do let Cousins pass the ball, the majority of his passes are likely to be directed at Bijan and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. In that Dolphins game, Pitts was the lone Falcons offensive player to provide any production as he caught 9 of 9 targets for 59 yards. Darnell Mooney operated as the “WR1” in that game, although that is a role he is probably not well-suited for. Mooney has been highly inefficient all season as he has failed to score a touchdown despite playing over 80% of the offensive snaps in seven games this season and being targeted 42 times. Mooney is not getting open downfield, is not creating separation in the short areas, and is not physical enough to win in contested catches. He is ranked 94th out of 94 wide receivers in the league in PFF receiving grade through Week 11. Long story short, don’t count on him. Pitts and Bijan will be the primary options in a low volume passing game, with veteran KhaDarel Hodge potentially seeing an expanded role after some strong games in 2024.
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