Monday Night Fantasy Football Takeaways: Kirk Cousins Leads Falcons to Win, DeVonta Smith Leads Eagles' Pass Catchers

Week 2 of the NFL regular season wrapped up with a fun battle between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles.

Let’s discuss some fantasy football takeaways from the game, just like we did for the Thursday and Sunday games.

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Team Game Stats

Atlanta scored in the final minute to prevail 22-21 over Philadelphia.

The Falcons had 385 total yards, with 241 coming through the air and 152 on the ground. Atlanta didn’t turn the ball over, were called for just three penalties and allowed just one sack.

The Eagles had 365 total yards, with 186 on the ground and 183 through the air. Philly turned the ball over once, committed nine penalties and was sacked once.

Kirk Cousins Looks Better, Leads Winning Drive

Cousins looked more like himself in week 2 after a shaky showing in week 1.

He completed 20 of his 29 passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Cousins lost a yard on four carries and fumbled (but the team recovered it).

I mentioned Cousins as a possible waiver wire target before the Monday night game and saw enough to follow through on that move. He’ll take on a tough Kansas City Chiefs defense in week 3, but that defense has also allowed 531 passing yards and three touchdowns through three weeks, so he could be in store for another solid outing.

Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier Post Solid Yardages

Robinson and Allgeier were the focal point of the Atlanta offense, and each had big total yardages.

Robinson rushed 14 times for 97 yards, while adding 25 receiving yards on four catches and five targets. Allgeier had 53 rushing yards on nine carries and a 12-yard reception on his only target.

A score for either player would have led to really solid fantasy point totals, but even without touchdowns, both players had good fantasy nights. Expect the offense to continue to feature both guys, with Robinson obviously leading the charge, but Allgeier maybe getting enough work some weeks to be worth a flex start in standard leagues.

The matchup against the Chiefs is not great for the Falcons’ RB duo. I’d only trust Robinson with a start in standard leagues, and would probably try to avoid Allgeier in deeper leagues too.

Atlanta Pass Catchers Split Work

There really wasn’t a dominant pass catcher in the Atlanta offense for a second straight week.

Darnell Mooney led the team with 88 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches and seven targets. Drake London had 54 yards and a score on six receptions and seven targets, while Ray-Ray McCloud had 42 yards on three catches and five targets. Tight end Kyle Pitts had 20 receiving yards on three grabs and four targets.

It’s been those same four guys who have led the team’s pass catchers in the first two weeks of action, which is a good thing from a consistency perspective. But with only Mooney over 100 yards (103) and nobody with more than one touchdown grab, it might be hard to predict which guys you can trust every week.

The obvious choice would be London, but he’s third on the team in receiving yards so far. It’s Robinson who leads the team in receptions, with nine.

Maybe week 3 will provide some more clarity regarding the Atlanta pass catchers, but right now, I wouldn’t feel great about starting any of these guys in standard leagues.

Jalen Hurts Pretty Unimpressive as Passer, but Delivers with Legs

Hurts showed why he’s such a great fantasy asset on Monday night.

He completed 23 of his 30 passes, but for just 183 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Hurts made up for the average passing game with 85 rushing yards and a score on 13 attempts.

That dual-threat ability is crucial for Hurts, and it continuously helps him finish as one of the better fantasy QBs in the league. You’d love to see him put it all together, but Hurts is still a QB you can trust with a starting spot every week.

Saquon Barkley has Costly Drop, but Big Fantasy Night 

Barkley dropped a crucial pass on third down late in the game. Instead of that catch and run allowing Philly to run out the clock, Atlanta had about 100 seconds to march down the field for the winning score.

Barkley was good otherwise. He rushed 22 times for 95 yards - he had a touchdown run overturned, and then Hurts stole the touchdown run. Barkley added 21 receiving yards on four catches and five targets.

Barkley has 248 total yards and three touchdowns through the first two weeks. With Christian McCaffrey now out for an extended period, I’d say Barkley is the favorite to finish as the top fantasy back.

He’ll be a must-start player for every week he’s healthy this season. Expect him to get at least 20 touches a game, and I’d bet he scores more touchdowns than he has games played.

DeVonta Smith Leads Pass Catchers with A.J. Brown Out

Brown was ruled out over the weekend, and the injury is now expected to keep him out a couple weeks.

Smith is already a good wide receiver, but without Brown around, we get to see him function as the No. 1 option. He went for 76 yards and a touchdown on seven catches and 10 targets in week 2.

You can expect Smith to continue to dominate the targets and be the top option in the red zone for the team until Brown is back. Regardless of the matchup, Smith needs to be starting (and he usually is even with Brown out there).

Philly is going to need someone else to step up in the passing game though.

Tight end Dallas Goedert was second on the team with 38 receiving yards on Monday. He caught three of his four targets.

Britain Covey caught all six of his targets, but for just 38 yards. One reception went for 16 yards, so he didn’t really accomplish much on the other catches, which were mostly screen passes.

Backup TE Grant Calcaterra had 19 receiving yards on two catches and targets. Jahan Dotson caught a six-yard pass on his lone target. Johnny Wilson didn’t catch his only target.

Barkley and Smith are two great talents, but they aren’t enough to power the Eagles’ offense to wins on their own. Fantasy owners shouldn’t trust anyone but Hurts, Barkley and Smith with standard league starting spots right now.

By the time someone steps up, Brown might be ready to return. What it means is that Barkley and Smith are going to be heavily involved offensively and that Hurts is probably going to run a bunch to make up for the lack of playmakers around him.

IDP Standouts

Atlanta’s Jessie Bates III had a game-high 12 combined tackles on Monday. He intercepted a pass, knocked down two other throws and also had a tackle for loss.

His fantasy score this week is going to stick out because of the pick, but he’s a great weekly starting option in IDP leagues.

Atlanta’s Kaden Elliss had 11 total tackles in the game.

Elliss had nine tackles in week 1, so that’s two really strong showings to get his year started. He might not add much else, but in leagues where tackles are rewarded, Elliss is a good IDP option.

Philadelphia’s Reed Blankenship logged 10 total tackles.

Blankenship had eight tackles and an interception in week 1. The tackle totals are enough to roster and play Blankenship in IDP leagues.

Atlanta’s Matthew Judon had a sack and six combined tackles.

Judon had a half a sack and six combined tackles in week 1. His first two weeks show that Judon isn’t just a sack specialist, which makes him a fine IDP option.