Michael Penix Named New Falcons Quarterback | Fantasy Football Outlooks for Penix, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney and More

The Atlanta Falcons are still in the playoff hunt, but their offense has been abysmal for a month or so. Instead of hoping Kirk Cousins can get things turned around, Atlanta is going to give Michael Penix Jr. the starting gig.

Let’s discuss what the move means for the quarterbacks and the other offensive fantasy players on the Falcons.

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Quarterback Numbers

Cousins has started the first 14 games for the Falcons, with the team going 7-7 in those games. He has completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Cousins hasn’t added much as a runner.

Cousins put together some strong showings between weeks 5-9, but has struggled mightily since week 10. In the past five games, the quarterback completed 62.7% of his passes for 1,180 yards, but just one touchdown and nine interceptions.

Oddly enough, the Falcons stuck with Cousins through a four-game losing streak, and are now making the move to Penix after the team won in week 15.

Penix has appeared in just two games this season, two blowout losses.

He was 2-of-4 against the Broncos and completed his only pass against the Seahawks. Penix has 24 passing yards against Denver and 14 against Seattle. He did not attempt any rushes in either game.

Penix was a surprise first-round pick (No. 8 overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft. Atlanta had just signed Cousins to a long-term deal, and he looked like the quarterback of the future. Instead of surrounding Cousins with more offensive talent, the team drafted his backup.

Cousins was coming off a major Achilles injury, and with his struggles this season, it now looks like the team made the right choice after all. 

If Penix shows he’s a capable starting quarterback down the stretch, Cousins might have already played his last snaps in Atlanta.

Falcons’ Fantasy Outlooks

I don’t want to look too far down the road, as the Falcons are still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot. Penix could start the final three games of the regular season, or Cousins could replace the rookie at halftime this upcoming week if he struggles in the first half.

A week 16 matchup against the Giants is a great time to move Penix into the starting role though.

The Giants are a favorable matchup for a fantasy quarterback, sitting in the bottom-10 for most fantasy points allowed. It’d be tough to trust a rookie quarterback making his first career start, especially in such a crucial fantasy week, but the Falcons’ offense has all the pieces in place to make Penix a good fantasy option. Ultimately, it comes down to your other options, and how much risk you are willing to take. The deeper the fantasy league, the better starting option Penix becomes.

New York is a favorable matchup for running backs as well, and you can bet Atlanta will try to establish the running game in order to help ease Penix into the game.

Bijan Robinson is the team’s workhorse back, and a must-start fantasy player every week. He averages 78.7 rushing yards per game, and has scored eight times on the ground. Robinson is also averaging 29.4 receiving yards on 3.9 receptions per game, and has scored once through the air.

Robinson needs to be started again this week, and there’s a chance he delivers his best fantasy showing of the season given the team’s change at QB and the pretty favorable matchup ahead.

Tyler Allgeier is a pretty good backup option, and is a flex-level option this week. He averages 39.4 rushing yards per game and has scored three times on the ground. Allgeier has just 4.4 receiving yards on 0.7 receptions per contest - he hasn’t scored through the air.

He’s gotten at least nine touches in each of the past three games, and is coming off a 12-touch game. I think Allgeier will be even more involved this week, but would need to see your other starting options before making a final start/sit call on the backup RB.

The Giants are actually a below-average matchup for wide receivers, while being a very tough matchup on tight ends.

Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud are the team’s top wide receivers, while Kyle Pitts is the top tight end.

London leads the team in most receiving statistics. He’s averaging 65.6 yards on 5.6 grabs and has scored seven touchdowns. 

London has at least 53 yards in each of the past five games. He’s had three receptions twice in that span, five grabs in another game and nine in the final one. He scored just once in that span, last week. If I was going to start one pass catcher from Atlanta’s roster this week, it would be London, but the change to Penix makes him a riskier starting option, and someone who will probably be in start/sit stories later in the week.

Mooney is averaging 62.4 yards and 4.1 receptions and has scored five times this season. 

He’s been an inconsistent fantasy performer of late, with three games under 30 yards (including a zero-catch outing last week) and one at 142 yards over the past four games. I’d really prefer not to start Mooney in a standard league, and actually labeled Mooney a drop candidate. With the quarterback change, I’d try to wait one more week now before dropping Mooney, but I’d prefer to stay away from him in the tougher week 16 matchup.

McCloud is averaging 42 yards on 3.9 receptions and has scored just once this season. 

He too had been on a roll coming into week 15, tallying 95 yards in week 13 and then 98 in week 14. As the third option on the team amongst the receivers, and in a tougher matchup, and with a new quarterback, I’m sticking away from McCloud in standard leagues. I’d probably also prefer to stick away from him in a deeper league, but would need to see your other options before making a final call.

Pitts is averaging just 38.3 yards on 2.9 catches this season. He’s scored three touchdowns.

He’s struggled mightily over the past four games, with just 51 yards on six catches and 15 targets. Looking at how he’s performed of late, the tough matchup and the QB change, I really would try to avoid Pitts in a standard league. The deeper the league gets, the more appealing Pitts becomes as a starting option, but I’d still try to do my best to avoid him this week.

Be sure to check back later in the week to see if any Falcons appear in start/sit stories. You can also run your players through the FantasySP start/sit tool to see how they stack up against your other starting options. 

We’ll keep a close eye on the team’s numbers in week 16 and determine after the game if anyone is worth starting in week 17. For now, it’s all speculation as Penix prepares to make his first career NFL start.