Falcons @ Raiders
Final Score: Falcons 15 – 9 Raiders
Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)
A truly dismal Monday Night Football matchup that everyone had circled on calendars for all the wrong reasons certainly lived up to the hype. Kirk Cousins squared off against former Falcon Desmond Ridder, and the Falcons managed to squeak out a win to keep within striking distance of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South. It was a sloppy game with minimal scoring – here’s What We Saw.
Two Up
- Falcons Defense – A unit that’s been taken advantage of for much of the season, those that streamed Atlanta’s defense were rewarded with their best performance of the season. They get the Giants next–maybe it’s worth holding on for one more week.
- Bijan Robinson – Bijan was most of the Falcons’ offense on Monday night, out-rushing the entire passing production from Cousins. He remains one of the safest bets at the RB position, even though he did not find the end zone on Monday.
One Down
- Almost everyone else – a rough offensive night on both sides of the ball showed just how much the Falcons need Kirk Cousins to find his footing in some way and how badly the Raiders need Aidan O’Connell back. Hopefully, you weren’t counting on these offenses to carry you to the semifinals.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 11/17, 112 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 3 carries, 0 yards
Cousins started this game well by delivering an early strike to Drake London to get the Falcons on the board, but that was about all the production he would muster in Monday night’s contest. With the Raiders unable to move the ball until the final few minutes of the game, the Falcons decided to run the ball and run out the clock as quickly as possible for most of the game. Cousins didn’t have a chance to lose the game for the Falcons this time, thanks to only throwing 17 pass attempts all game. He’s firmly off the fantasy radar for the rest of the season, and we may see a new QB taking snaps for Atlanta next year.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 22 carries, 125 yards | 1/2 receiving, 10 yards
One of the few bright spots on offense for either team tonight was Bijan Robinson, who produced a season-high 125 rushing yards to lead the Falcons to victory. Robinson, as he has all year, looked powerful and shifty, showing his burst on several plays to gain chunk yardage and keep the chains moving. The lack of receiving work is a little disappointing, but there wasn’t too much of that to go around tonight. Next week’s matchup against the Giants is a mouth-watering setup for fantasy managers, and Bijan will remain a locked-in WR1.
Tyler Allgeier: 12 carries, 43 yards
Allgeier did a fine enough job spelling Bijan when needed, but as we’ve known all season, he doesn’t carry enough standalone fantasy value to ever be started unless Robinson goes down.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 3/3 receiving, 53 yards, 1 TD
Drake London‘s biggest moment came early in the game when he caught a 30-yard touchdown on a perfectly placed pass from Cousins. That would be about all the noise London would make, though, as the Falcons rode their run game to victory. London is putting together a solid season, but there is a risk of a similar game script limiting his workload in Week 16 against the Giants. He should still be started in most leagues, but we may need to limit expectations slightly.
Kyle Pitts: 4/4 receiving, 28 yards
You know it’s a lost season for Kyle Pitts when this was his best receiving total in five weeks. One of the year’s premier busts at the position, Pitts can be safely dropped in all leagues if he hasn’t been already. There has to be a better streamer available on your waiver wire (Brenton Strange, anyone?).
Ray-Ray McCloud III: 1/3 receiving, 14 yards
He’s had some strong games this year, but there was simply no volume to go around for Ray-Ray McCloud III. He’s firmly off the fantasy radar.
Charlie Woerner: 2/3 receiving, 7 yards
Darnell Mooney: 0/1 receiving
First C0.0per Kupp, then Amari C0.0per, and now we have Darnell M0.0ney completing a trifecta of donuts for wide receivers in Week 15. Mooney, much like the rest of the Falcons, was hampered by the team only throwing 17 times, but it was still a shock to see him not record a catch in this matchup. You have to assume next week will be a better performance, but Mooney is still a risky FLEX for that matchup.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Desmond Ridder: 23/39, 208 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT | 5 carries, 28 yards
This is hopefully the last we’ve seen of Desmond Ridder as the Raiders’ starting QB, as there’s a good chance Aidan O’Connell will be able to return next week. This is good news for the Las Vegas offense, as Ridder struggled to move the ball all night up until the final couple of desperation drives. Ridder’s play brought down the output of every skill player around him, most notably Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, the latter of whom was held out of the box score entirely until the fourth quarter. If Ridder does start again in Week 16, you may want to look for other options to play over your Raiders.
Running Back
Alexander Mattison: 7 carries, 21 yards | 2/4 receiving, 3 yards | 1 lost fumble
With Sincere McCormick going down early with an ankle injury, Alexander Mattison assumed the lead back role for the Raiders, though that didn’t mean much with the team trailing the entire game. Mattison managed just nine touches and also lost a fumble, putting together an incredibly ineffective day. Even if McCormick is out next week, Mattison will not be a recommended start.
Ameer Abdullah: 3 carries, 8 yards | 7/7 receiving, 58 yards, 1 TD
The best offensive player for the Raiders on Monday night was Ameer Abdullah, who benefitted from Desmond Ridder needing to check the ball down frequently. Abdullah showed off his pass-catching chops and scored the only TD of the night for Las Vegas. If McCormick misses more time, Abdullah is probably the back to own in this offense for Week 16, though I’d advise avoiding this backfield altogether in that case.
Sincere McCormick: 7 carries, 8 yards | 2/2 receiving, 17 yards
One of the Waiver Wire darlings of the past few weeks, Sincere McCormick, left this game early with an ankle injury. Sigh. He was inefficient with his touches before leaving, but his emergence as the lead back at least gave him some FLEX viability in most leagues. Keep an eye on those practice reports for both him and AOC–both will need to be positive for McCormick to be worth starting again in Week 16.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jakobi Meyers: 5/9 receiving, 59 yards
Jakobi Meyers somehow led the team in receiving in all categories after not catching a pass until the fourth quarter. Meyers, much like the rest of the offense, was limited heavily by the play of Ridder. If O’Connell can return for next week’s matchup, Meyers should have FLEX viability as the team’s top wideout, but he wouldn’t be a recommended start if it’s another helping of Ridder under center.
Brock Bowers: 3/6 receiving, 35 yards
Another disappointing outing for the standout rookie, who has been a victim of poor QB play more than anything else. Bowers remains the most dynamic playmaker the Raiders have, and even on an incredibly underwhelming outing, he still managed 6.5 PPR points, which isn’t terrible. You have to hope he’s ready for another boom week soon–we’ve seen it several times this year.
Tre Tucker: 2/3 receiving, 18 yards
With Meyers and Bowers struggling, there was no way Tre Tucker and the other ancillary options on this offense would hold relevance. Tucker is an end-of-bench stash in Dynasty leagues at best.
Michael Mayer: 1/2 receiving, 11 yards
Even with a down night from Bowers, Michael Mayer is a distant second on the TE depth chart. He can be left on waivers.
Terrace Marshall Jr.: 1/1 receiving, 7 yards
Oh, hey, that guy! Good to see you’re still in the NFL.