Saints @ Falcons
Final Score: Falcons 26, Saints 24
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan on Twitter/X)
It was one abdominal injury short of being a full-blown Taysom Hill Sunday, as the do-it-all “tight end” cashed in the Saints’ first two scores of the day, but left the game at halftime. Hill’s injury forced the Saints to open up the offense and allow some other fantasy-friendly faces to get involved. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins and the Falcons relied heavily on their defense and special teams, as the offense failed to put up a touchdown. Younghoe Koo finished as the hero in this one, drilling a 58-yard game-winning field goal – his fourth of the day – to walk it off. Let’s dig in.
Three Up
- Chris Olave – Battled through an injury to post one of his best games of the season, and proved he’s still an alpha receiver.
- Tyler Allgeier – He’s never going to pass Robinson as the RB1, but if he continues to outproduce him on a per-touch basis he’ll continue to get looks.
- Taysom Hill – Though he was injured in the second quarter, it’s extremely encouraging to see Hill in a very active red zone role after very few chances in the first two weeks
Two Down
- Kyle Pitts – No receptions. His role continues to shrink as the season progresses.
- Bijan Robinson – Fewer carries than Allgeier and had a touchdown called back on a penalty.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 28/36, 239 Yards, INT | 3 Carries, 5 Yards
Carr was serviceable, but nowhere near as good as he had been in the first few weeks of the season. His interception came on a batted ball where he tried to sidearm-Stafford the ball past the defensive lineman. Instead, it was tipped into the air and caught by an opposing linebacker. The Falcons ran it in for a defensive score to take the lead.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 19 Carries, 77 Yards, TD | 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 42 Yards
Kamara looked solid on his touches and was heavily involved in the passing game, albeit close to the line of scrimmage. Of course, fantasy managers are going to be a little upset about Hill vulturing touchdowns from the Saints running back, but at least Kamara got the goal line carry after Hill went down with an injury and found his way to pay dirt.
Jamaal Williams: 3 Carries, 11 Yards
I’m so glad that Williams got a massive contract after his one great year with the Lions, because he’s one of my favorite human beings in the NFL. It’s tough to see him relegated to such a small and insignificant role. But here we are.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Olave: 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 87 Yards
Olave was believed to have been carrying an injury into this game, popping up on the mid-week report with a hamstring injury. However, he looked solid as ever in this game, pulling in eight of his 10 targets for 87 yards. He managed a 27.8% target share and turned in his best performance of the season, giving Olave managers a reason to be optimistic outside of the metrics. If the Olave manager is still shopping the Saints’ wide receiver, it’s still a good time to buy low, better days are coming.
Rashid Shaheed: 11 Targets, 8 Receptions, 83 Yards
Shaheed muffed a punt that the Falcons recovered for a fumble to open the game, but recovered from that miscue to post one of his best games of the season (from strictly a usage perspective). He didn’t have the one bomb touchdown play that has become his trademark, but he did garner a 52% air yards share, ranking fifth among wide receivers in the early slate of games. His increased role this season is here to stay, especially if Hill misses more time.
Air yardage share leaders from the early games:
67% – George Pickens
62% – Courtland Sutton
56% – Tee Higgins
53% – Diontae Johnson
52% – Rashid Shaheed
50% – Drake London
48% – Mike Evans
47% – DJ Moore
47% – Christian Kirk
46% – Nico Collins— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 29, 2024
Taysom Hill: 6 Carries, 24 Yards, 2 TDs
Hill lined up out wide, in the slot, in the backfield, and under center in his limited snaps, carrying six times including two for scores from inside the five-yard line. He also ran four routes and frustrated the heck out of Kamara managers everywhere. He left the game in the second quarter with an abdominal injury and did not return. We won’t speculate on the length of his absence, but he immediately becomes fantasy viable on sites where he is listed as a TE upon his return.
Juwan Johnson: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
Mason Tipton: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 21/35, 238 Yards, INT
This was a forgettable Sunday for Cousins and yet he did enough to get his team a victory. Or at least, put his team in position for Koo to get them the victory. His interception was a bad one, missing his receiver by a couple of yards. From a health standpoint, he didn’t look as off as he did against the Eagles earlier this season, but my guess is he’s still not 100%. Fantasy managers should proceed with caution or comb the waiver wire for an alternative if they’re running out Cousins on a weekly basis.
#Falcons Kirk Cousins throws an AWFUL interception vs the #Saints.
Penix is now taking snaps on the sideline as Cousins talks with the Atlanta staff.
Sam Darnold has two passing touchdowns vs the #Packers in just one quarter.
Yikes…🫣
pic.twitter.com/9Kn0OM1zyi— NFC North News (@NFCNorthNewss) September 29, 2024
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 7 Carries, 28 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 46 Yards
Who let Arthur Smith back in the building for this game? Obviously, that wasn’t the case, but man it sure felt like it! Robinson was on the field for 36 out of 57 snaps, but garnered only 11 opportunities with the ball. That’s not what fantasy managers are looking for out of their stud running back. For what it’s worth, Robinson did have a receiving touchdown called back on a holding penalty, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow after a performance like this one.
Tyler Allgeier: 8 Carries, 60 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards
Maybe it was a hot hand decision, but Allgeier and Robinson practically split snaps in the second half of this game, with Robinson narrowly out-snapping Allgeier, 14-13, after halftime. Allgeier was sharp with the ball, showing good vision and decision-making on his opportunities to create in space. He has been more productive on a per-touch basis than his backfield mate and should continue to see close to an even split if he remains productive.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 12 Targets, 6 Receptions, 64 Yards
Clearly Cousins’ favorite receiver, London was targeted nearly twice as many times as any of his teammates, but still managed to pull in just half of those throws. Easily his best catch of the day was on the Falcons’ opening drive, third-and-10 play where he beat his man to the inside despite inside leverage and made an amazing diving grab. If he can pull those in, Cousins should continue to feed him.
Drake London on 3rd and 10
Winning late on the dig, through heavy inside leverage – before making a diving catch.
A++++ pic.twitter.com/1jAds4qHks
— Theo Ash (@TheoAshNFL) September 29, 2024
Kyle Pitts: 3 Targets
Poof. He vanished. He ran routes on just 64.7% of offensive snaps, his lowest total of the season. It’s scary how quickly he’s disappeared from this offense. And it’s not even Halloween yet.
Darnell Mooney: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 56 Yards
Mooney was used to take the top off the Saints’ defense, running several intermediate to deep routes. He nearly pulled in another long pitch-and-catch adding to his day but instead drew a defensive pass interference call to set up the Falcons’ game-winning field goal.
Darnell Mooney WR1?pic.twitter.com/JeDqDK4r6O
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 29, 2024
Ray Ray McCloud: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 52 Yards
With Mooney taking the top off the defense, McCloud was the short-yardage receiver pulling catches in the flats and across the middle for a few yards here and there. He’ll likely be most effective against Cover 2 defenses that look to limit big plays and cede the flats and short-yardage areas going forward.