Michael Penix Jr. Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

One week after being benched in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's 30-0 Week 3 loss in Carolina, Falcons' QB Michael Penix completed 20-of-26 passes for 313 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT in the team's 34-27 victory over the Washington Commanders.

Penix's 76.9% completion rate and 313 passing yards set new career-best marks for Penix.

Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. was benched in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's 30-0 loss in Carolina. Kirk Cousins relieved Penix and finished the game in mop-up duties. The Falcons were 3.5-point favorites, but were never really in the game.

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. totaled only 135 yards on 13 of 21 passing in a Week 2 win over the Vikings. Atlanta surprisingly won by 16 – 22 to 6 – as they rode the run game and their defense to a victory.

Falcons WR Darnell Mooney (shoulder) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Buccaneers. It’s a minor surprise after he put in three limited practices this week. Mooney doesn’t seem too far from a return, but his absence today leaves Atlanta thin on pass-catchers. Ray-Ray McCloud, KhaDarel Hodge, and Casey Washington will play behind alpha Drake London. TE Kyle Pitts could also pick up extra targets with Mooney out.

Atlanta Falcons RT Kaleb McGary will miss time with an apparent leg injury, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Falcons WR coach Ike Hilliard signaled that a larger role is on tap for veteran WR Darnell Mooney. The former Bear rebounded with 64 catches, 992 yards, and 5 TDs in 2024.

Regarding a potential trade of QB Kirk Cousins, ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that the Falcons “have had discussions with teams – and have asked for a lot in return.”

We all assumed the Falcons would unload QB Kirk Cousins in some way this offseason. They committed to then rookie Michael Penix Jr. at the end of last year. So why keep the huge contract around, especially for a guy who hasn't had to play backup since 2014? But Yahoo's Charles Robinson says he believes Cousins might stay in Atlanta.

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. posted modest numbers in Sunday night's loss to the Commanders. He finished with 223 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT on 19-of-35 passing. That's 54.3% completions and 6.4 yards per attempt against a Washington defense that entered the game ranked just 20th in pass DVOA. But Penix did pilot a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then helped set up what would have been the game-winning FG attempt at the end of regulation (which fell short).

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. proved no better than OK in his first NFL start Sunday. He went 18-of-27 passing for 202 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT. He also took no sacks in a run-heavy, lopsided win that saw the defense score twice.

The Falcons are benching QB Kirk Cousins and going to QB Michael Penix, according to both NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter. Atlanta stuck with Cousins for too long, losing four of the last five and falling out of first place in the NFC South. They beat the Raiders on Monday night in spite of Cousins, who completed just 11 of 17 passes for 112 yards, one TD, and one INT. Penix obviously lacks Cousins' experience but should prove to be a big upgrade in terms of arm talent. We'd still expect the Falcons to be a run-heavy offense going forward, especially as big favorites over the Giants this weekend.

Falcons HC Raheem Morris did not commit to QB Kirk Cousins as his starter going forward on Tuesday. "It's no secret. We didn't play well at the quarterback position," Morris said of Cousins' Week 15 performance. "We got to find ways to play better. So, you know, all those things we go over the course of the week." It's a change of tune from Morris, who's stuck by Cousins throughout the season. The veteran has thrown just one TD vs. nine INTs over his last five games. We'll see if the Falcons make the move to first-round rookie QB Michael Penix for Sunday's game vs. the Giants. He wouldn't be a viable QB1 but could be worth stashing in 2-QB and Superflex leagues.

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins extended his streak of not throwing a TD pass despite a big passing performance. He completed 23 of 37 for 344 yards. Cousins did throw two interceptions against his former team.