Darnell Mooney Fantasy Overview

2024 Summary

Production & Fantasy Finishes

Mooney caught 64 balls for 992 yards and five TDs across 16 games last year. He missed the season finale with a shoulder injury.

Through Week 17, Mooney ranked 27th in total PPR points and 39th in points per game. He was a relatively reliable weekly producer, finishing as a top-36 PPR WR in nine of 16 outings. That included four top-12 scoring weeks.

Usage & Role

Mooney was a full-time player for the Falcons, running a route on 94% of the pass plays in his 16 games.

His 106 targets ranked second on the team behind Drake London and 30th among WRs league-wide. Mooney drew 20.3% of Atlanta’s targets in his 16 games.

He led the team with 22 targets of 20+ yards. Only 12 WRs saw more last year.

Mooney didn’t see much action in scoring territory, though. His 20 red-zone targets tied for 41st among WRs, and his three end-zone targets tied for 83rd. Mooney’s 3.8 expected receiving TDs ranked 56th at the position.

He finished 49th in expected PPR points per game.

Efficiency Metrics

Mooney caught 60.4% of his targets last year and averaged a career-best 15.5 yards per catch. That ranked 10th among 84 qualifying WRs. His 21 receptions of 20+ yards were also a career high and were second-most among WRs (behind only Justin Jefferson).

Mooney finished 30th among those 84 WRs in yards per route and 38th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade.

Offensive Context

The 2024 Falcons finished 13th in points and sixth in total yards. They were a fast-paced, run-leaning offense, ranking:

• 9th in pace
• 8th in plays
• 24th in pass rate
• 17th in neutral pass rate

QB Kirk Cousins started the first 14 games of the season but was benched for QB Michael Penix for the final three.

Mooney posted 5-82-0 and 2-37-0 lines in Penix’s first two starts and missed the third. He drew 11 targets on a 17.7% share with Penix — down from a 20.7% share with Cousins.

Historical Production & Trends

Mooney followed a 61-631-4 rookie-year line in Chicago with a breakout 81-catch, 1,055-yard second season in 2021. He finished 23rd among WRs in total PPR points and 33rd in points per game that year.

Mooney disappointed the following two seasons, though. He missed five games and sunk to 41.1 yards per game in 2022. Then he mustered just 27.6 yards per game in 2023.

Those were run-heavy Bears offenses piloted by QB Justin Fields. But Mooney ranked 49th among 80 qualifying WRs in 2022 Pro Football Focus receiving grade and 73rd out of 80 in 2023.

Injury History

Mooney missed Chicago’s playoff loss as a rookie in 2020 with an ankle injury. He played all 17 games in 2021 but has missed time in each of the last three seasons:

• 2022 - Five games with an ankle injury
• 2023 - Two games with a concussion
• 2024 - One game with a shoulder injury

2025 Expectations

Projected Role & Competition

Mooney returns to Atlanta for the second season of his three-year, $39 million deal.

The Falcons made no significant additions or subtractions to their pass-catching corps this offseason, so Mooney should retain a very similar role as a full-time player and the No. 2 WR behind Drake London.

Supporting Cast

Michael Penix will be under center for the Falcons this year. He showed well in three starts at the end of his 2023 rookie campaign, averaging 7.4 yards per attempt and earning an 87.6 overall PFF passing grade. That ranked fourth among 47 QBs with 100+ dropbacks and easily beat Kirk Cousins’ 72.3.

Penix might come with a wider range of outcomes than Cousins — but there’s a good chance he proves to be an upgrade.

Mooney’s volume and production was down in his two games with Penix last year, but that’s too small a sample to worry about.

In fact, Penix was very good throwing downfield last year, leading 46 qualifying QBs in Pro Football Focus deep passing grade. That should make him a good fit with Mooney.

Coaching & Offensive Scheme

HC Raheem Morris and OC Zac Robinson return for their second season together in Atlanta. Morris is a defensive-minded HC, so Robinson runs the show on offense.

Last season was his first as an OC in the NFL. He spent the previous five years working under Sean McVay in Los Angeles.

The Falcons’ pass rate dipped to 51.0% with Penix last year vs. 54.3% with Cousins at the helm. Expect Robinson to let Penix throw it more in 2025, although this still figures to be a run-leaning offense.

We currently project the Falcons for a 54.7% pass rate in 2025.

Production & Efficiency Trends

Mooney averaged a career-best 9.4 yards per target and 1.88 yards per route last year.

Turning 28 in October, he should still be in his prime years. Our aging-curve research shows that WRs tend to produce at 96-100% of their peak at age-28.