There was little made last offseason when wide receiver Darnell Mooney signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons after four seasons with the Chicago Bears. And I don’t think we as a collective were wrong process-wise in dismissing the signing, but maybe we should have paid more attention to the money ($39 million), the age (turns 28 in October), or the opportunity.
With a bounce-back season in hand (career-high in touchdowns and more catches in 2024 than he had targets in either 2022 or 2023), we now have to reevaluate his standing in this upward-moving offense and decide if the juice is worth the squeeze at his current price.
Darnell Mooney’s Fantasy Outlook
Something tells me that if you drafted your league for this season at last year’s Super Bowl, the sentiment surrounding Mooney would be different.
In 2024, Mooney averaged more fantasy points per game than George Pickens, Jayden Reed, Marvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Worthy, and another half-dozen receivers who were way ahead of him on draftboards this time last year.
That’s a fact.
https://t.co/2Ah5OuioUY pic.twitter.com/EeY6UGrqDV
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) June 4, 2025
It’s also true that if you manipulate some of the data, the picture looks different.
Mooney played in 16 games (64 quarters plus overtimes) last season. If you remove one game where he dominated uncharacteristically (Week 5 vs. Tampa Bay) and cherry-pick three other halves of football, the outlook dims in a major way.
- Those 10 quarters: 20 catches for 350 yards and five touchdowns
- Other 54 quarters: 44 catches for 642 yards and zero touchdowns
To save you some time with the math, that means that he scored 44% of his fantasy points during a stretch that accounted for 15.6% of his quarters played.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Of course, those numbers count, but that was last season. We are in the business of forecasting what is most likely to occur in 2025, and even if you think Mooney repeats the bottom line, the fact that he can do that while finishing outside of the top 40 receivers in seven weeks and outside of the top 60 five times is concerning.
On the bright side, we saw some encouraging trends in his limited time with Michael Penix Jr. under center. During their time together, Mooney totaled seven catches on 11 targets for 119 yards across 59 routes run. That’s not too shabby for a first taste, and with all seven of those receptions gaining at least 12 yards, there’s some flex appeal to chase in the right matchups (he killed the Buccaneers last season, a divisional opponent he draws in Weeks 1 and 15 this season).
As for his spot on the average draft position (ADP) board, I think it’s about right. I’d prefer both of the Colts’ primary receivers over him in that general range, under the thought that both Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs have the potential to lead Indy in targets, an outcome that, barring a significant injury, isn’t on the table for Mooney. Also hovering in this general range are the Texan receivers fighting for the scraps left by Nico Collins and rookies with inexact roles (Matthew Golden, Luther Burden II, and Emeka Egbuka).
That tracks for me: depth pieces for your roster that could develop into a piece that is a weekly flex option. The breadcrumbs left by Mooney during Penix’s time on the field last season helped fuel a defensive-oriented draft from Atlanta in April, something that tells me they are confident with their WR nucleus.
I don’t think Mooney will be the reason you win your league this year, but at the cost, I have a hard time thinking he’s a reason you struggle. In the second half of the draft, I’m happy to bite on this general profile.
Mason LeBeau’s Darnell Mooney Fantasy Projection
I am getting a LOT of Darnell Mooney shares in Best Ball. Yes, it’s fair to be a tad worried about his injury he suffered in camp, so he’ll be slightly riskier in redraft if he misses a week or two early on. But, for his value, I think he’s a fantastic addition.Â
That said, I am betting on the Falcons’ offense to be quite good this year. That hinges a lot on QB Michael Penix Jr, but my rationale is that even if he isn’t great, he’ll at very least be able to open up the field and pepper his top targets. After Drake London, Mooney is clearly next in order.Â
Mooney also has the upside to be a consistent fantasy WR2. Last year was the second time in his five-year career that he went over 100 targets, and was just shy of 1,000 receiving yards. That came with a rookie Justin Fields and Andy Dalton, and then a washed Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix. He has the opportunity to scale with his QB play if it improves, or at very least get a baseline of production if it doesn’t.Â
In your standard redraft leagues, I think you can target slightly higher upside receiving in this range, like Jayden Higgins, but if you need a reliable WR at this point of your draft, I believe Mooney can absolutely be that and possibly more.Â
