This article is part of our Showdown/Single Game DFS Breakdown series.
The season has been depressing for both the 2-11 Raiders and the 6-7 Falcons – predictably in the former case but more relatively disappointing in the latter – but their Monday night matchup might have some fantasy output to be had. Neither defense is imposing, and the Falcons in particular have talent on offense when Kirk Cousins gives them a shot. The Falcons are favored by 5.5 on the road, with the over/under set at 44.5.
QUARTERBACK
Kirk Cousins ($9600 DK, $14000 FD) has basically been awful in 2024, but this is a matchup so easy surely even the Falcons can't screw it up. Cousins should have room and time in the pocket, while his receivers should generate space in their route running. Even in this dreadful stretch, Cousins isn't the easiest fade on this slate. He has shown the ability to produce against hopelessly bad defenses, and the Raiders are pretty much there.
Aidan O'Connell is probably an easier fade than Cousins, if only because O'Connell is dealing with a knee injury. If O'Connell is out then Desmond Ridder ($8800 DK, $11500 FD) would need to start, and there might or might not be a downgrade with that move. Ridder in theory has more fantasy upside than O'Connell, though, because Ridder is a plus runner.
RUNNING BACK
Bijan Robinson ($11600 DK, $16000 FD) is a downright perilous fade here, to the point that it's basically not advisable, even though Robinson is expensive and even though he might be the
The season has been depressing for both the 2-11 Raiders and the 6-7 Falcons – predictably in the former case but more relatively disappointing in the latter – but their Monday night matchup might have some fantasy output to be had. Neither defense is imposing, and the Falcons in particular have talent on offense when Kirk Cousins gives them a shot. The Falcons are favored by 5.5 on the road, with the over/under set at 44.5.
QUARTERBACK
Kirk Cousins ($9600 DK, $14000 FD) has basically been awful in 2024, but this is a matchup so easy surely even the Falcons can't screw it up. Cousins should have room and time in the pocket, while his receivers should generate space in their route running. Even in this dreadful stretch, Cousins isn't the easiest fade on this slate. He has shown the ability to produce against hopelessly bad defenses, and the Raiders are pretty much there.
Aidan O'Connell is probably an easier fade than Cousins, if only because O'Connell is dealing with a knee injury. If O'Connell is out then Desmond Ridder ($8800 DK, $11500 FD) would need to start, and there might or might not be a downgrade with that move. Ridder in theory has more fantasy upside than O'Connell, though, because Ridder is a plus runner.
RUNNING BACK
Bijan Robinson ($11600 DK, $16000 FD) is a downright perilous fade here, to the point that it's basically not advisable, even though Robinson is expensive and even though he might be the highest-owned player on the slate. Tyler Allgeier ($4400 DK, $9500 FD) is of course plenty capable of doing big damage himself, and he very well could see to that outcome here, but in that case it would likely be both Robinson and Allgeier producing, rather than Allgeier poaching Robinson's most valuable touches.
Sincere McCormick ($7600 DK, $10000 FD) and Ameer Abdullah ($3400 DK, $8500 FD) are a little tougher to figure out, if only because their offense is worse and they face the tougher defense in this one. Both players appear capable – McCormick mostly as a runner and Abdullah mostly as a receiver – but their prices are just low enough that one or both might be cashing-viable here. Alexander Mattison appears to be the RB3 at this point.
WIDE RECEIVER + TIGHT END
Drake London ($9400 DK, $13000 FD) is a tough fade here, even though his season hasn't gone as well as it could and should have. The Raiders are weak at the boundary corner spots, so London should mostly have good matchups even though Nate Hobbs is tough in the slot. Darnell Mooney ($8200 DK, $10500 FD) is subject to the same general situation – those boundary corners can't cover him, so Mooney should be open in this one. The Falcons continue to prioritize Ray-Ray McCloud ($5400 DK, $8500 FD) over Kyle Pitts ($4800 DK, $7500 FD), which is partially why they're such a bad team.
Jakobi Meyers ($8400 DK, $12000 FD) and Brock Bowers ($10600 DK, $15500 FD) are both tough fades here, even with the various issues afflicting the Raiders offense. The Raiders very rarely throw targets to other players, and Meyers and Bowers are both very good players for their own part. Tre Tucker ($4000 DK, $7500 FD) is mostly a gadget player but his playing time makes him a viable punt play, while by contrast Terrace Marshall ($2000 DK, $7000 FD) isn't guaranteed so much as 20 snaps. Michael Mayer ($3000 DK, $7000 FD) is a talented player who the Raiders usually waste, but he did lead the team in catches last week, which hopefully signals that the Raiders plan to get Mayer more involved going forward than they did to open the year.
KICKER
Younghoe Koo ($5200 DK, $9000 FD) and Daniel Carlson ($5000 DK, $8000 FD) are two of the best kickers in the NFL, but it's Koo who projects to have the most opportunity here. Carlson has five games this year with double-digit fantasy points compared to only four for Koo, but the projected flow of this game figures to favor Koo more in this particular matchup. The closer the Raiders get to an upset, the better for Carlson, presumably.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Falcons ($4200 DK, $9000 FD) defense is not particularly good, but the Raiders offense might be vulnerable enough for the Falcons defense to flex its muscles a little bit in this game. In theory, though, the Raiders offense is supposed to be a run-heavy one that limits sack and turnover opportunities. In practice, O'Connell's knee injury might complicate that formula.
The Raiders ($3600 DK, $8000 FD) defense is not an advisable pick here. While anything can happen and Cousins has been rather awful this year, the Raiders defense simply doesn't have many NFL starters on it. That, and their offense is liable to leave the defense with short fields.
