Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Falcons not considering QB change
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Head coach Raheem Morris said Monday that Cousins remains Atlanta's starting quarterback heading into a road matchup against the Raiders on Dec. 16, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.
Morris said Cousins "is the guy who is going to lead us" heading into a primetime matchup against Las Vegas next Monday night, reaffirming the notion that Atlanta still isn't considering allowing rookie first-round pick Michael Penix even a spot start. Still, the Falcons now have lost four consecutive games, a span in which Cousins has thrown eight interceptions without a single touchdown. During Minnesota's 42-21 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, Cousins completed just 23 of his 37 pass attempts for 344 yards, no touchdowns and two INTs. If Atlanta's passing game were to struggle notably against the Raiders in prime time, Morris' current level of commitment to Cousins could shift.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Comes up short in Minnesota return
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Cousins completed 23 of 37 passes for 344 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the Falcons' 42-21 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Making his return to Minnesota, Cousins' afternoon started off in fine fashion when he helmed an 11-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in a Tyler Allgeier six-yard touchdown run on the game's opening possession. However, the Vikings' aggressive defense progressively began figuring out its former teammate, allowing just three additional points during the rest of the first half with the help of one of two interceptions off Cousins during the afternoon. Cousins faltered again with just under six and a half minutes remaining, overshooting Kyle Pitts on a red-zone throw for a second pick that essentially snuffed out any hopes of an Atlanta comeback. Cousins did compile enough completions after the game was out of reach to eclipse the 300-yard mark for his third time as a Falcon, but he'll head into a Week 15 road matchup against the Raiders with an 0:8 TD:INT in his last four games. Despite the abysmal stretch of play, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that head coach Raheem Morris confirmed after the game that "Kirk Cousins is our quarterback" when asked about the possibility of affording rookie signal-caller Michael Penix a spot start.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: No QB change imminent
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Falcons coach Raheem Morris was emphatic when speaking with Fox NFL Sunday's Jay Glazer that no quarterback change was imminent between Cousins and Michael Penix.
Morris reiterated that Cousins' Achilles is not the cause of his recent struggles, which have seen him throw zero touchdowns and six interceptions over his last three games. He did say that Cousins was sore all over, but that they worked on his maintenance over the week of practice. Meanwhile, Fox colleague Peter Schraeger reported that Penix didn't take any first-team reps in practice this week, buttressing Glazer's report.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Sit
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I usually love revenge games, but it's hard to trust Cousins in his return to Minnesota in Week 14. Cousins hasn't thrown a touchdown since Week 9 and has six interceptions in his past three games against New Orleans, Denver, and the Chargers. If he continues to struggle, he could get benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr., and the Vikings have allowed just one quarterback to score more than 17.2 Fantasy points in their past five games. Cousins is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Sit
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Cousins has four games all season with more than 20 Fantasy points, and two of them came against Tampa Bay. He hasn't accounted for a touchdown in his past two games, and he has combined for 15.1 Fantasy points over that span against the Saints and Broncos. Now, the Chargers have struggled lately against Will Levis, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson, who each scored at least 23.1 Fantasy points in the past three games. But most of the quarterbacks who have done well against the Chargers this season have done so with their legs, and Cousins isn't going to help himself in that area. He's only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: TD drought hits two games
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Cousins completed 18 of 27 passes for 173 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 38-6 loss to the Broncos. He also rushed once for no gain.
Cousins struggled as the Falcons posted a poor performance across the board before waving the white flag by inserting backup quarterback Michael Penix down 38-6 in the fourth quarter. The bigger long-term concern for Cousins could be the status of wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who exited in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury, though Atlanta's Week 12 bye could provide an opportunity for the team's leader in receiving yards to recover prior to a Week 13 home game against the Chargers. Cousins will look to bounce back post-bye after being held without a touchdown pass in each of the past two games.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Only one quarterback this season has scored at least 20 Fantasy points against the Broncos this season, and that was Lamar Jackson in Week 9. Otherwise the Broncos have limited Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes to 19.8 Fantasy points or less, and I expect Cousins to be in a similar range on the road. Keep in mind that Cousins only has four games this season with more than 20 Fantasy points, and two of them were against Tampa Bay. Given the matchup, I would only start Cousins in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 11.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Listed with pair of injuries
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Cousins was a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to right shoulder and elbow injuries, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Cousins apparently came out of Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Saints with a pair of injuries to his throwing arm. His participation in practice to start the week, even in a limited capacity, suggests he'll likely play this Sunday at Denver in the final game before Atlanta's bye.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Tops 300 yards in Sunday's loss
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Cousins completed 23 of 38 passes for 306 yards with an interception in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Saints.
An uncharacteristically awful day for Younghoe Koo cost the Falcons a win, but Cousins also struggled to get the ball into the end zone, failing to throw a TD pass for the first time since Week 4 -- the last time he faced the Saints. The veteran QB's 306 passing yards were his second-highest total of the season, however, behind only his mammoth 509-yard effort in Week 5 against the Bucs. Cousins will look to rebound on the road in Week 11, but he'll be facing another stingy secondary in the Broncos.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Start
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Two quarterbacks in the past four games against the Saints have scored at least 28.1 Fantasy points, and New Orleans just traded its best cornerback in Marshon Lattimore, to Washington on Tuesday. Cousins has scored at least 23.8 Fantasy points in each of his past two games, and he should stay hot this week on the road. He has top-five upside heading into Week 10.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Top DFS Play
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The Saints defense has really struggled lately, giving up at least 23 points to each of their last six opponents and 26 or more to everyone but the Panthers. Cousins has been awesome when he's been protected and I don't see the current Saints defense as a unit that can make him uncomfortable.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Punishes Buccaneers again Sunday
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Cousins completed 23 of 29 passes for 276 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed three times for 16 yards in the Falcons' 31-26 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. He also committed a fumble that went out of the end zone for a safety.
Cousins had burned the Buccaneers for four scoring tosses during a memorable overtime victory in Week 5, but with Tampa Bay down both Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (IR-knee) on Sunday, the veteran signal-caller wasn't expected to have to be overly aggressive through the air. No one informed the feisty Buccaneers, which kept Cousins engaged through the air for all four quarters and facilitated another stellar performance in the process. Cousins connected with Kyle Pitts for touchdown tosses of 36 and 49 yards before adding 30- and six-yard scoring strikes to Darnell Mooney and Bijan Robinson, respectively. The veteran signal-caller has at least one touchdown pass in four straight games, and he next takes aim at the Cowboys' inconsistent defense in a Week 9 home matchup.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Start
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Cousins was a bust as the Start of the Week in Week 7 against Seattle with 9.2 Fantasy points, but I'll go right back to him again in Week 8 against Tampa Bay. We all remember the last time he faced the Buccaneers in Week 5 when he scored 42.4 Fantasy points with 509 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception, and he should have the chance to be productive again in the rematch. Tampa Bay just allowed Lamar Jackson to pass for 281 yards and five touchdowns in Week 7, and hopefully Cousins can get back on track against this secondary.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Stymied by Seahawks in loss
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Cousins completed 24 of 35 passes for 232 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions and rushed once for minus-1 yard in the Falcons' 34-14 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday. He also lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
Cousins' trio of turnovers certainly had a part to play in the surprisingly lopsided loss, as he handed the ball to the Seahawks on three consecutive second-half possessions. The miscues netted a total of 10 points for Seattle, and both picks also short-circuited drives in Seahawks territory. Cousins' one scoring pass went to Drake London midway through the third quarter from five yards out, and the veteran signal-caller will have to quickly regroup considering a Week 8 road divisional clash against the Buccaneers now is on tap.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Efficient in victory Sunday
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Cousins completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 225 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over in Sunday's 38-20 win over the Panthers.
Cousins cruised to victory on the back of impressive rushing performances from Bijan Robinson (15-95-2) and Tyler Allgeier (18-105-1). The Falcons' starting quarterback still produced an efficient passing line with no turnovers for fantasy managers, but this was certainly a step down from Cousins' career day against the Buccaneers in Week 5. The veteran is still worthy of starting considerations in most formats ahead of next Sunday's tilt against Seattle.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Start
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Something clearly clicked for Cousins in Week 5 against Tampa Bay since he passed for 509 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception, and he scored 42.4 Fantasy points. He said after the game that he's feeling closer to 100 percent from last year's Achilles injury, and hopefully more big games are coming, including this week at Carolina. The Panthers are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Justin Herbert in Week 2 failed to score at least 20.3 Fantasy points against Carolina this year. Cousins should once again be considered a top-10 quarterback in all leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Week 6 Waiver Priority List
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Cousins was amazing in Week 5 against Tampa Bay with 509 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception for 42.4 Fantasy points, and he said he's feeling close to 100 percent following last year's Achilles injury. It showed against the Buccaneers, and he has a great matchup again in Week 6 at Carolina. Cousins is worth using as a No. 1 quarterback in all leagues against the Panthers, and he should be added for at least 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Record-setting night in win
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Cousins completed 42 of 58 passes for 509 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the Falcons' 36-30 overtime win over the Buccaneers on Thursday night.
Cousins was in prolific form right from the onset, capping off the opening possession of the night with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Drake London. The veteran signal-caller would strike again early in the second quarter via a 24-yard scoring toss to Darnell Mooney, and Cousins would connect with the speedster again in the fourth quarter from 12 yards away. However, Cousins' most impactful throw came just 1:15 into overtime, when he hit KhaDarel Hodge on a 45-yard catch and run that served as his fourth touchdown pass of the night and sealed the victory while propelling him to a franchise-record single-game yardage total. Cousins did throw what could have been a back-breaking interception with 1:52 remaining in regulation and the Falcons down three, but Atlanta was able to get the ball back in time to mount a nine-play march that culminated in a game-tying 52-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo. Cousins ultimately facilitated two 100-yard performances by his receivers (London and Mooney) and also showed encouraging chemistry with Kyle Pitts by hitting him on seven occasions for 88 yards. After a relatively pedestrian first four games in coordinator Zac Robinson's offense, Cousins clearly broke through with an all-time performance Thursday, and it remains to be seen how much of the massive momentum will carry over into a Week 6 road matchup against the vulnerable Panthers defense on Sunday, Oct. 13.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: QBs to Sit
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The Saints defense has been tough on opposing quarterbacks so far this season, and in the past two weeks, New Orleans has held Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts to a combined one touchdown and three interceptions. Now, that duo passed for a combined 604 yards, but neither scored more than 15 Fantasy points. Cousins has topped 15 Fantasy points just once this year, and he's not worth trusting in this matchup in anything more than Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Medically cleared for camp
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Cousins (Achilles) is medically cleared for training camp but could have some "modifications" to his workload, William McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
In other words, Cousins might not get as many reps as a starting quarterback typically would even though he doesn't have any limitations in terms of the types of activities he can do. The Falcons have two good options to handle first-team QB reps when Cousins is rested, as they still have Taylor Heinicke and drafted Michael Penix eighth overall. The latter development could make things rather interesting in Atlanta if Cousins doesn't look like his Minnesota self in his age-36 season ahead. The Falcons were undeterred by the Achilles' tear he suffered late last October, giving Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract with half the money guaranteed at signing.
