Falcons vs. Vikings Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Sunday Night Football - J.J. McCarthy, Bijan Robinson, Aaron Jones, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Jordan Mason, Jalen Nailor

September 14, 2025

Fantasy football start em, sit em SNF lineups advice for Falcons vs. Vikings on Sunday Night Football in Week 2 (2025). NFL matchups analysis and SNF starts/sits.

NFL football is officially back! We close out an exciting Week 2 Sunday slate of games with an interesting NFC battle between the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota will look to move to 2-o with new quarterback J.J. McCarthy, while Atlanta attempts to rebound from a heartbreaking Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay. Both of these squads have young QBs and dynamic players at the skill positions, so this will be a fun matchup in many aspects!

We will bring you Sunday Night Football analysis all season, focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench. Let's dive into this SNF matchup for Week 2 of the season. Good luck in 2025 fantasy football, RotoBallers!

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday September 14th, 8:20 PM ET

Notable Injuries:

• Drake London - Expected to Play (Shoulder)
• Darnell Mooney - Expected to Play (Shoulder)

Matchups We Love

WR Drake London

It appears Drake London (shoulder) is expected to play in Week 2 after practicing in a limited fashion to start the week. London left last week's loss early after injuring his shoulder late in the game. If he does indeed suit up, you are starting him as a WR1. He saw a whopping 15 targets from Michael Penix Jr. last week, and the Vikings allowed the second-most fantasy points to WRs last season.

Falcons WRs Drake London and Darnell Mooney do not have an injury designation for Sunday night’s game vs. the Vikings and are good to go.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2025

Matchups We Hate

WR Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson will likely draw the A.J. Terrell Jr. shadow in this game, which is not great news for the superstar wideout. Terrell held Mike Evans to just 10.1 PPR fantasy points last week. At this point in Jefferson's career, though, he is matchup-proof. He started to form a nice connection with J.J. McCarthy in the second half. So, you're starting him as a WR1 while perhaps tempering expectations.

Justin Jefferson is 26 years and 90 days old today, and with his first catch tonight vs. the Falcons, he’ll tie Larry Fitzgerald as the youngest player in NFL history to reach 500 career receptions.

Fitzgerald also was exactly 26 years and 90 years old in 2009 when he caught his… pic.twitter.com/XR58wizD9r

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2025

Other Notable Matchups

QB Michael Penix Jr. 

After a 24-point fantasy day in Week 1, Penix can be trusted as a QB2 in Superflex formats moving forward. He showed some passing upside (298) and rushing potential (21 yards and a touchdown) last week, and if all of his WRs are back for this game, Penix can be a middle-of-the-pack QB2 option.

QB J.J. McCarthy

Like any quarterback making his first NFL start, McCarthy had plenty of ups and downs. But his encouraging fourth-quarter performance helped him finish as the QB11 in fantasy formats last week. While he won't be a QB1 this week, he will be a high-end QB2 play for those in Superflex formats. The Falcons have given up the second-most passing touchdowns since the start of 2024.

RB Bijan Robinson

Even though Robinson only averaged two yards per carry in Week 1, you are starting him in every format this weekend. He still scored 24.4 PPR fantasy points last week behind a six-catch, 100-yard, one-touchdown day. So, he will remain a must-start in Week 2.

BIJAN ROBINSON. TOUCHDOWN.

FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/1G2hEDZgXw

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 7, 2025

RBs Jordan Mason/Aaron Jones Sr. 

This backfield was just about 50/50 last Monday night between Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. Jones played 50% of the offensive snaps and totaled 11 touches in the contest, while Mason played 54% of the offensive snaps and totaled 16 touches. With the split backfield, both running backs will have their fantasy ceiling capped moving forward.

Still, Mason and Jones are both worthy flex plays this week. Both should continue to see opportunities out of the backfield, and the Falcons allowed 4.4 yards per carry to Tampa Bay in Week 1.

WR Darnell Mooney 

Darnell Mooney (shoulder) continues to put in limited practices, and is expected to play in Week 2. If he does suit up, he will be worth playing in deeper leagues as a solid flex play. The Vikings gave up the second-most fantasy points to WRs last season, and Mooney should get enough targets -- even if he is a bit limited.

TE T.J. Hockenson

Hockenson wasn't a part of Minnesota's game plan much last week. He caught just three passes for 15 yards. While we shouldn't panic just yet on Hockenson, it was a bit surprising that he ran just 17 routes. Now, he goes up against a Falcons offense that allowed zero catches to tight ends a week ago. So, he'll be a low-end TE1.

TE Kyle Pitts Sr. 

Kyle Pitts was actually on the love list last week, and he had a solid fantasy game after all. He caught seven passes for 59 yards while seeing eight targets. Those eight targets are his most in a game since Week 7 of the 2024 campaign. With Pitts appearing to be more involved in the offense, he could be worth starting in 16-plus team leagues this week. Minnesota allowed over 11 PPR fantasy points per game to TEs last year.

More Fantasy Football Analysis