Falcons vs. Packers TNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Jordan Love, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Tucker Kraft, Michael Penix, more

September 23, 2026

Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em lineups advice for the Falcons vs. Packers Thursday game in Week 3 (2026). NFL matchups analysis and TNF starts/sits for Week 3.

Welcome to Week 3 Thursday Night Football, featuring the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers! You loved last week's game between the Lions and Bills that produced 72 total points? Well, get ready for two teams in the bottom five of expected points added (EPA) per play. The Falcons and Packers likely don't get into the same shootout we saw last week.

There are still plenty of intriguing fantasy football decisions in this matchup, especially with both teams dealing with injuries and changing roles early in the season. The Falcons will turn the offense over to Michael Penix Jr., while the Packers continue to try and figure out a crowded group of running backs and pass-catchers around Jordan Love.

I will bring you Thursday 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 Week 3 matchup at Lambeau Field. You can also check out our main Week 3 rankings for all other players. Good luck in Week 3, RotoBallers!

Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers

Thursday, September 24, 8:15 p.m. ET

Notable Injuries:

• Tua Tagovailoa (QB, ATL) - Questionable - Ankle
• Brian Robinson Jr. (RB, ATL) - Questionable - Ankle
• Jayden Reed (WR, GB) - Questionable/Likely Out - Back

Falcons vs. Packers Matchup Breakdown

Here we have the first of three straight weeks with primetime games featuring Atlanta, the most inept offense in the NFL. Yikes. Things could hardly have gone worse for Atlanta until now.

The Falcons are 0-2, have scored just 16 points, and are coming off a 34-3 home loss to Carolina in which Cooper Rush and Jack Strand combined to turn the ball over five times. The good (hopefully?) news is that Michael Penix Jr. is back and will make his first start since suffering a season-ending ACL injury last November.

Why so serious pic.twitter.com/WVrxNZP6l2

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 23, 2026

Green Bay hasn't exactly looked like an offensive juggernaut either, but the Packers escaped New York with a 20-17 overtime win after trailing 17-7 in the fourth quarter. Jordan Love threw for only 145 yards, although he did toss two touchdowns, and the Packers have now tossed four touchdowns to Christian Watson.

The biggest fantasy development may be the absence of Jayden Reed, who left Sunday's game with a neck/back injury and appears to be out for a while. That should further concentrate Green Bay's passing game around Watson, Matthew Golden, and Tucker Kraft. Watson and Golden combined for 17 of Love's 29 targets against the Jets, while Kraft played all 50 offensive snaps.

Must-Starts for Fantasy Football Lineups

Bijan Robinson (RB, ATL)

In Atlanta's 34-3 loss against Carolina, Robinson managed 16 carries for 72 yards and three catches for nine yards. He already has 236 rushing yards and 99 receiving yards through two games, and Penix's return should finally give defenses something else to focus on. We start Bigan Robinson regardless of matchup.

Christian Watson (WR, GB)

Healthy and with a new contract, Watson has quickly re-established himself as Green Bay's most dangerous receiver. After exploding for 147 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, he saw 11 targets against the Jets and caught four passes for 41 yards and another touchdown. With Reed likely out, Watson should have even more volume and is on the WR1 borderline this week.

Packers Unsure of Jayden Reed's Chances of Returning This Season https://t.co/xZ5Mzu3uNH

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 22, 2026

Matthew Golden (WR, GB)

Golden followed his six-catch, 95-yard opener with four catches for 58 yards against New York. He now has 153 receiving yards through two games. He saw six targets and drew two long pass-interference penalties against the Jets. Reed's injury should solidify Golden's spot in all two-wide-receiver sets for Green Bay.

Tucker Kraft (TE, GB)

Even after just two catches for seven yards in Week 2, I'm going to keep starting Tucker Kraft. He played every offensive snap against New York after producing 65 yards in Week 1, and Reed's likely absence opens additional opportunities in the middle of the field. The tight end landscape isn't deep enough to bench a player like Kraft.

Possible Starts for Fantasy Football Lineups

Drake London (WR, ATL)

Drake London might be fantasy's biggest non-injured wide receiver disappointment this year, producing only six catches for 80 yards through two games. At least he showed some signs of life with four catches for 51 yards against Carolina, and the return of Penix is a massive upgrade for his outlook. I'll probably get London back into lineups as a WR2/WR3, but I don't feel great about it.

Kyle Pitts (TE, ATL)

Here we go again with Kyle Pitts and the lack of production. Pitts went without a catch in Week 1 and caught just one of three targets for 15 yards against Carolina. I understand not wanting to start Pitts this week, and I would fully support that decision. The Falcons have made comments this week about getting him more involved, so I will go back to this well one more time.

Tommy Rees says Kyle Pitts is an integral offensive piece and the staff must get him more involved.

Tommy Rees: “We gotta get it going. That's my job. He's an integral part of what we wanna do, and we had a couple missed opportunities there in week one. Probably didn't have as… pic.twitter.com/MIUhKJ0dve

— MicNuggets (@micnuggetsnfl) September 22, 2026

Jordan Love (QB, GB)

Jordan Love has thrown two touchdowns in each of Green Bay's first two games, but he only had 145 passing yards on 29 attempts in Week 2. He still has Watson, Golden, and Kraft against an Atlanta secondary that will be without A.J. Terrell (and J.D. Bertand is also on IR), so there is enough upside to use him as a low-end QB1.

MarShawn Lloyd (RB, GB)

This Green Bay backfield is getting messy without Josh Jacobs. MarShawn Lloyd had six carries for 20 yards and caught two passes for six yards and a touchdown against the Jets, but he also lost a fourth-quarter fumble and played only 14 snaps.

Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson are both involved, making Lloyd a risky RB2 or Flex who needs either a touchdown or a bigger workload to pay off. The Falcons haven't allowed a rushing touchdown yet this year, but that's more because they are getting gashed through the air long before opponents make it to the goal line.

Consider Sitting for Fantasy Football Lineups

Michael Penix Jr. (QB, ATL)

Penix returning is hopefully great news for London, Pitts, and Robinson, but that doesn't mean fantasy managers should immediately put him into lineups in a hostile road game. This will be his first game action since tearing his ACL last November, and he's walking into Lambeau Field on a short week with an offense that has scored 16 points all season.

Falcons named Michael Penix Jr. their starting quarterback for Thursday's game in Green Bay. pic.twitter.com/i9haLsD0MZ

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 21, 2026

Brian Robinson Jr. (RB, ATL)

Brian Robinson was listed as limited on Atlanta's Monday practice report because of his ankle injury. Even if he plays Thursday, Bijan Robinson remains the focus of this backfield. There isn't enough volume here to justify starting a backup running back. Brian Robinson got 13 touches in Week 2 only because of the massive blowout.

Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson (WRs, ATL)

Atlanta doesn't even have enough passing production to support London and Pitts, much less the secondary receivers. Zaccheaus has only two catches for eight yards through two games, while Dotson caught one pass for 19 yards in Week 1 and has no dependable role. Fantasy managers shouldn't have to dig this deep Thursday night.

Skyy Moore and Bo Melton (WRs, GB)

Jayden Reed's injury theoretically creates more snaps for Green Bay's other receivers, but Watson and Golden are clearly the only wide receivers fantasy managers should target. Moore played 18 snaps and caught two passes for six yards in Week 2, while Melton played only seven snaps and did not catch his lone target. Even with Jordan Love, there isn't enough volume here to chase either player.

Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson (RBs, GB)

Green Bay used a legitimate three-man rotation against the New York Jets in Week 2, with Brooks playing 22 snaps and Lloyd and Johnson getting 14 apiece. Johnson actually led the group with 32 rushing yards, while Brooks totaled 26 yards from scrimmage, and Lloyd got the touchdown. Lloyd is risky enough himself, which makes Brooks and Johnson another tier below him.

Kirksey’s Thursday Night Football Picks

Current Spread: GB -6
Over/Under: 43.5

The return of Michael Penix should make the Atlanta Falcons offense at least slightly more competent, but can he completely fix an offense that's scored 16 total points? I'm skeptical. I think Green Bay comes off the Jets' win as a wake-up call and puts their foot on the offensive gas in Lambeau this week.

Watson and Golden have emerged as a strong wide receiver duo, and they should be able to put up points even without Jayden Reed. Unless Penix has developed some unknown skills during his rehab, I don't see a world where they stay within six points of Green Bay this week.

Even if the Packers pick up the scoring pace (42 points in two games), asking Penix to put up 21 or more in his first game back from injury seems a bit too much. My prediction will be something like Green Bay 27, Atlanta 13, which gets us to the -6 and the under.

The Pick: GB -6, Under 43.5

2026 Overall Record:
Spread (1-1), Over/Under (2-0)

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