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Is Darnell Mooney out for the season? When is Darnell Mooney coming back? The latest Darnell Mooney injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 2 of 2025.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney enjoyed a very productive debut season with the Falcons in 2024 and had intriguing sleeper appeal prior to the 2025 season. However, the wideout was dealing with a shoulder injury since the start of training camp, which limited him leading up to Week 1.
Mooney was unable to progress enough to play in their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but does not appear to be dealing with a long-term injury, as he was a game-time decision.
Should fantasy managers continue to stash Mooney on their bench? Will he make his season debut in Week 2? Let's dive in!
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Darnell Mooney Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Leading up to Week 1, Mooney was able to log three straight limited practice sessions, which is a very positive sign for his outlook for Week 2. Even though he was unable to play this past weekend, seeing him not being held out of practice suggests his injury is not overly serious and will not limit him much of the season.
Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his status during practice this week. If he can remain in a limited capacity, he should be in a good position to debut in Week 2 when the Falcons face the Minnesota Vikings.
However, if Mooney were to be downgraded to a non-participant, he may have to wait until Week 3 to make his season debut.
Game report: Raheem Morris announces Darnell Mooney is questionable; DeMarcco Hellams and Jack Nelson have been ruled out. Per Morris, the Falcons will make a game-time decision on Mooney Sunday. https://t.co/4PihjTJXnr
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) September 5, 2025
Darnell Mooney Fantasy Football Outlook
Once Mooney returns to the field, he will likely have high-end WR3 upside in all formats. During his first season in Atlanta in 2024, Mooney enjoyed a career year as he totaled a season-high five touchdowns with 992 yards on 62 receptions. This was the second-highest yardage total of his career since he tallied 1,055 yards during his sophomore season in 2021.
Mooney did this despite playing with inconsistent QB play from veteran Kirk Cousins. Now, with Michael Penix Jr. taking over the offense, Mooney could push for another 1,000-yard campaign.
In their season opener, Penix threw for 298 yards and a score on 42 pass attempts. During his first three starts of his career at the end of the 2024 season, Penix averaged 245.7 passing yards per game and 33.5 attempts per game.
Seeing the Falcons lean on him this early in the season is a very positive sign for Mooney's outlook. In addition, with Drake London (shoulder) day-to-day with an injury, Mooney could see a rather significant target share if the top wideout were to be limited in any capacity going forward.
Managers should continue to view Mooney as a high-end bench stash in all of our formats, as he will likely carry flex appeal in most weeks during the season.
Darnell Mooney a Player to Monitor Heading into Week 2 https://t.co/RZncPYbnhA
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 9, 2025
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Darnell Mooney, Jauan Jennings, Jayden Reed, Rashod Bateman, Wan'Dale Robinson, Romeo Doubs. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 2. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Darnell Mooney, Jauan Jennings, Jayden Reed, Rashod Bateman, Wan'dale Robinson, Romeo Doubs. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 2 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Darnell Mooney, Jauan Jennings, Jayden Reed, Rashod Bateman, Wan'dale Robinson, Romeo Doubs compared to others:
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