Week 2 of the new NFL season wraps up with a bout between two hopeful NFC Championship contenders. Below, you can read our Monday Night Football matchups analysis article for the Falcons vs. Eagles game to help make any fantasy football lineup decisions for both season-long and DFS.
Can Kirk Cousins bounce back from his poor Week 1 showing and get the Atlanta passing offense on track? Will the Eagles' defense finally show improvement after a rough opening week? Those are just two of the matchups and storylines to watch in what should be an eventful Monday night contest.
Read our fantasy football breakdowns for this game -- the recommended starts, sits, and matchups we love heading into the Week 2 matchups. Good luck, RotoBallers!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles
Spread: Eagles -6.0
Implied Total: Falcons (20.5) vs. Eagles (26.5)
Matchups We Love
QB Jalen Hurts
Hurts made some poor throws in Week 1 and only rushed for 33 rush yards in the season opener. However, the Eagles signal-caller should have a much better fantasy day this week against the Falcons. Atlanta allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks last year and tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns to the position (six). Lock him into your QB1 slot in Week 2.
JALEN HURTS TO AJ BROWN. 67-YARD TD TO START THE SECOND HALF.
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/Xq57EnstcK
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
If you lost David Njoku (ankle) for this week or are looking for a tight end, Eagles playmaker Dallas Goedert could be a strong start in Week 2. The Falcons gave up the fourth-most receiving yards (1,029) and the fifth-most catches (98) to the tight-end position last year. Goedert won't have a high fantasy ceiling -- given the other weapons in Philadelphia's offense -- but his high floor makes him a low-end TE1 on Monday.
Matchups We Hate
QB Kirk Cousins
Cousins looked awful in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and scored just 8.2 fantasy points. Even though Philadelphia allowed the most fantasy points to the quarterback position in 2023, it's too risky to start the Falcons quarterback in Superflex formats this week.
Other Matchups
Barkley showed in Week 1 why he deserved his multiyear contract from the Eagles this offseason. He rushed 24 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns while also catching two passes for 23 yards and one touchdown. The 27-year-old running back finished as the overall RB1 last week, and he has another strong chance to finish that high again in Week 2.
1ST EAGLES TOUCHDOWN FOR @SAQUON!!! pic.twitter.com/VkTZ2hMTQN
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 7, 2024
If you have running back Bijan Robinson in fantasy, you are starting him as your RB1 100%. He should also be in store for a strong fantasy day against an Eagles defense that struggled to contain Jacobs in the second half. The Packers running back averaged 5.25 yards per carry in Week 1, and Robinson's involvement in both the running and passing game makes him an RB1 heading into Monday night.
UPDATE: A.J. Brown has officially been ruled OUT for Week 2
There should be no worries about starting either A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith in your fantasy lineup this week. Both scored over 15 PPR fantasy points last week. Brown reeled in five catches for 119 yards and one touchdown, while Smith totaled seven catches for 84 yards. If Brown or Smith is shadowed by A.J. Terrell in this contest, they could have lower fantasy ceilings in Week 2. But you're still starting both Eagles wideouts on Monday.
Update: Brown didn't practice on Saturday due to a hamstring injury, officially questionable for Week 2. Jahan Dotson becomes an interesting play if Brown can't go.
WR Drake London
A poor Week 1 performance makes fantasy managers weary about starting London in fantasy. He only caught two passes for 15 yards. The only good thing that came out of last week's poor fantasy day was that London did play 100% of the offensive snaps. Better days should be ahead for the talented wideout, but until we see Cousins play better, the Falcons playmaker is a risky play. He's more of a WR2 this week.
TE Kyle Pitts
Tight end Kyle Pitts got into the end zone last week and finished as the TE4 in PPR formats. It was a nice sign to see him play 96% of the team's offensive snaps in Week 1 -- even after coming off a hamstring injury he suffered last week. With Cousins hopefully improving as a passer in Week 2, Pitts should be started in all formats this week.
"HEY KIRK I'M OPEN!!!"
📺: #PITvsATL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/zz3kBdzazQ— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
Notable Injuries
A.J. Brown (hamstring) - OUT
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