Mooney (hamstring) is ruled out for Monday's game against Buffalo, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Mooney's lack of availability is no surprise, given that he has yet to resume practicing since tweaking his hamstring and making an early exit in Week 4 against the Commanders. Still, head coach Raheem Morris has labeled Mooney day-to-day, so it seems he could return to health in time to suit up Week 7 versus San Francisco. With Mooney out for Monday's matchup against Buffalo, Casey Washington looks primed to handle a large workload behind top wideout Drake London, while TE Kyle Pitts and No. 3 receiver Ray-Ray McCloud could also see a slight uptick in target share.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Not spotted at practice again
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Mooney (hamstring) is not present for the early portion of Saturday's practice open to the media, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Mooney has yet to participate in practice since being forced out of Atlanta's win over the Commanders early due to a tweaked hamstring, despite having had the benefit of a Week 5 bye to rest up. All signs point toward Mooney being ruled out for Monday's matchup against the Bills, though head coach Raheem Morris did call him day-to-day, so there's reason for optimism that he could return in Week 7 versus the 49ers. If Mooney is indeed unable to go versus Buffalo, Casey Washington will figure to step into a significant role on offense behind Drake London.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Not practicing Friday
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Mooney (hamstring) didn't practice Friday, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Mooney made an early exit Week 4 and still isn't ready to practice after a Week 5 bye. Falcons coach Raheem Morris said the wideout is day-to-day, but there's not much cause for optimism as it pertains to Monday's matchup with Buffalo. Casey Washington played 95 percent of Atlanta's snaps when Mooney was inactive back in Week 1, catching three of six targets for 33 yards in a loss to Tampa Bay.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Sitting out another practice
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Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that Mooney (hamstring) won't practice Thursday, Terrin Waack of the team's official site reports. ""Right now, Mooney is still day-to-day. We'll see what that is," Morris said. "We'll get a good feel for what it looks like moving forward."
Mooney made an early exit from the Falcons' 34-27 win over the Commanders in Week 4 after tweaking his hamstring, but he benefited from a well-timed Week 5 bye. Though Atlanta initially expressed hope that Mooney wouldn't have to miss further action because of the hamstring injury, his absence from the team's first Week 6 practice casts some doubt on his availability. He'll have two more chances to log some practice activity before the Falcons host the Bills on Monday.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Week 6 Waiver Priority List
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Mooney (hamstring) is expected to play in Week 6 against Buffalo after leaving Week 4 against Washington due to an injury, and hopefully he healed during Atlanta's bye in Week 5. It's been a tough year so far for Mooney with a shoulder injury to start the season and now this hamstring issue, and his best game was Week 3 at Carolina with 8.4 PPR points. I still expect him to be productive as the season goes on, and he's worth stashing on your bench for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
The Falcons expect Mooney (hamstring) to get healthy over the team's bye and retake the field Week 6 versus the Bills on Monday, Oct. 13, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Mooney was forced out of Sunday's 34-27 win over the Commanders early in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury, but he's not expected to miss any further time. He secured his only target for 16 yards before exiting Sunday's contest. Mooney also missed Week 1 due to a shoulder injury, and across his three appearances this season he's tallied just seven catches for 79 yards on 16 targets.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Ruled out of Week 4 action
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Mooney (hamstring) won't return to Sunday's contest against the Commanders, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
At the time he departed early in the third quarter, Mooney had just one catch (on one target) for 16 yards. Behind No. 1 WR Drake London, Ray-Ray McCloud, Casey Washington, David Sills and Jamal Agnew are the Falcons' options at the position also active Week 4.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Hurts hamstring in Week 4
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Mooney injured his hamstring during Sunday's game versus the Commanders, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Prior to his exit just after halftime, Mooney had hauled in his only target for 16 yards. For as long as Mooney is sidelined, Ray-Ray McCloud, Casey Washington, David Sills and Jamal Agnew will be the healthy and available wide receivers for the Falcons that aren't named Drake London.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Productive showing in Week 3 loss
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Mooney secured four of 11 targets for 44 yards in the Falcons' 30-0 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
While it wasn't a very efficient performance, Mooney did draw a team-high number of targets and finished tied for second in receptions while also slotting in as the runner-up in receiving yards. Mooney has multiple receptions in each of his first two games after missing Week 1 due to a shoulder injury, and he'll next face off with the Commanders in a Week 4 home matchup.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Practices in full
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Mooney (shoulder) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Mooney was limited in practice Wednesday after having made his season debut Week 2 versus the Vikings, in which he handled 86 percent of offensive snaps and secured two of four targets for 20 yards. To see Mooney now practicing in full offers confirmation that he'll be available Sunday on the road against Carolina. Mooney will look to get more involved versus the Panthers, though he may have difficulty delivering fantasy value in what's been a run-first Atlanta offense through the first two games of the season.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Modest production in season debut
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Mooney caught two of four targets for 20 yards during Sunday's 22-6 win over the Vikings.
After missing Week 1 due to a shoulder injury, Mooney didn't have an injury designation heading into Sunday Night Football. He played 57 of 66 offensive snaps during his season debut, which led Atlanta's WRs (Drake London finished with 56). Despite being on the field often, Mooney failed to haul in either of his targets in the first half, and both of his receptions came within three plays during the Falcons' first drive of the second half. The run game was the clear emphasis for Atlanta during Sunday's defensive-dominated game, as Falcons QB Michael Penix attempted only 21 passes after throwing 41 times Week 1. Mooney is the clear No. 2 wideout behind London and will look to get more involved against the Panthers in Week 3. However, it'll be difficult for any pass catchers to deliver consistent production if the Falcons are pushing 40 rushing attempts consistently.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Cleared for Week 2 return
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Mooney (shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Minnesota, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Neither does Drake London, who hurt his shoulder during the season opener that Mooney missed. Mooney returns for an interesting matchup, facing a Vikings defense that gave up the most PPR points to wide receivers in 2024 (and seventh most in 2023), despite generally playing well under highly regarded coordinator Brian Flores. Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson often had London and Mooney topping 90 percent snap shares last season, but there's some chance of a limited workload after Mooney's lengthy absence (he was injured seven weeks ago on the first day of training camp).
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Stays limited at practice
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Mooney (shoulder) was limited in practice Thursday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Mooney now has strung together three straight capped sessions going back to Week 1 prep as he closes in on his recovery from the shoulder issue that has bothered him since late July. Both he and No. 1 WR Drake London (shoulder) have been limited so far this week, so Friday's practice will be key for them to avoid designations in advance of Sunday's game in Minnesota.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Remains limited in practice
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Mooney (shoulder) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Mooney is kicking off Week 2 prep where he left off last week, with a cap on his reps. He wasn't able to suit up this past Sunday against the Buccaneers due to the shoulder injury that has plagued him since the early days of training camp. Coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that the Falcons will "get a look and see toward the end of the week what he's got going on." Friday's practice report thus will be key for the wideout's odds to suit up Sunday in Minnesota.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Practicing Wednesday
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Falcons coach Raheem Morris said that Mooney (shoulder) is slated to practice Wednesday, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Mooney sat out Week 1 after logging a trio of limited practices leading up to Atlanta's narrow 23-20 season-opening loss to the Buccaneers. He seems likely to be limited again Wednesday, with his Week 2 status potentially resting on an ability to upgrade to 'full' practice reps Thursday or Friday. With Drake London (shoulder) having been forced out early Week 1 and now up-in-the-air for Sunday night's road game against the Vikings, Mooney's status will be increasingly pivotal to Michael Penix and Atlanta's aerial attack.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Sitting out season opener
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Mooney (shoulder) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
After Mooney turned in a trio of limited practices this week, head coach Raheem Morris gauged the wideout as a game-time decision leading up to Sunday's contest. Ultimately, the Falcons decided it was for the best to hold Mooney out for the season opener after he injured his shoulder during the first practice of training camp and proceeded to miss the team's entire preseason slate. With Mooney sidelined, the Falcons will likely turn to KhaDarel Hodge and Casey Washington to handle more snaps alongside No. 1 wideout Drake London and slot man Ray-Ray McCloud.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Day-to-day, limited in practice
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Mooney (shoulder) was limited in practice Wednesday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that Mooney is still "day-to-day," mentioning the option to "wait up until the last minute" to make an official decision on his status for Week 1, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic. Mooney will receive an official injury designation on Friday's practice report, but it could be that a final word on his status may not arrive until roughly 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1:00 kickoff against Tampa Bay. He's recovering from a shoulder injury sustained early in training camp. Dave Holcomb of SI reports that Mooney agreed Wednesday to restructure his contract with Atlanta, freeing up roughly an additional $6 million in cap space for the team.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Returns to practice
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Mooney (shoulder) returned to practice Thursday, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.
It's the second promising sign this week, after Mooney avoided an injury list on cutdown day, which suggests the Falcons expect him to play at some point in September. The return to practice Thursday seemingly even gives Mooney a shot to play Week 1 against Tampa Bay, with 10 days to ramp up after missing practice for a little over a month. The Falcons haven't done anything to upgrade their WR room in the meantime -- perhaps another hint at confidence in Mooney's September availability
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Avoids IR on cutdown day
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Mooney (shoulder) wasn't placed on injured reserve Tuesday, remaining on Atlanta's active roster, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
He still hasn't practiced since injuring his shoulder on the first day of training camp, but the Falcons seem confident Mooney will miss fewer than the minimum four games required by an IR stint. It's unclear if he has a realistic chance to play in Week 1 against Tampa Bay, however.
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Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Remains week-to-week
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Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Tuesday that he doesn't know when Mooney (shoulder) will return, but he's confident it will be this year, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
It's probably not the best sign that Morris is even hinting at the possibility of a long-term absence, although he did say Mooney is being evaluated on "a week-to-week basis." The wideout left practice early July 24 after trying to make a diving catch, with subsequent reports suggesting he'd miss multiple weeks and was uncertain for Week 1 against Tampa Bay. If nothing else, this latest update confirms that the Falcons aren't sure about Mooney's availability for the start of the regular season. Wideout depth was already a weak point for the team, with No. 3 receiver Ray-Ray McCloud coming off a 2024 campaign in which he was one of the least productive starters in the league on a per-route basis (1.29 yards per route, with one TD on 87 targets). The Falcons didn't draft any wide receivers this spring, nor did they sign any likely starters in free agency, instead settling for the likes of UDFA Nick Nash and journeymen DJ Chark to round out the depth chart.
