Falcons fantasy stud and dud from Week 11 vs. Broncos

Kirk Cousins was the worst quarterback in fantasy this weekend.

The Atlanta Falcons have a bye in Week 12, where they hope to recharge for the stretch run in an attempt to hang on to their lead atop the NFC South. They technically did play a football game against the Denver Broncos in Week 11, but it seems that they mentally started their bye a week early.

The Falcons played their worst game of the season on both ends, failing to score double digit points for the first time this season and allowing a season high 38 points. The entire game was an absolute disaster and almost all of the major players had a disappointing fantasy performance.

The silver lining is that this did not happen in the fantasy playoffs, and there is not a single defense nearly as strong as Denver’s that the Birds will face during that time. This may have been a blow if you are reliant on Falcons during your playoff push, however.

There is a lot of great content available here at The Falcoholic, and I encourage you to check it out if you want some in-depth analysis. This article will look at things strictly from a fantasy football perspective (that means looking at nothing other than pure statistics). Here is Atlanta’s fantasy stud and fantasy dud from Week 11’s defeat against the Denver Broncos.

Fantasy Stud/Dud 2024 History:

Past Studs: Bijan Robinson (4), Darnell Mooney (2), Drake London, Younghoe Koo, Kirk Cousins, Kyle Pitts

Past Duds: Kirk Cousins (3), Kyle Pitts (2), Drake London (2), Tyler Allgeier, Darnell Mooney, Younghoe Koo

Fantasy Stud: Younghoe Koo

Stat Line: 2-2 FGs (1-1 40-49, 1-1 50+): 9.0 standard league/PPR points

It was an absolutely crucial bounce back performance for Younghoe Koo after he more or less single-handedly (leggedly?) cost the Falcons in their previous matchup against the New Orleans Saints. He was beginning to feel a hot seat, and continued struggles in this game may have necessitated the need to bring in some kicker competition over the bye week.

Koo was called into action on two of Atlanta’s three drives and nailed both kicks when called upon, including one from 51 yards out. It was an excellent and much needed confidence booster after he had hit just two of his previous seven field goal attempts and was 31st out of 33 eligible kickers in field goal percentage on the season coming into this game.

Koo, like most kickers going into their bye week, should be dropped this coming week. We are late in the season and utilizing a bench spot on a kicker who will not play and is not named Chris Boswell or Ka’imi Fairbairn (the two elites this season) is not the best idea. The Georgia Southern alum will be playable again after the Falcons get back into action.

Dud

Kirk Cousins: 173 passing yards, 1 interception, 1 fumble: 3.92 standard league/PPR points

Kirk Cousins had his worst fantasy performance of the season in this one, and that’s saying something given that this is already his fifth single digit scoring performance out of 11 games.

All afternoon, Cousins and Atlanta’s offense was stifled by Denver’s impressive defensive unit. They managed to muster just two field goal drives (both successfully converted by Koo) and were absolutely ravaged outside of that.

The final result was Cousins’ lowest yardage total since Week 1, his league leading 11th fumble and one of the worst interceptions you will ever see. In the end, every single quarterback who started for their team this weekend outscored Cousins.

Outside of the two games against Tampa Bay, Cousins has been an immense disappointment in the fantasy football realm this season, and you should not have been starting him against the Broncos in the first place. Unless you are in a Superflex or two QB league, he should be on the waiver wire with a bye week now followed by difficult matchups against the Chargers and Vikings coming out of it.