Ray-Ray

McCloud III

McCloud’s day was highlighted by a 42-yard diving grab in the first half on a nicely thrown ball from Michael Penix. McCloud had a career year in 2024 as the Falcons’ primary slot guy, catching 62 balls for 689 yards and one touchdown. He had four games with at least six receptions, most of them coming in the first half of the season. McCloud, 28, is signed through the 2025 season.

Mooney, who sustained a shoulder injury during practice this week, will miss the final game of the regular season — a must-win matchup for the Falcons. His absence should be a fantasy boost for Kyle Pitts and Ray-Ray McCloud against a terrible Panthers coverage unit. The Falcons also declared CB Kevin King, ILB JD Bertrand, DL Brandon Dorlus, OL Elijah Wilkinson, and T Brandon Parker inactive against Carolina.

This now makes two consecutive games of muted production for the diminutive veteran, with the change at quarterback from Kirk Cousins to Michael Penix clearly signaling an end to his fantasy-friendly production. That trend appears likely to continue into Week 18 when the Falcons attempt to save their season against the Panthers.

With check-down maestro Kirk Cousins banished to the bench, McCloud posted his second lowest yardage total since October. The Falcons project for more passing-game volume against the competitive Commanders in Week 17, but McCloud doesn’t offer enough ceiling with his modest PPR floor to force his way into the WR4 mix for the fantasy finals.

The Raiders’ inability to move the football for more than three quarters limited quarterback Kirk Cousins to just 17 pass attempts. Even then, the veteran quarterback continued to struggle with inconsistent play and numerous off-target throws, something that has plagued Cousins during the second half of the season as the Falcons have slipped out of the playoff picture in the NFC. They currently reside one game back from the division lead and will need to continue to string together wins to punch their ticket to the postseason.

With a cooked Kirk Cousins checking down with increasing desperation and frequency, McCloud actually led the Falcons in targets and receptions. The yards were a new career high. On the bad side of the ledger, McCloud’s lost fourth quarter fumble on a kick return essentially ended the game. McCloud has been passing some bad PPR checks for a few weeks, but you would still have to be truly desperate to rely on him as a WR4. You can do better for Week 15 against the Raiders.

The 95 yards were easily a new season high thanks to a 60-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter. McCloud also posted five receptions for the second game in a row after previously going five contests without doing so. Good for McCloud, but not really fantasy relevant with Kirk Cousins’ struggles deepening heading into Week 14 against the Vikings.

Only Drake London had more targets (7) than McCloud on the day. Operating almost exclusively from the slot, McCloud averaged 7.6 yards per catch as an underneath option before the Falcons rested their starters in the fourth quarter of the lopsided affair. If Darnell Mooney misses time with a hamstring injury, McCloud could see a bump in targets when the Falcons return from bye in Week 13.

McCloud, Atlanta’s primary slot receiver, was again well behind Darnell Mooney and Drake London in the team’s pass catching pecking order. McCloud, who doesn’t have more than three receptions in a game since Week 5, is nothing more than a desperation flex option in deeper formats.

He added a seven-yard rush. McCloud’s lack of involvement in the offense despite an early exit for Drake London makes him hard to rely on going forward. McCloud has just 11 receptions over Atlanta’s last four games, though he might see a little extra volume in Week 10 against the Saints. With Bijan Robinson the primary Falcons short receiver lately, those 6/66 and 6/52 games in Weeks 4 and 5 are feeling like a distant memory.