Falcons Hint at Another Cooper Rush Start, and the Fantasy Answer Is Still Bijan
Atlanta has hinted Cooper Rush could start again at quarterback in Week 2 against Carolina, and Falcons fans met the news with dismay and anger. That's the reporting from Pro Football Network, and it's a hint, not a decision. Treat it that way.
The stat line explains the mood. Per ESPN's box score, Rush went 12-of-22 for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, took four sacks for 25 yards, and finished with a 51.9 passer rating and a 2.6 QBR. The 2.6 is the number that matters. A QBR that low isn't a bad afternoon. It's a quarterback who can't move the ball at all.
So what do you do with it?
Start Bijan Robinson. He handled 21 carries for 83 yards and caught 8 of 10 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. Ten targets for a running back is a real passing-game role, and a quarterback who can't push the ball downfield throws checkdowns. Rush's arm is a Robinson multiplier in PPR, not a penalty. The two fumbles matter, but he lost neither.
Fade Kyle Pitts. One target. Zero catches. On a day Atlanta threw 22 passes, the tight end was a rumor. That's the number I keep returning to, and it's the one that should scare anyone who drafted him on talent.
Drake London drew 4 targets and caught 2 for 29 yards. A receiver chained to a 143-yard passing day has a low ceiling, full stop. On defense, Za'Darius Smith logged 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss, which is the quiet argument for running it back with Rush: if the front keeps games close, a grind-it-out script works.
My verdict, signed: if Atlanta starts Rush again, the Falcons are telling you their offense is handoffs. That makes Robinson a borderline top-five play this week and Pitts unstartable until the depth chart says otherwise. If Rush sits, tear this column up. Watch the inactives Sunday.
