Cousins started in Week 12 at New Orleans and scored 18.5 Fantasy points, and I could see him in that range again in the rematch. But I wouldn't expect a huge performance from Cousins since the Saints have allowed just one quarterback to score at least 20 Fantasy points in their past seven games. Cousins has also topped 20 Fantasy points just twice in six starts, and I would only use him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 18.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Game-manager role in win
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Cousins completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions while adding one rush for one yard in the Falcons' 27-24 win over the Rams on Monday night.
Cousins opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown pass to Bijan Robinson in the first quarter, but the veteran signal-caller mostly sat back and saw Robinson and his defense do the majority of the heavy lifting from there. No Falcons pass catcher compiled more than David Sills' 37 receiving yards, although Cousins did record a critical 11-yard completion to Kyle Pitts to move the chains early in what turned out to be Atlanta's game-winning drive. Cousins has thrown for under 200 yards in three of the last four games, and he's likely to continue leaning heavily on Robinson during a Week 18 home regular-season finale against the Saints on Sunday.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Week 17 Waiver Priority List
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Cousins is having a solid finish to the season with at least 21.6 Fantasy points in each of his past two games against Tampa Bay and Arizona. Those were easy matchups, but Cousins combined for 570 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception, along with a rushing touchdown, in those two outings. He faces the Rams in Week 17, and they have allowed four quarterbacks in a row to score at least 23 Fantasy points. Cousins will hopefully follow suit, and he's worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Produces three more TDs in Week 16
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Cousins completed 21 of 35 pass attempts for 197 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a lost fumble while scoring a third touchdown and losing three yards on five carries in Sunday's 26-19 win over Arizona.
Cousins was unable to replicate last week's vintage 373-yard performance, but he was able to reproduce the trio of touchdowns in another winning effort. The 36-year-old's third trip to the end zone came via a rare QB sneak in the fourth quarter that would end up serving as the game-deciding score Sunday. Cousins is beginning to show flashes of his former glory after looking rusty in his first few starts taking over for the injured Michael Penix (knee). While he is far from a sure thing, Cousins has at least put himself back in the conversation for potential starting options for fantasy managers in desperate QB situations. A Week 17 matchup against a tough Rams defensive unit dampens the excitement around the veteran starter for those in standard fantasy leagues.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Sleeper QBs
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Cousins is worth using as a low-end starting option in deeper leagues. He was awesome in Week 15 at Tampa Bay with 32.9 Fantasy points, and he has another favorable matchup in Week 16 at Arizona. Along with that, Drake London (knee) is expected to play against the Cardinals after missing the past four games, and that's a boost for Cousins in this matchup. Arizona has allowed four of the past five opposing quarterbacks to score at least 23.1 Fantasy points, including two in a row, and Cousins will hopefully be in a shootout with Jacoby Brissett. Cousins could be a good replacement option if you're stuck at quarterback in this scoring period.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Week 16 Waiver Priority List
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Cousins was awesome in Week 15 at Tampa Bay with 32.9 Fantasy points, and he has another favorable matchup in Week 16 at Arizona. The Cardinals have allowed four of the past five opposing quarterbacks to score at least 23.1 Fantasy points, including two in a row, and Cousins might get Drake London (knee) back for this game. Cousins is worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues in Week 16.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Throws for 234 in loss
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Cousins completed 21 of 33 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Jets.
Cousins had only 86 first-half passing yards but led a touchdown drive, capped by a one-yard Tyler Allgeier run, to tie the score at 7-7 with nine seconds left before halftime. Atlanta's first drive of the third quarter was also capped by a rushing score, this time on a five-yard Bijan Robinson run. Cousins then broke a 17-17 tie by connecting with David Sills for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 8:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Jets scored the game's final 10 points to drop Atlanta to 4-8. Despite the slow start, Cousins ultimately exceeded 200 passing yards for the first time this season, but Atlanta's passing game won't offer much fantasy appeal in Week 14 against the Seahawks, especially if top wide receiver Drake London (knee) misses a third consecutive game.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: First win as starter in 2025
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Cousins completed 16 of 23 pass attempts for 199 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while gaining five yards on two carries in Sunday's 24-10 win over New Orleans.
Cousins earned his first win of the 2025 season in his second start for the Falcons after it was announced that starter Michael Penix (knee) will miss the remainder of the year. The 36-year-old Cousins experienced greater success compared to his spot-start in a loss to the Dolphins back in Week 8 and a pair of relief appearances that netted zero combined touchdowns. The highly-paid backup is unlikely to reach the elite levels of production we were used to seeing back in his heyday playing for Washington and Minnesota, but he proved on Sunday that he can still operate an NFL offense at a respectable level. Cousins will face another soft matchup against the Jets next Sunday, putting him on the map in deeper formats as a potential bye week or injury replacement.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Taking over for rest of season
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The Falcons announced Wednesday that Cousins will take over as their starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game at New Orleans after a second opinion confirmed that Michael Penix (knee) will require season-ending surgery to address a partially torn left ACL, Terrin Waack of the team's official site reports.
Cousins already looked to be in line to start at least four games after the Falcons relayed Monday that Penix would be headed to injured reserve, but now that the 25-year-old quarterback has been confirmed to need season-ending surgery, Cousins' run atop the depth chart will be extended. Per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com, head coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that Easton Stick will be signed to the 53-man roster to work as Cousins' backup, while Kyle Trask will replace Stick on the team's practice squad. Cousins hasn't been productive in limited opportunities this season, as the Falcons have scored just one touchdown across the 17 offensive drives he's led so far (not counting kneel-downs). Though he draws a favorable matchup for his second start of the season against the 2-8 Saints, Cousins will have to make do without one of his top pass-catching options in Drake London (knee), who is week-to-week with a PCL injury.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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Cousins will likely start for the Falcons for the rest of the season after Michael Penix Jr. (knee) was placed on injured reserve Monday. Cousins came on in relief of Penix in Week 11 against Carolina and was 6-of-14 passing for 48 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also started for Penix in Week 8 against Miami and was 21-of-31 passing for 173 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. We're only adding Cousins in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB heading into Week 12 at New Orleans, and Drake London (knee) is also hurt. This isn't an ideal situation to trust Cousins, but he could be useful in deeper formats, especially if London isn't forced to miss an extended period of time.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Lackluster showing in spot start
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Cousins completed 21 of 31 passes for 173 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions while rushing twice for two yards in the Falcons' 34-10 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.
Making his first start since Week 15 of last season, Cousins understandably had some rust to work through, and he also had the disadvantage of having to operate without No. 1 receiver Drake London (hip). Cousins eventually developed a bit of rhythm as the game went on, but he averaged just 5.6 yards per attempt and focused the overwhelming majority of his attention on Kyle Pitts. Cousins could certainly be better now that he has a game under his belt and with another week of practice -- not to mention with London at his disposal -- but it remains to be seen if he'll have that opportunity in a Week 9 road matchup against the Patriots or whether Penix will be healthy enough to start that game.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Slated to start versus Miami
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Cousins will start Sunday's game against the Dolphins due to Michael Penix (knee) being expected to be sidelined for the contest, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Penix logged a trio of limited practices during the week and was deemed questionable on Atlanta's final injury report Friday. However, news emerged early Saturday that the second-year quarterback was trending toward sitting out, and that now appears to be confirmed, per Schefter's sources. As a result, Cousins is in line to make his first start of the season. In his only appearance so far in 2025, Cousins completed five of seven pass attempts for 29 yards in mop-up duty against Carolina in Week 3.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: League-wide interest low
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The Falcons haven't received any trade inquiries on Cousins over the past week, despite a number of teams dealing with injuries at quarterback, Jay Glazer reported on "Fox NFL Sunday."
The Falcons are willing to trade Cousins, but they also didn't put anything on tape with him this preseason to demonstrate that he has fully recovered from the injuries that ultimately contributed to him being benched during the 2024 season. He'll continue to serve as Michael Penix's top backup until a potential trade suitor emerges as the season unfolds.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Not in line to play Friday
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Cousins will not suit up for Friday's preseason finale against the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Cousins will join starting quarterback Michael Penix on the sideline for a third consecutive preseason game, positioning Easton Stick for a final exhibition start, with free-agent pickup Ben DiNucci in line to close things out under center in the wake of Emory Jones (concussion) being waived/injured Monday. By all indications, Cousins will kick off the regular season as the No. 2 quarterback behind Penix in Atlanta, though the Falcons would likely pick up the phone for trade inquiries if a team in need of a capable veteran QB emerges at some stage.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Won't play Friday night
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Cousins won't play in Friday's preseason game against Detroit, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Neither will starter Michael Penix, leaving Easton Stick and Emory Jones as Atlanta's quarterbacks. Cousins, meanwhile, presumably still wants to be traded to a team that will give him a chance to start, but he's practicing with the Falcons' backups in the meantime.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Will attend mandatory minicamp
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Cousins is slated to attend the Falcons' mandatory minicamp Tuesday and Wednesday. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
Cousins attended Atlanta's voluntary workouts in April but not voluntary OTAs in late May and early June. The veteran quarterback has expressed his desire to be traded to a team where he could compete to start, rather than work as the backup to Michael Penix. The Browns, Steelers and Vikings had been named as potential suitors for Cousins this offseason, but Cleveland has since added rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, while Pittsburgh's long-awaited one-year deal with Aaron Rodgers finally has materialized. Cousins is now heading into his age-37 season, carrying a cumbersome contract and fresh off a 2024 campaign in which he visibly petered out down the stretch before being benched. Unless a path to a starting gig elsewhere and trade somehow comes to pass, for fantasy purposes Cousins looks like a mere late-round stash in formats that start multiple QBs.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Suitors may include Vikings?
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The Browns, Steelers and Vikings may be interested in acquiring Cousins, whose contract includes a no-trade clause, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
The contract also has a guaranteed $27.5 million salary for 2025, plus a guaranteed $10 million roster bonus in 2026. Cousins somewhat unexpectedly showed up for the start of Atlanta's voluntary OTAs this week, but he still seems to be hoping for a trade that would put him in a starting role -- preferably without competition from an early draft pick at the position. Pittsburgh would seem to be the cleanest fit, if Aaron Rodgers doesn't end up signing there and the Steelers don't use an early pick on a QB later this week. Falcons GM Terry Fontenot responded to some of the rumors and reports Wednesday, saying it's "not accurate" that the team has asked potential trade partners to take on at least $20 million of Cousins' salary, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Not expected at OTAs
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Cousins isn't expected to show up for voluntary OTAs this spring, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The Falcons kept Cousins on the roster in mid-March rather than releasing him to avoid having a $10 million guarantee kicking in. He may still be traded at some point this offseason, but there's a real chance he enters Week 1 as the backup in Atlanta behind 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix. The Falcons benched Cousins in favor of Penix for the final three games last season, with the rookie completing 58 of 100 passes for 737 yards (7.4 YPA), three TDs and three INTs, plus seven carries for 11 yards and another score. Penix played well enough to keep the starting job heading into 2025, but perhaps not well enough for the Falcons to be confident that he's a franchise QB in the making.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Won't be released ahead of deadline
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The Falcons have decided to keep Cousins on their roster ahead of Saturday's 4 pm ET deadline for his $10 million guarantee to kick in, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Cousins lost his starting job to Michael Penix late last season and has been the subject of trade speculation in recent months. However, the Falcons appear determined to keep him around as a backup and mentor to Penix for at least one more season. It's still possible that a trade partner will emerge to persuade Atlanta to part ways with the veteran quarterback, but Cousins has a no-trade clause in his contract and may waive it only if put in the position to be a starter elsewhere.
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Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Dealt with late-season injuries
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Cousins said Tuesday that the right shoulder injury he sustained in Week 10 impacted the quality of his play down the stretch, and contributed to his benching in favor of rookie Michael Penix in Week 16, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Cousins' season looked remarkably different prior to Week 10, as he boasted a 17:7 TD:INT entering the road matchup against New Orleans, compared to a 1:9 TD:INT in his final five appearances. He was listed on the injury report immediately after the contest against the Saints, but was then limited for only one practice before being listed as healthy to conclude the campaign. Coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot also affirmed multiple times that the veteran QB's health wasn't a factor in the decision to bench him for Penix. Still, Cousins' focus to begin the offseason is related to getting healthy. "If we can do that," he said, "[I] feel like I've got a new life ahead of me in pro football." Fontenot has stated that Cousins will work as the backup to Penix during the 2025 season, but if the veteran's struggles were indeed mostly injury-related and he's able to quickly get right, it could make it easier for Atlanta to facilitate a trade.
