Kirk Cousins signs with Atlanta: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
In 2012, the Washington Commanders drafted a quarterback they thought would grow into a franchise cornerstone and long-term starter in the NFL. They truly believed they had a player who could bring them a championship and have a long and illustrious NFL career. It turns out they were right – only the player they hit on was Kirk Cousins (the 102nd overall pick) and not Robert Griffin III (the 2nd pick). It took Cousins a few years to establish himself as a franchise player but after Griffin kept getting injured, he was named the starter in Washington and the rest is history.
After six years with the Commanders, Cousins got the first fully guaranteed, multi-year contract in league history for a quarterback when he signed for $84 million with the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, over the past eight seasons, Cousins has earned more than $228 million – not bad for a fourth rounder who was considered a safe pick as a backup option.. Cousins had stretches of dominance with Minnesota and helped turn Justin Jefferson into a household name. However, he and the Vikings couldn’t agree to terms and Minnesota let him hit free agency. In the end, it took him just hours to find a new home as he signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. The move has some obvious dynasty impact, so let’s evaluate the values of the players involved.
Kirk Cousins, QB ATL
Over his twelve years in the league, Cousins has played in 150 games and thrown for 39,741 yards with 270 touchdowns and 11o interceptions. His career passing yardage total is 24th all-time in the NFL – behind only Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers in terms of active players who have more yards in a career than he does. His 270 career touchdown passes are 20th all-time as well. While Cousins has never been the sexiest fantasy option based on his lack of rushing ability (he has 958 career rushing yards), he’s been a solid option for the better part of the past decade.
There are questions that need to be answered about this signing. First, Cousins needs to prove he’s healthy. This is a huge contract for a player who suffered a torn right Achilles in week eight against Green Bay. His timeline puts him back to full strength on August 1st but he’ll need to show he’s 100% recovered for dynasty managers to feel good about things. Still, Cousins isn’t a runner and while any torn Achilles is indeed a big deal, this would be much more significant if we were talking about Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson, who rely on their legs a lot more. There are also some concerns about his age but he really is the type of quarterback who should age pretty gracefully.
In Atlanta, Cousins should fit seamlessly. He had 18 touchdown passes last season in eight games, which is one more than the Falcons had last season. He also excels on plays that include motion (12 touchdowns and one interception) and that’s what the new offense the Falcons are employing has promised. Cousins is more than good enough to unlock the potential of the skill players on this roster and this is a huge upgrade for everyone involved, including Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. If things work out the way Atlanta thinks they will, this is going to turn from one of the most frustrating offenses for fantasy into one of the most fruitful, Cousins is our QB19 based on his age. However, his ADP is likely going to tick up a touch now that we know where he’s going and once he shows he’s healthy, this could be a lot of fun. Sign me up.
Desmond Ridder, QB ATL
A third round pick back in 2022, Ridder had a chance to establish himself as the long-term answer last season and it just didn’t happen. He was the epitome of an average quarterback as he threw for 2,836 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in parts of 15 games. He had some moments, including a 347-yard performance against Tampa Bay. However, he also had bouts where he simply couldn’t move the offense and was benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke at one point. He’s likely going to find himself in a battle with Heinicke for a roster spot this off-season.
Taylor Heinicke, QB ATL
Most remember Heinicke as the player who nearly derailed Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run as a spot starter for Washington in the playoffs a few years ago. He’s played well at times during his stops in Houston, Washington, Carolina and Atlanta but he really does look like a quarterback with limited upside. As stated above, there’s really only a place for one backup quarterback and he’s likely fighting for a spot on Atlanta’s roster – he shouldn’t be on yours, regardless.
Drake London, WR ATL
And now it gets fun. London entered last season with high expectations after a rookie season that featured a 72/866/4 line. Poor quarterback play doomed his year from the start and he ended 2023 with just 69 catches for 905 yards and a measly two touchdowns. While nobody can expect London to turn into Justin Jefferson overnight, Cousins will easily be the best quarterback he’s ever played with and he should make a pretty significant leap in terms of production next season.
Kyle Pitts, TE ATL
Talk about disappointing. Pitts was amazing as a rookie, becoming the first rookie tight end to post a 1,000-yard season since Mike Ditka. Unfortunately, it’s been a nightmare since as Pitts only played in ten games in 2022, then recorded a dreadful 53/667/3 line last year. While we can’t automatically anoint him as a TE1 again, things can’t get worse and Cousins is bound to help him turn around his career. This signing is big for him moving forward.
Bijan Robinson, RB ATL
The new coaching staff is the biggest thing going for Robinson. While he still has to deal with Tyler Allgeier siphoning some carries off him, having a competent quarterback can’t hurt. The Falcons grossly underused him last season and if that changes, the sky is truly the limit for the talented second-year back.
Darnell Mooney, WR ATL
The ADP chart for Mooney looks a lot like the stock market crash of 1929. After being left for dead in Chicago, he may just have some value left him. Mooney recently signed with Atlanta and the depth chart behind London looks pretty thin. He looks like a pretty solid “buy low” to me just in case he finds some magic again.
Sam Darnold, QB MIN
The other shoe dropped and the Vikings moved quickly to sign Cousins’ replacement. This was about the best outcome possible for Darnold, who is currently the de facto starter for the Vikings. Darnold has been in some of the worst situations imaginable during his time in the league with stops in New York (Jets), Carolina, and San Francisco. His career totals of 12,064 passing yards with a 63:56 touchdown-to-interception ratio are serviceable and could even be deemed as admirable based on the rosters he’s dealt with. While the Vikings are likely to add a rookie to the fold, Darnold looks like he may have one more chance at carving out dynasty value.
Justin Jefferson, WR MIN
Ugh. While Cousins may not have been the best quarterback in the league, he was certainly better than most and this hurts Jefferson’s value. While things are not going to bottom out, his grasp on the overall WR1 spot could be tenuous with CeeDee Lamb and Ja;Marr Chase lurking.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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