Falcons Training Camp Updates: Michael Penix & Tua Tagovailoa Injury Updates, Bijan Robinson Holding In?
Fantasy

Falcons Training Camp Updates: Michael Penix & Tua Tagovailoa Injury Updates, Bijan Robinson Holding In?

NFL Training Camps are underway, and the Falcons are feeling it. Two injured QBs, a star RB in a contract dispute and more. What does it mean for fantasy football?

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It’s been quite an eventful start to training camp for the Atlanta Falcons.

On Wednesday morning, we received multiple news items from the Falcons, all of which are more than notable.

Alright then.

Michael Penix & Tua Tagovailoa Injury Updates

If both Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa are healthy, I’d expect a quarterback competition of some capacity. The two split first-team reps during OTAs back in May after all. But Penix’s recovery from a Week 11 ACL tear hasn’t been the easiest, and if he isn’t cleared for another four weeks, that would make it very likely that Tagovailoa (assuming health) would open the season as Atlanta’s starting signal caller.

We’ll see what happens over the next few weeks, but whoever is under center will have serious fantasy football implications for Atlanta’s pass catchers.

While Penix is aggressive and wants to throw the ball down the field, Tagovailoa is the opposite. See it, throw it, get the ball out quick. And when it’s not there, check it down to the running back. Since 2022, Tagovailoa has targeted running backs over 22% of the time and over the past two seasons, his 14.5% checkdown rate is one of the highest in football. Penix, meanwhile, ranks eighth in percentage of passes of 20-plus yards since entering the NFL in 2024 (14.2%), while ranking fourth in passes of 15-plus yards (24.9%). During that same span, just 7.8% of Tagovailoa’s pass attempts went 20 or more yards down the field, which ranks 47th among quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts. Tua starting could give Bijan Robinson a slight boost in fantasy production.

As long as he’s out there.

Bijan Robinson Contract Extension & Potential Hold-In

Seeking a long-term extension, Robinson did not participate in practice on Wednesday in what appears to be a hold-in. Over in Detroit, Jahmyr Gibbs also isn’t practicing, as the league’s top two running backs are awaiting extensions that would likely reset the market at the position. We saw the same situation play out in Buffalo last year with James Cook, whose hold-in lasted a little over a week before ultimately landing an extension. It’s safe to assume the Falcons will get a deal done for their best player, but it is worth noting that the longer a hold-in lasts, the more likely a slow start to the regular season becomes. Still, we’re talking about the first day of camp, so any movement in fantasy football rankings from Robinson or Gibbs would be a bit premature. 

Things are already hectic in Atlanta, which also placed offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor on the PUP list. We’ll continue to track all of the news, but it sure looks like Tua Tagovailoa is going to open Week 1 as the Falcons' starting quarterback.

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Michael Penix
    MichaelPenixQ
    QBATLATL
    PPG
    13.0
    Proj
    125.5
  2. Tua Tagovailoa
    TuaTagovailoa
    QBATLATL
    PPG
    11.4
    Proj
    131.0
  3. Bijan Robinson
    BijanRobinson
    RBATLATL
    PPG
    19.3
    Proj
    303.7
  4. Cooper Rush
    CooperRush
    QBBALBAL
    PPG
    1.4

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