Kirk Cousins spent his last six seasons in Minnesota, passing for a lot of yards, winning a respectable amount of games, and raising his name among the franchise’s greats. After his time with the Skol crowd, Cousins is number three on the franchise’s all-time passing yards list and second in touchdowns.
Cousins is well-respected and praised for his ability to bring the best out of players. Cousins signed a 4-year ,180 million dollar contract with the Atlanta Falcons just a week ago, and looks to get the most out of his new supporting cast.
From one good supporting cast to another
Cousins, 35, is coming off of a season-ending injury in 2023. Yet, what he has done in terms of his leadership and players getting on board was more than enough for Atlanta to pay for him.
In Minnesota, he jump-started Justin Jefferson’s career and helped Dalvin Cook become one of the league’s best runners in the last half-decade.
Minnesota put weapons around him but in Atlanta it is the opposite. Atlanta has weapons but no real quarterback to lead them. Cousins in Atlanta gives guys like Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson a leader who knows how to use them.
For the past few seasons, Atlanta showed promise on offense but the lack of the right quarterback capped their potential. With Cousins in town and talent that is around him, this team can be competitive.
Kirk Cousins Fantasy Impact
FantasyPros has Cousins ranked as the number 16 quarterback just behind Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Detroit’s Jared Goff. This ranking will likely remain the same as well Cousins’ production overall.
Whether in Washington or Minnesota, Cousins was the same. He has put together a similar stat line in each season as a starter. Seemingly another 280-300 points and 16-17 fantasy points per game average is in the cards for Cousins this year.
You are going to get out of Cousins as you always do. More often than not, Cousins is reliable for most fantasy teams, and in some weeks, he can finish in the top five. Other times, he hits rough patches and makes fantasy managers scratch their heads in disbelief. Cousins’ value is fixed and you know what you are getting when you draft him.
Skill players like London, Pitts, and Robinson are the real beneficiaries of Cousins’ coming to town. London has been consistent in his first two years, getting heavy targets in the short game. With Cousins there, expect targets to remain high, but his yardage and touchdown rate will improve as Cousins can open up an offense.
Pitts, has not lived up to his No.4 overall (2021) status in his first two years in Atlanta. He is athletically gifted, and his toughness gives him the advantage over many who try to guard him. Cousins knows how to increase his teams’ TE value, therefore, Pitts gets an immediate value upgrade with Cousins throwing to him.
What Kirk Cousins is leaving behind
The future will be interesting for the Vikings. As for now, the two guys leading the QB room is Sam Darnold and Nick Mullins.
It is very likely that Minnesota addresses this in the upcoming draft with a talented QB class to choose from. Outside of the top three prospects, there are still another 2-3 starting caliber players that Minnesota could snag at pick No.11 or later.
This team has firepower thanks to Jefferson, Hockenson, Jordan Addison and now Aaron Jones. Each are still attractive form a fantasy perspective.
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Desmond Ordonez is an avid sports fan and resides in Boise, Idaho. Desmond frequently covers NFL and NBA news. Follow him on Twitter at @des_ordo21 and follow us @TotalApexSports for more content.
