Fantasy Football Fallout From Tua Tagovailoa Injury: Cooper Rush's Impact on Drake London, Others
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In a peculiar and unique situation, the Atlanta Falcons will be without Tua Tagovailoa in Week 1. The quarterback injured his oblique in practice this week after attempting a throw. The injury has not been confirmed, but a strain appears to be the common diagnosis. After weeks of back and forth between Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., it will ultimately be Cooper Rush behind center.
Fantasy Football Impact
#WATCH: I happened to catch the moment #Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa went down briefly during the open portion of #Falcons practice
— Reggie Chatman Jr. (@ReggieChatman) September 10, 2026
He stood off to the side for the rest of the period we were able to watch. https://t.co/VyzfRrzond pic.twitter.com/sIO2CtmOkF
Prior to his inactive status, Tagovailoa was listed as my QB29 of the week. He was never viewed as a viable quarterback. Even in SuperFlex leagues, Tagovailoa was never a must-start QB2.
The listing of Rush at quarterback changes the Falcons Week 1 outlook a tad bit.
Rush is now listed as the QB31 in Week 1 Fantasy Football. I project that the former Cowboy will have 18.9 completions on 29.4 passing attempts for 208.5 yards, 1.3 touchdowns, and 0.9 interceptions.
The Falcons are expected to go more run-heavy now with Rush on short notice. He only began taking first-team repetitions with the team on Thursday. Prior, he had been the team's QB3 behind both Tagovailoa and Penix Jr. In other words, there may be a lack of chemistry built with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson.
The expected pass rate of Falcons has been dropped from 58.5% to 55.5%. The team luckily has a wonderful 1-2-3 punch of skill players, so Rush will not be asked to do much. Get the ball into the hands of the playmakers and let them work their magic.
My projection did not move all that much on Robinson. As a running back, he benefits from the increased run-rate, but efficiency offsets that uptick. He remains my RB2, low-risk in that matter.
Drake London will now enter Week 1 as the WR12 in fantasy football. He is projected for 5.0 receptions, 66.0 yards, and 0.5 touchdowns. That equates to 14.7 PPR fantasy points, or on par with Rashee Rice and Tetairoa McMillan.
Kyle Pitts enters the week as my TE6 overall. He is being awarded 6.2 targets, 4.4 receptions, 47.1 yards, and 0.3 touchdowns.
How Good is Cooper Rush?
Rush is not a groundbreaking backup. The last time he earned a qualifying PFF grade was in 2024. Rush was rated 41st among 42 qualified quarterbacks.
Last season, Rush was with the Baltimore Ravens. In limited playing time, he went 34-for-52 with 303 yards. He failed to throw a touchdown and threw 4 interceptions — very bad.
I give a ton of credit to Brian Schottenheimer as a quarterback whisperer of sorts. He has bred Dak Prescott to elite status among pure pocket passers. Rush himself managed to throw for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in 2024. Obviously, that was a bit of an anomaly, hence Rush's poor rating on that season and his abysmal 2025 output.
This is a player not worth anything in fantasy football. However, I do not penalize Robinson, London, or Pitts all that much. They are players of immense talent. You can trust that Tommy Rees calls plays that get the ball into their hands and make things happen.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.