Darnell Mooney — Week 2: Two Catches, Forty-Eight Yards
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Tuesday, Sep 22
Mooney was targeted three times and caught two for 48 yards — 33 on second and eight with 10:20 left in the half and 15 on third and eight with 5:50 left in the third — and his targets were worth plus 3.5 expected points, the only positive figure among Giants pass-catchers. A fourth throw his way in the first quarter drew a defensive pass interference flag and a first down, in a 28–6 loss to the Rams.
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Nothing to 14, 10 20 left in the second quarter, second and eight at the New York 36. Jameis Winston threw deep left to Darnell Mooney, who was pushed out of bounds at the Los Angeles 31. 33 yards, +2.5 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and +2.9 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. That was the best play any Giant had all night by expected points, and it was one of three balls thrown his way.
The line: three targets, two catches, 48 yards, two first downs, +3.5 expected points on the targets, and a longest of 33. The second catch was 15 yards short middle on third and eight at the Los Angeles 49 with five 50 left in the third quarter, a conversion, worth +2.4 — the second-best Giants play of the night by the same measure. The one incompletion was a short left on third and eight with three 24 left in the half. Two targets before halftime, one after. Two of the three came on third down and one was caught. 35 of the 48 yards were in the air. There was a fourth throw his way, an incompletion on third and nine at the Los Angeles 39 with seven oh six left in the first quarter, that drew a defensive pass interference call on Jaylon Wallace for five yards and a first down; it does not appear in his line.
Three targets were sixth on the team. Isaiah Likely had 10, Malachi Fields six, Theo Johnson, Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers four each, Devin Singletary one — nine percent of the 32 Giants throws went to Mooney. He was also the only Giants pass-catcher whose targets came out positive by expected points, on a night the team's passing game finished at −17.6, third-worst of the 32 teams in Week Two.
Back in June the preview's read on Mooney was buy the targets and wait for the touchdowns: 15 games in Atlanta, 72 targets, one score, a 4.4 points a game season that the preview called weather rather than the player, and it named his September target share as the thing to watch. Week One was two targets, two catches, 27 yards. Week Two was three targets, two catches, 48. Two games have produced five targets, four catches, 75 yards and no touchdowns — which is a receiver being efficient on a volume the preview said had to grow, and it has not grown yet. New York is home to the Titans on Sunday the 20-seventh.
_Data via nflverse._
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