Falcons list James Pearce Jr. as third-stringer due to potential suspension
This is purely an IDP (individual defensive player) storyline — Pearce has zero standard-league fantasy value. For IDP formats, though, this is a significant blow. Being buried on the depth chart as a third-string DE, combined with an all-but-certain suspension before Week 1, means Pearce won't accrue snaps or sacks even after any ban is served, since he'll need to work back up the depth chart. Owners who drafted him as a rookie pass-rush sleeper in IDP leagues should shelve him for at least the first month-plus of the season, and possibly longer if the suspension is lengthy (personal conduct policy suspensions for domestic violence charges have ranged from a few games to a full season historically). Depth players ahead of him on Atlanta's edge rotation (whoever the starters/second-stringers are) become the more relevant IDP streamers in the interim.
Falcons defensive end James Pearce Jr., who entered a diversion program earlier this year to resolve multiple felonies arising from a February 2026 domestic violence incident, most likely will be suspended by the league before Week 1.