Falcons WR Drake London was barely noticeable in Sunday’s win over Carolina. Despite running 20 routes — tied for a team-high — the second-year WR failed to record a catch. He drew just a single target. Desmond Ridder fed his RBs 9 total targets — a 50% share. We’re not ready to panic on London’s season-long outlook, but expect volatility ahead given Atlanta’s run-heavy approach. Next up is a tough matchup with CB Jaire Alexander.
The Falcons begin training camp Wednesday, and it doesn't sound like TE Kyle Pitts will be taking the field right away. "He's still getting back. He's still working," WR Drake London said Tuesday, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "Once he heals up, he's going to be the same Kyle Pitts we all know." We certainly hope that will be the case, but it's worrisome that Pitts isn't yet healed up from a MCL injury that knocked him out in November. Don't be surprised if Pitts slides down our fantasy football rankings a bit in the coming days. Any delay to Pitts' usefulness would likely be good news for London's target share. The WR trailed Pitts in that category before the TE went down last season.
Falcons WR Drake London finished his rookie season just 45th among WRs in PPR points per game. Yet he's going 22nd among WRs right now in Underdog Fantasy ADP. Why? Well, London did rank sixth among all wideouts in target share in 2022. He enjoyed a strong finish after QB Desmond Ridder took over for Marcus Mariota, averaging 9.0 targets, 6.3 receptions, and 83.3 yards over the final four games. And Atlanta increased its passing volume over that span. But the team still ranked just 24th in neutral-situation pass rate over that time. London also trailed TE Kyle Pitts in target share before Pitts went down with a knee injury. Atlanta sports a weak receiving depth chart behind those two for 2023, so there's room for both exciting young pass catchers to continue drawing large shares. But London will need more team passing volume to help him pay off at ADP. And drafting RB Bijan Robinson eighth overall would be a funny way for the Falcons to announce that they're going to pass a lot more in 2023. London sits only a little lower in our 2023 WR rankings than he does in ADP.
Falcons WR Drake London is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Bucs with a foot injury. We'll update the rookie's status when we know more.
Update: London was cleared to return.
Falcons WR Drake London tied for the team target lead (8) in Sunday's win over the Cardinals, continuing his run of strong target shares with 30.8% in the game. He caught 5 for a mere 47 yards, a modest fantasy outing. With Atlanta throwing for just 169 yards and no TDs overall, the ceiling was low for the rookie wideout. He'll close out next week against a Buccaneers squad that might be resting starters after clinching the division title with a Week 17 win.
Falcons rookie WR Drake London has garnered 35% of Falcons targets over the past 3 games, including rookie QB Desmond Ridder's 2 starts. That ranks him 3rd among all WRs over that span, trailing only Tyreek Hill and Michael Pittman Jr. London faces an Arizona defense this week that looks like a negative matchup for WRs by adjusted fantasy points allowed. But Arizona ranks just 19th in Football Outsiders' pass-defense DVOA, has 2 starting corners on the injury report and just lost S Budda Baker to a shoulder fracture. The Cardinals look like a neutral matchup for London at worst. You'll find some caution to our optimism for London in our Week 17 WR rankings, but the rookie lands inside the top 30.
Falcons WR Drake London led the way in targets (9), receptions (7) and receiving yards (96) in Saturday's loss at Baltimore. It marked his 3rd straight game with at least 9 looks and 6 catches. It was also London's 2nd time reaching 95 yards in that span. That marks 3 strong outings in the 4 games the team has played since losing TE Kyle Pitts for the season. London looks like at least a solid WR3 for PPR lineups against the Cardinals in Week 17. It helps his outlook that rookie QB Desmond Ridder fared better at Baltimore: 218 yards on 22-of-33 passing.
Falcons rookie WR Drake London drew a team-high 11 targets in Sunday's loss to the Saints, catching 7 for 70 yards. It marked the 2nd straight game of double-digit targets for London, who garnered 42.3% of Atlanta's total attempts in the debut for rookie QB Desmond Ridder. London also accounted for 53.8% of the team's total completions and 72.2% of the receiving yards. That makes London a worthwhile option against Baltimore and Arizona the next 2 weeks, despite the limited QB and offense.
Falcons WR Drake London delivered 6 catches for 95 yards on 12 targets in Sunday's loss to the Steelers. His 12 targets constituted half of QB Marcus Mariota's pass attempts. London also collected 46.2% of the team's receptions and 56.9% of the receiving yards. Those shares will be tough to replicate. There's certainly room for London to continue dominating the receiving categories the rest of the way, with TE Kyle Pitts done for the year. This was the 1st time since Week 3, however, that he exceeded 40 receiving yards. London entered the day averaging just 3.4 receptions per game. So there will be risk in trusting this performance to carry over after the Week 14 bye.
Falcons rookie WR Drake London checked in just 3rd on the team in targets and caught 2 passes for 29 yards in the 1st game since TE Kyle Pitts landed on IR. London did lead Atlanta in routes, running on all but 1 of QB Marcus Mariota's 26 dropbacks. But his 4 targets trailed WR Olamide Zaccheaus (8) and RB Cordarrelle Patterson (5). London scored in consecutive games before Sunday's dud but hasn't exceeded 40 receiving yards in a game since Week 3. He's tough to make a starting case for in most fantasy football formats.
Falcons WR Drake London found the end zone in Sunday’s win over Chicago. He created a ton of separation for a short-range score. That 1st quarter catch marked his only one of the day, though. London’s 3 targets represented a 15% team share, as Marcus Mariota remained a low-volume passer. Kyle Pitts is slated to miss time with a knee injury, so perhaps the rookie’s involvement will tick up a bit. Still, it’s hard to bank on a major turnaround given the run-heavy environment. Atlanta faces the Commanders in Week 12.
Falcons WR Drake London managed only 31 yards on 4 catches against the Panthers in Week 8. His target share was only 17.8% — putting him behind Kyle Pitts (32.1%) and Damiere Byrd (21.4%). He’s now been held to no more than 40 yards in 5 straight. Until we see some signs of life, Drake will be just a deep-league dart throw this week against the Chargers.
Falcons WR Drake London posted only 1 catch (1 target) for 9 yards in Week 7. He played 85% of the snaps but watched as Marcus Mariota attempted only 13 passes in a blowout loss. London’s now been held to 40 yards or fewer in 4 straight. Unless Atlanta’s pass volume increases, it’ll be tough to trust the rookie as a WR3. Week 8 turns up a meeting with Carolina.
Falcons WR Drake London posted just a 4-35 receiving line in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. He did lead the team in targets, though, claiming 28% of QB Marcus Mariota's pass attempts. Mariota also took 5 sacks and turned another 4 dropbacks into scrambles. London's situation was complicated by a 4th-quarter knee injury, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. London reportedly never entered the sideline injury tent but did wind up playing his smallest snap share of the season (67%). He trailed WR Olamide Zaccheaus in snaps and routes. Assuming there's no lasting damage to London's knee, he'll face a 49ers defense in Week 6 that just lost CB Emmanuel Moseley to a likely ACL tear.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Bucs. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 6. His absence leaves Parker Hesse as Atlanta's top TE, with Anthony Firkser behind him. Avoid that situation in fantasy lineups. The Falcons figure to lean on their run game for as long as they can on Sunday. When they do take to the air, WR Drake London should dominate targets.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts had his best receiving line of the season so far, with 5 catches for 87 yards in Sunday's win over the Seahawks. His 8 targets led the team and accounted for 40% of QB Marcus Mariota's total pass attempts. The downside: Pitts saw his playing time decrease in 2-WR sets. He played in 64 of 74 such snaps through the first 2 games (86.5%). That rate dipped to 54.3% at Seattle, according to Pro Football Focus numbers. WR Drake London followed with 6 targets, the only other Falcon to draw more than 2. Mariota threw for 229 yards and a TD to London on his 20 attempts. He added a 1-yard TD on the ground in the 1st quarter.
Falcons rookie WR Drake London absorbed 12 targets in Sunday's loss to the Rams, accounting for 46% of the team's total pass attempts. he caught 8 for 86 yards and 1 of QB Marcus Mariota's 2 TD passes. (Olamide Zaccheaus snagged the other.) No other Falcon topped 3 targets in the game, with TE Kyle Pitts tying WR KhaDarel Hodge for that #2 spot. Pitts caught 2 for 19 yards. His playing time remained strong, as Pitts played 7 more snaps and ran 1 more route than London. We'll need more than that going forward, though. Matchups with Seattle and Cleveland the next 2 weeks have potential to help.
Falcons WR Drake London drew 12 targets among just 26 Marcus Mariota pass attempts in Sunday's loss to the Rams. London racked up an 8-86-1 receiving line, while no teammate drew more than 3 looks. Through 2 games, the rookie has garnered 32.2% of Atlanta's total pass attempts. TE Kyle Pitts got just 3 targets against the Rams, tying WR KhaDarel Hodge for 2nd on the team. Pitts caught 2 for 19 yards.
Falcons rookie WR Drake London led the team in catches (5) and receiving yards (74) in Sunday's narrow loss to the Saints, despite entering the weekend questionable with a knee issue. London matched TE Kyle Pitts for the team target lead at 7. That accounted for 21.2% of the team's 33 pass attempts in the game, which would be a good level for both players. They'll need better QB efficiency than Sunday's 6.5 yards per attempt (and 0 TD passes) to capitalize, though.
Falcons WR Drake London (ankle) is active for today’s opener vs. the Saints. The rookie was limited in practice all week coming off his August 12 knee injury, so it’s unclear if he’s ready for a full slate of snaps today. London would be a risky Week 1 fantasy play.
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