Arthur Smith was the bane of any fantasy-viable player for the Atlanta Falcons the last few seasons, including Drake London. With him gone and a new head coach in with Raheem Morris, everyone should be unlocked in this offense moving forward.
The same can be said for incoming third-year pro Drake London, a former first-rounder and top-ten selection from the 2022 NFL Draft.
With Kirk Cousins coming into the fold and new offensive coordinator Zach Robinson, from the Los Angeles Rams, the Falcon’s problem in 2024 should not be their offense.
Is London the next young breakout at wide receiver and will he be able to match the hype for Atlanta this season?
Drake London 2023 Stats and Fantasy Production
Drake London has the potential to be a fiend down near the red zone at 6’4″ and 213 pounds. The monster from USC at 22 years old still has plenty of potential to be an upper-echelon caliber wide receiver in the league.
That being said, his NFL career so far hasn’t been that, as he finished 2023 with 69 receptions, 906 yards, and only two touchdowns through the air. His rookie year wasn’t any better and was worse despite catching two more touchdowns, with 866 receiving yards off 72 catches.
London is mostly considered a perimeter receiver who can line up wherever and be a big play threat. That could even be as a big slot on the inside, similar to Rams’ Cooper Kupp, or on the outside as a traditional boundary target with that size, like a Mike Evans type.
His past stats leave much to be desired, finished 42nd overall in PPR, surprisingly next to Kupp due to his injury.
London’s highest game in fantasy was just shy of 20 points in Week 14, as he went off for 172 yards off 10 catches.
That is the type of upside the two-time receiving leader for the Falcons has, and adding Kirk Cousins in Atlanta instead of Desmond Ridder or the likes of Marcus Mariota should improve his fantasy viability. With a new supporting cast and play-caller, along with a quarterback, that can change the trajectory of a young player’s career if all goes well and London is on the right path to accomplish that in 2024.
Drake London 2024 Fantasy Outlook
Drake London is coming into the year with a lot of hype, as his ADP is 22nd overall in PPR, making him the 14th-ranked receiver for FantasyPros consensus rankings. The high-profile receiver is taken within the round two or three areas, as he has the 4th ranked strength of schedule for Atlanta.
Most have the Falcons number one receiving option in a similar range to Evans, DJ Moore, Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman Jr., Chris Olave, Davante Adams, and even the rookie Marvin Harrison Jr.
That is high praise, just nearing the edge of being a top ten fantasy receiver and in between a big clump of extremely talented number one or solid number two wide receivers across the league. I would say he is a value if he falls into the 20s so rounds 4-5, as there are many comparable guys in this range for fantasy.
London did get great usage, but just couldn’t capitalize so if that stays the same with better talent around him, the former 8th overall pick will outplay his ranking.
Final Thoughts on Drake London
Drake London and the Falcon’s big-time weapons like running back Bijan Robinson, along with tight end Kyle Pitts should all feast in this new offense under Morris.
This is on top of signing wide receiver Darnell Mooney and trading for receiver Rondale Moore from the Arizona Cardinals in the Ridder trade.
That shouldn’t take away too many looks from London, as Cousins often fed his top target at wide receiver, similar to when he was at Minnesota. The ancillary weapons usually got second licks but the main guy was Justin Jefferson the Vikings. Other pieces can get opportunities, but it is more about potential schemed-up looks for London.
While I can envision them spreading it around a bit more and running the ball more, this is a benefit to the entire offense and London to be way more productive than in previous years.
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