Drake London A WR2 In Rookie Quarterback's First Start
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London popped up as a limited participant in Friday's practice due to a knee injury but does not carry an injury designation for the contest and is expected to play. Of course, with fantasy championships potentially in play for some, managers will want to keep an eye out for any news in the event something changes. In Week 15, the 23-year-old scored for the first time since Week 9, however, his outlook is a bit uncertain with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. making his first career start in Week 16 against the Giants. New York has been decent in limiting fantasy production to wide receivers but have been poor against the run. With Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in tow, the Falcons would be wise to lean on the run game in this one rather than let the rookie QB air it out, so London figures to be more of a WR2 this week rather than his typical WR1 status.
Drake London Records Falcons' Only TD In Monday Night Win
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London caught all three of his targets for 53 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders. It was London's first touchdown reception since Week 9, now with seven TDs on the season. While that was a positive, fantasy managers with playoff matchups on the line were surely hoping for much higher totals after averaging over 11 targets per game in the four previous contests. With quarterback Kirk Cousins struggling for five weeks running now, Atlanta's receivers will be risky fantasy plays in the remaining weeks. The Falcons take on the Giants in a home game next Sunday, and the 6-foot-4 wideout figures to be more of a high-end WR2 again rather than the WR1 he was in the first half of the season.
Drake London To Get Another Healthy Dose Of Targets In Week 15
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London has seen a drop in fantasy production as Kirk Cousins has failed to throw even a single touchdown pass in each of the last four games, however, the 23-year-old has remained heavily involved in the passing attack, garnering double-digit targets in three of the last four games. The former first-round draft pick has a robust 75 receptions and six touchdowns on the season, however, he's topped 100 yards just once in 13 games. Without big yardage totals, a quarterback struggling to throw the ball in the red zone, and the emergence of Darnell Mooney (57-873-5), London makes for more of a high-end WR2 than a WR1, although his matchup versus the Raiders on Monday should prove to be a favorable one. The Raiders have been poor against wide receivers over the last four weeks, allowing six touchdowns and the second-most yards allowed. The Falcons are 4.5-point favorites in this one with an implied total for the team of 24.5, suggesting there will be a few opportunities for the 6-foot-4 wideout to find paydirt.
Drake London Records 70 Scoreless Yards In Week 14
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London earned 10 looks in Week 14 but was able to haul in just five of those passes, tallying 70 yards receiving in Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Vikings. With Kirk Cousins going four weeks without a touchdown pass, so too has London. Still, it was the third time in the last four games that the 23-year-old totaled double-digit targets, and with the fifth-most targets in the NFL through 14 weeks, the former first-round draft pick has a reliable role in this offense with more productive days to come -- so long as Kirk Cousins is under center for the Falcons and not rookie Michael Penix Jr. It's a situation to monitor, but for now Cousins' job is safe according to head coach Raheem Morris, so London should again be a borderline WR1 in Week 15 against the Raiders.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London had been one of the most consistent, higher-scoring wide receivers for fantasy in the early going of the season, but as Kirk Cousins has faded, so too has London. After recording five touchdown catches through the first seven games, the 23-year-old has just one TD over the last five games. On the bright side, the 6-foot-4 wideout still maintains a 27.1% target share, even drawing totals of 13 and 16 targets in two of the last three contests, resulting in an eight-catch and a nine-catch performance respectively. This week's opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, are one of the toughest teams to run on, so the Falcons could be forced to take to the air, even if they'd rather not given Cousins' recent struggles. Atlanta is a six-point underdog in this contest, and if they are also forced to play catch-up, it should work in London's favor. View the former first-round draft pick as a borderline WR1 this week who could get back into the end zone if his quarterback cleans up the turnover issues.
Drake London With Nine-Catch Performance In Week 13 Loss
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London drew an astounding 16 targets on Sunday, catching nine of them for 86 yards, but failed to find the end zone in a 17-13 loss to the Chargers. It was the fifth time this season that the 23-year-old garnered double-digit targets and the eighth time in 12 contests that he's recorded at least six catches. Unfortunately, after scoring six times in the season's first nine games, the 6-foot-4 wideout hasn't logged a TD reception in three consecutive weeks. That could change next Sunday when the Falcons take on the Vikings, a team that has been one of the most generous in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers. They will need Kirk Cousins to remedy his interception problem though -- he threw four of them on Sunday -- as that has also been part of the reason for London's scoreless streak. Nevertheless, with a solid weekly floor, London will be a WR1 next week.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (hip) is ready to go ahead of the Week 13 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. London landed on the injury report on Thursday due to what appears to be a minor hip issue. Despite that, head coach Raheem Morris has cleared London ahead of this weekend. London has 11 receptions for 158 yards over his last two games. Fantasy managers should feel safe plugging him back into lineups this weekend. However, London could have some issues against a tough Chargers secondary.
Drake London, Younghoe Koo Added To Injury Report Thursday
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (hip) and Younghoe Koo (hip) were added to the injury report on Thursday. Both players were limited participants in practice. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to their respective statuses on Friday as we gather more information and context on whether London and Koo will play Sunday versus the Los Angeles Chargers. London has been the overall WR7 so far, catching 61 passes for 710 yards and six touchdowns. Meanwhile, Koo ranks 14th in fantasy points among kickers, going 19-for-26 on field goals and 23-for-23 on extra points.
Drake London Quiet In Blowout Loss To Broncos In Week 11
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London led his team in receiving yards, but it didn't amount to much in a 38-6 blowout loss to the Broncos on Sunday. The 23-year-old caught three of seven targets for 61 scoreless yards. After scoring in six of the Falcons' first nine games, the former first-round draft pick has been held out of the end zone in two consecutive weeks. Even so, Sunday marked the ninth time in 11 games that the USC product drew at least six targets, so he's maintained a strong role in this offense. When the team comes out of the bye in Week 13, another challenge could await against the Chargers, although they haven't been as stingy in allowing fantasy points to receivers in recent weeks as they had been earlier in the year. London is likely a back-end WR1 in that matchup.
Drake London A WR1 In Week 11 Despite Tough Matchup
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London has been a consistent fantasy producer through 10 weeks, catching at least six passes in seven of those games and finding the end zone six times, putting him well within the top 10 in fantasy scoring at the position. However, it is going to be tough to replicate those numbers in Week 11 against a strong Denver pass defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wideouts thus far. The silver lining is that they have been a bit more beatable in recent weeks, allowing five TDs to receivers over the last four weeks compared to just one in the season's first six weeks. With a 25.5% target share and 32.9% of the team's air yards, his role is secure in this offense and figures to be a back-end WR1 in Week 11.
Drake London
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Falcons
