Fantasy Alert: Falcons’ Drake London Eyed as Breakout Player by NFL Insiders

Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IIAugust 28, 2024

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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London got some positive recognition from NFL evaluators, who spoke with ESPN in the aftermath of its annual NFL Rank top-100 player list.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler relayed some comments on the third-year pro, a former star at USC who went eighth overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

“Atlanta’s Drake London is a name that received multiple mentions when asking league evaluators this question. The third-year wide receiver failed to reach 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, which makes it difficult to crack the upper tier. But the talent is obvious, and so is the fit with new quarterback Kirk Cousins, a major upgrade at the position for Atlanta.

“‘Kirk will throw it to him a lot,’ an AFC executive said. ‘He’ll get a lot of 50-50 balls. Hasn’t had a capable quarterback. Atlanta will get a lot more out of the offense in general.'”

London hasn’t gotten off to a particularly explosive start in his first two seasons, catching 72 passes for 866 yards and four scores in 2022 before adding a 69/905/2 stat line in year two. But the fact of the matter is that he’s had multiple factors working against him.

First, the team has had three starting quarterbacks (Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinecke) in his tenure. All struggled to some extent, and none of them currently hold QB1 jobs.

Second, the Falcons were under the rule of head coach Arthur Smith. Under him, Atlanta was second in run percentage in 2022 and fourth in 2023.

With four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins now QB1, and with the Falcons now under a new coaching regime (head coach Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson), the door is open for London to make plays in 2024.

There’s hope that he’ll get it done. The latest FantasyPros rankings have him 11th among wideouts and 17th overall.

We’ll soon find out if London can get it done, as he and the Falcons get going Sept. 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.