London brought in 12 of 13 targets for 154 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons' 36-30 overtime win over the Buccaneers on Thursday night.
London led the Falcons in receptions and receiving yards on the night while checking in second to Darnell Mooney in targets, serving as the biggest beneficiary of Kirk Cousins' record-setting 509-yard performance. The talented third-year wideout opened the scoring on the night as well, recording an 18-yard touchdown grab to cap off the opening possession. London now has three touchdowns in the last four games and double-digit targets in back-to-back contests, displaying a level of chemistry with Cousins that fantasy managers had envisioned when investing draft capital this summer. London will next take aim at a vulnerable Panthers defense in a Week 6 road divisional clash on Sunday, Oct. 13.
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Falcons' Drake London: Returns to action
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London (head) returned to Thursday's game against Tampa Bay after being evaluated for a concussion, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
London was hit in the head early in the second quarter and missed roughly one full offensive possession while being evaluated for a concussion. He was cleared and returned to game action with just over half of the second quarter remaining.
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Falcons' Drake London: Being evaluated for head injury
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London exited Thursday's game against Tampa Bay and is being evaluated for a head injury, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
London got off to a quick start, racking up three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. However, he took a hard shot to the head area while working over the middle of the field early in the second quarter. London went to the locker room, and there should be further clarity on his status once the evaluation is complete.
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Falcons' Drake London: Six grabs in win over Saints
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London caught six of 12 targets for 64 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over New Orleans.
The third-year wideout saw a season high in targets, but it didn't translate into increased production as London caught exactly six passes for the third straight game, and he's hauled in between 54 and 67 yards in all three. New Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins still seems to be adjusting to his new scheme, which has limited London's upside. The duo may need to develop better chemistry quickly ahead of a Week 5 clash with the Buccaneers.
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Falcons' Drake London: Scores second TD in loss
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London finished with six receptions (on nine targets) for 67 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 22-17 loss to the Chiefs.
London joined Bijan Robinson as the pair of young Falcons to cash in on scoring plays in a one-score loss to last year's champs. The No. 1 wideout led Atlanta in targets and yardage while grabbing the only touchdown thrown by Kirk Cousins on Sunday. London has seen his production steadily increase in each week to begin the 2024 campaign, highlighting a potential breakout in a divisional matchup when the Falcons host the Saints on Sunday.
London brought in six of seven targets for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons' 22-21 win over the Eagles on Monday night.
London began the Falcons' game-winning drive with an unremarkable 4-42-0 receiving line. However, the third-year wideout made his last two catches count, recording a five-yard reception that brought Atlanta down to the Eagles' seven-yard line before hauling in the game-winning touchdown two plays later. The chemistry between London and Kirk Cousins still is clearly a work in progress, but Monday's numbers were a nice bump up from his 2-15-0 line Week 1. London should have plenty of opportunities in a Week 3 home showdown against the Chiefs that likely will require the Falcons to remain aggressive through the air.
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Falcons' Drake London: Limited to three targets
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London recorded two receptions on three targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 18-10 loss to the Steelers.
London was expected to reach a new level of production this season with a modernized offense in Atlanta and Kirk Cousins under center. However, his Week 1 performance left plenty to be desired, as he finished with fewer targets than Ray-Ray McCloud and Bijan Robinson. Cousins was uncharacteristically inefficient in his first game action in 10 months, so it's probably too early to panic.
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Falcons' Drake London: Key starters not playing Friday
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London is listed among Falcons starters not suiting up for Friday's preseason opener against the Dolphins, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.
Atlanta won't play key starters including London, fellow wideouts Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud, quarterback Kirk Cousins, running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, plus tight end Kyle Pitts in Friday's exhibition contest. The third-year pro's next opportunity to suit up for preseason action will come Aug. 17 on the road at Baltimore.
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Falcons' Drake London: Clear of cramping
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London (overheating/leg cramps) returned for the evening portion of Friday's practice, William McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
London departed the morning portion of practice Friday after he experienced leg cramps and overheating. However, the wideout was able to return for the evening walkthrough, suggesting that he's clear of any concerns. Josh Kendall of The Athletic adds that London will be on the field when the Falcons practice Saturday. This year's training camp is particularly important for London as he looks to build a rapport with new starting quarterback Kirk Cousins.
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Falcons' Drake London: Leaves practice due to overheating
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London left Friday's practice because of cramps and overheating, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
There was briefly concern about an injury when London made an early exit and was seen talking with trainers. It turns out he just needs rest and water, so it shouldn't be long before he's back to building chemistry with new starting quarterback Kirk Cousins.
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Falcons' Drake London: Exits practice with injury
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London left Friday's practice with an apparent injury, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reports.
Initial reports don't make it sound too serious, with London reportedly walking off the field and spending some time talking to trainers. His day is likely done, but it's unclear at this point if Atlanta's top WR will miss any additional practices.
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Falcons' Drake London: WRs to Sit
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It was another bad road game for London in Week 17 at Chicago when he caught four passes for 56 yards on 10 targets. He's averaging 7.6 PPR points on the road this year in eight games, and there's little reason to trust him at New Orleans in Week 18. Now, he beat up on the Saints in Week 12 with five catches for 91 yards on seven targets, but that was in Atlanta. London hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4, and New Orleans should be able to contain this Falcons passing attack at home. London is only worth starting in three-receiver leagues in Week 18.
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Falcons' Drake London: Quiet again in Week 17
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London secured four of 10 targets for 56 yards in the Falcons' 37-17 loss to the Bears on Sunday.
London certainly didn't lack for opportunity while leading the team in targets by a wide margin, but he and Taylor Heinicke found chemistry elusive in the snowy environment of Soldier Field. The second-year wideout has been held under 60 receiving yards for three straight games, but he should have a good chance of improving on his recent production if he sees a similar amount of passes come his way in a Week 18 road matchup against the Saints.
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Falcons' Drake London: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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We have yet to have a game where Taylor Heinicke has connected for big gains with Drake London. Not that they've played a lot together this year, but that lack of playing time has seemingly created some synergy for others in Atlanta. In games where both Heinicke and London are on the field, the Falcons' leader in target share is Bijan Robinson, then both Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith, and only then does London check in at 14.3%. That's low and not good. The matchup on the road this week is also not good for London. Since acquiring Montez Sweat to impact the pass rush, the Bears rank Top 3 in lowest catch rate allowed and fewest yards per catch allowed to outside WRs like London with just two touchdowns in seven games. I would sit London for Adam Thielen, Tyler Lockett, Rashid Shaheed and both Steelers WRs.
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Falcons' Drake London: Three catches in Week 16 win
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London brought in three of four targets for 39 yards in the Falcons' 29-10 win over the Colts on Sunday.
London had a quiet day overall but still tied for second in receptions on the afternoon for the Falcons. The speedy wideout should have a chance at a strong finish to the season now that the steadier Taylor Heinicke has taken back over for Desmond Ridder at quarterback, and he'll have a favorable matchup against the Bears' inconsistent secondary on the road in Week 17.
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Falcons' Drake London: WRs to Start
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London loves playing at home. In his past five games in Atlanta, London has scored at least 14.1 PPR points in each outing, and he's averaging 19.7 PPR points per game over that span. We'll see how he does with Taylor Heinicke taking over for Desmond Ridder, and London missed Week 9 against Minnesota in Heinicke's first start. The Colts have allowed the opposing No. 1 receiver to score at least 14.4 PPR points in four of their past five games, and London is a borderline top-10 Fantasy receiver in all leagues for Week 16.
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Falcons' Drake London: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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When the Falcons need to throw, or want to throw, London comes alive. Look no further than last week's showdown with the Buccaneers for an example. But when the Falcons don't need to throw, London's targets sink. That's what happened two weeks ago against the Jets (five targets, one catch) and back in Week 1 versus the Panthers (one target, no catches). Carolina's offense has become a total farce, one that ranks dead-last over the last four weeks in yards per play (3.8) and passing yards per game (121.8) despite being fifth-best in time of possession! Even with the Falcons defense missing some pieces, expect Atlanta to run the ball at will and not push Desmond Ridder into high passing volume. That figures to limit London's targets, making him no better than a flex in PPR and a potential outright sit in non-PPR. I'd rather start Zay Flowers, Odell Beckham and Curtis Samuel in PPR.
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Falcons' Drake London: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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London was a star in Week 14 against Tampa Bay with 10 catches for 172 yards on 11 targets. It continued his pattern of being great at home -- he's scored at least 14.1 PPR points in each of his past five games in Atlanta -- but he struggles on the road. London has averaged just 7.9 PPR points per game in six road games this season, and he scored 6.6 PPR points at Arizona in Week 10 and 1.8 PPR points at the Jets in Week 13 in his past two road outings. Carolina is No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and London had no catches on one target against the Panthers at home in Week 1. I would only use London in three-receiver leagues in Week 15.
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Falcons' Drake London: Stellar production in Week 14 loss
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London brought in 10 of 11 targets for 172 yards in the Falcons' 29-25 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. He also recorded a two-point conversion catch.
London led the Falcons across the board in receptions, receiving yards and targets, with some final padding on his numbers coming in the form of a 28-yard grab on Desmond Ridder's desperation heave as time ran out. London consistently did similar damage throughout the day, bedeviling the Buccaneers' secondary with several chunk gains, including a game-long 45-yard catch. London's catch and yardage numbers were also career highs, sending him into a Week 15 road matchup against the Panthers with plenty of momentum.
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Falcons' Drake London: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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In Desmond Ridder's first game back as the Falcons starter he connected with London on 5 of 7 targets against the Saints for 91 yards. Then London went up against the Jets, who were excellent in coverage against him, and ultimately the Falcons didn't have to score many points to beat a poor offensive team. London looks fine in his route-running; his problem is that he's on a low-volume passing team with an off-target passer. And, London has zero red-zone or end-zone targets not only his past two with Ridder, but in his past four overall. All of these factors make for a tough-to-trust situation against what appears to be a slightly improving Buccaneers pass defense that's started to play more man coverage lately (London has had much more success against zone coverage). I'd use caution in starting London and would buy into the upside of Elijah Moore, Jayden Reed and Zay Flowers instead.
