Drake London DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Atlanta Falcons exercised the fifth-year option on wide receiver Drake London on Wednesday, a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. This was a no-brainer decision after London posted career-highs in catches (100), targets (158), receiving yards (1,271) and touchdowns (nine) in 17 starts in 2024 in his third year in the NFL. The 23-year-old eighth overall pick in 2022 will now be under contract with the Falcons through the 2026 season, but he could sign a long-term extension well before that if he has another big year in 2025. It was impressive performance for London last year, especially when considering that quarterback Kirk Cousins fell flat in his first year back from an Achilles tear and was benched for rookie Michael Penix Jr. late in the season. It's good news that he caught 22 passes for 352 yards and two TDs in the final three games with Penix. London is a surefire WR1 in fantasy.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London had a career day as he brought in 10 of his 18 targets for 187 yards and two touchdowns during their overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers. This surpassed London's previous career-high of 172 yards he set during Week 14 of the 2023 season. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. leaned heavily on London in this contest, as his 18 targets were 11 more than any other Atlanta pass-catcher. London found the end zone at the end of the second quarter on a 20-yard pass. London would score again in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard reception. The former first-round selection enjoyed the best season of his NFL career in 2024, tallying 1,217 yards and nine total scores. This was the first time he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his career. London should be viewed as a high-end WR2 heading into the offseason.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London will look to finish strong on Sunday after a 100-yard game last week put him over 1,000 yards receiving for the season. The 23-year-old has seen 21 targets and logged 12 receptions over the last two weeks with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. under center. Although he hasn't caught a touchdown from the lefty QB, he had a near-miss last week and the 6-foot-4 wideout hasn't seen a drop off in production with the rookie throwing him the ball. The USC product was limited in practice earlier this week but is expected to play; Darnell Mooney (shoulder), however, looks like he's on the wrong side of questionable after a limited session Thursday and a DNP on Friday, which would further solidify London's role as No. 1 receiver in a must-win game. The third-year pro sets up nicely in a matchup versus the Panthers who he logged a 6-74-1 line against in Week 6, but with the Falcons likely to lean on the run game, London looks more like a high-end WR2.