Falcons WR Drake London (groin) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings. That leaves Atlanta with WRs Van Jefferson, KhaDarel Hodge, Mack Hollins, and Scotty Miller. Seriously. TEs Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith should draw more targets with London out. RBs Bijan Robinson and Cordarrelle Patterson could also play expanded roles in the passing game.
Falcons WR Drake London (groin) remained sidelined on Thursday. We'll see if he hits the field for Friday's practice, but fantasy owners should not be banking on London playing vs. the Vikings this weekend.
Falcons WR Drake London (groin) won't practice on Wednesday, HC Arthur Smith said. Smith added that they'll "see how the week goes" with London and that he's "got a chance" to play vs. the Vikings this weekend. We'll keep an eye on his progress over the next few days.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith announced Wednesday that QB Taylor Heinicke will start Sunday against the Vikings. It's not a shocking move after the team pulled QB Desmond Ridder from the Week 8 loss to the Titans. Ridder has largely struggled outside of a 329-yard passing effort in the Week 5 win over Houston. Since that game, he has tossed just 2 TD passes vs. 3 INTs across three contests, while also taking a sack on nearly 10% of dropbacks and losing 4 fumbles. Heinicke went an OK 12-of-21 (57.1%) for 175 yards (8.3 per attempt) after taking over against Tennessee. His 9.7 average target depth in that contest -- according to Pro Football Refernce -- was about 2 yards deeper than Ridder's season rate of 7.8. Pro Football Focus credits Heinicke with a career 8.8-yard average depth of target and 9.2-yard aDOT with the Commanders last season. Heinicke's career 63.7% completion rate comes in short of Ridder's (64.8%), and we've seen enough to know he won't bring consistent efficiency. But a daring downfield thrower could boost the fantasy production of Falcons WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts ... if Arthur Smith will allow the offense to exploit those skills. (And assuming London's groin injury doesn't linger, of course.) We're not significantly upgrading our outlooks for any Falcons offensive pieces on this switch. But a move away from Ridder at least allows for some optimism. We'll see whether London's able to play this week -- and then how Heinicke fares in his first Atlanta start. The Minnesota matchup looks fairly neutral for Falcons passing.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Monday that the groin WR Drake London suffered in Sunday's loss to the Titans "wasn't as bad as we thought," according to Tori McElhaney of the team website. Smith added that they'll watch London through the week, indicating he has at least a chance to play Sunday against the Vikings. We'll also keep an eye on London's status throughout the week ... and another on what Atlanta plans to do at QB.
Falcons WR Drake London hauled 5 of his team-high 7 targets for 55 receiving yards in Week 8’s loss vs. the Titans. TEs Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith struggled on Sunday, however, with a combined 4 catches and 48 yards between them. It’s fair to estimate that perhaps some of these struggles can be attributed to the Falcons going from QB Desmond Ridder to backup Taylor Heinicke midway through the game. Still, this was not a particularly strong performance from Atlanta’s aerial attack. Projecting these pass-catchers for their upcoming matchup against the Vikings will be tough to do until we know who will be under center in Week 9.
Falcons WR Drake London suffered a groin injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Titans. He's officially questionable to return. We'll update London's status when we know more.
Congratulations if you started Falcons WR Drake London in your lineup. The second-year wideout exploded with 9 catches on 12 targets with a career-high 125 receiving yards in Week 6 vs. the Commanders. TE Kyle Pitts also had a strong outing, hauling 4 catches for 46 yards and a TD in the loss. Sunday marks the first time Pitts has recorded a TD since Week 8 of last season. TE Jonnu Smith again returned some solid fantasy production with a 4-36-1 receiving line. The Falcons’ offense has been frustrating for managers this season, though recent efforts from the past couple of weeks have helped to assuage some concerns. We’ll see if they can keep this up in Week 7 vs. the Buccaneers.
Falcons WR Drake London found the end zone in London vs. the Jaguars. Of course, his 3 catches on 7 targets for 28 receiving yards isn’t ideal, but the amusing nature of the TD and the fact that it helps fantasy managers counts all the same. In the most frustrating turn of events possible, TE Jonnu Smith led the team in receiving with 95 yards on all 6 of his targets. Fellow TE Kyle Pitts (2 catches, 41 yards) disappeared again in Week 4. It’s getting tough to hold out hope for him at this point. It’ll be tough to trust any of these pass-catchers, though a Week 5 matchup vs. the Texans makes their collective appeal a little nicer.
Falcons WR Drake London mustered just two catches for 31 yards in Sunday's loss to the Lions. It was a dud from the entire offense, which posted just six points and 183 total net yards. That, of course, is the downside with London. He's now sandwiched a nice Week 2 with a couple of turds. London will continue to be an inconsistent fantasy option who figures to produce better when Atlanta plays from behind (although that wasn't the case today). Week 4 brings a game in Jacksonville that could find the Falcons playing catch-up.
Falcons WR Drake London led the team in receiving in Week 2, tallying 6 catches on 7 targets for 67 yards and a TD vs. the Packers. Fantasy managers who stuck with the second-year wideout in lineups were rewarded handsomely. But those who started TE Kyle Pitts? Well, they’re not so happy. Pitts only hauled in 2 of his 5 targets for 15 receiving yards in the victory. Fellow TE Jonnu Smith saw 6 targets and turned his opportunities into 4 catches for 47 yards. It’s starting to feel like both London and Pitts being viable fantasy assets in the same week might be a pipedream. Fortunately, we’re only a pair of games into the 2023 season, but early results aren’t encouraging. Pitts will have a chance to get right in Week 3 vs. the Lions.
Falcons WR Drake London was barely noticeable in Sunday’s win over Carolina. Despite running 20 routes — tied for a team-high — the second-year WR failed to record a catch. He drew just a single target. Desmond Ridder fed his RBs 9 total targets — a 50% share. We’re not ready to panic on London’s season-long outlook, but expect volatility ahead given Atlanta’s run-heavy approach. Next up is a tough matchup with CB Jaire Alexander.
The Falcons begin training camp Wednesday, and it doesn't sound like TE Kyle Pitts will be taking the field right away. "He's still getting back. He's still working," WR Drake London said Tuesday, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "Once he heals up, he's going to be the same Kyle Pitts we all know." We certainly hope that will be the case, but it's worrisome that Pitts isn't yet healed up from a MCL injury that knocked him out in November. Don't be surprised if Pitts slides down our fantasy football rankings a bit in the coming days. Any delay to Pitts' usefulness would likely be good news for London's target share. The WR trailed Pitts in that category before the TE went down last season.
Falcons WR Drake London finished his rookie season just 45th among WRs in PPR points per game. Yet he's going 22nd among WRs right now in Underdog Fantasy ADP. Why? Well, London did rank sixth among all wideouts in target share in 2022. He enjoyed a strong finish after QB Desmond Ridder took over for Marcus Mariota, averaging 9.0 targets, 6.3 receptions, and 83.3 yards over the final four games. And Atlanta increased its passing volume over that span. But the team still ranked just 24th in neutral-situation pass rate over that time. London also trailed TE Kyle Pitts in target share before Pitts went down with a knee injury. Atlanta sports a weak receiving depth chart behind those two for 2023, so there's room for both exciting young pass catchers to continue drawing large shares. But London will need more team passing volume to help him pay off at ADP. And drafting RB Bijan Robinson eighth overall would be a funny way for the Falcons to announce that they're going to pass a lot more in 2023. London sits only a little lower in our 2023 WR rankings than he does in ADP.
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