Drake London, No. 1 Fantasy Rookie, but Still too Low?

Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Drake London is listed as the top rookie wide receiver in the recent Top 150 fantasy players released by Pro Football Focus (PFF), and he still might be too low.

While London is listed as the top rookie receiver, he still comes in at just No. 72 overall and the 39th wide receiver.

There seems to be some funny business with PFF’s rankings though, as London is ranked ahead of Chris Godwin (WR35), Michael Thomas (WR36), DeAndre Hopkins (WR37), and Amari Cooper (WR38) on the big board but behind them on the wide receiver rankings.

Call it an Excel sorting problem that should get rectified in the near future.

Looking at the numbers from last season, 26 receivers including tight ends like Kyle Pitts, had more than 1,000 yards receiving. 44 players had more than 800 yards receiving.

800 yards and half a dozen touchdowns would be considered a solid first year for London in a 17 game season. Knocking on the door of WR40 seems close to the floor for him.

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But would 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns be out of the question?

He’s more likely to pile up the yardage than the touchdowns.

Cordarrelle Patterson led the team with five receiving touchdowns in 2021, and Calvin Ridley had nine in 2020.

Ridley was the last Falcon to break into double digits when he had 10 as a rookie in 2018.

The passing numbers aren’t likely to increase under a combination of Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder at quarterback, but they could end up being more efficient in the red-zone than the departed Matt Ryan.

London will head into the season as the presumptive No. 1 wide receiver. He has very little competition on the Falcons roster for that role, depending on where Kyle Pitts lines up.

1,000 yards and six touchdowns seems attainable for London in a 17 game season. That puts him in Hollywood Brown territory who had 1,008 yards and six touchdowns in 2021.

Brown was No. 35 overall and WR16 on PFF’s list.

That sounds like a realistic ceiling for London’s rookie campaign.