Drake London had a rough outing in Week 1, and his fantasy football stock took a massive nose dive. He’s an incredibly talented WR, but this offense has shown they want to throw the ball as little as possible under Desmond Ridder. What does this mean for London’s fantasy outlook for the remainder of the year? Is he someone that fantasy managers should look to trade right now?
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Should Fantasy Football Managers Trade Drake London?
When deciding if a manager should or should not trade a player, it is essential to decide what the current perception and value are and whether they’ll rise or fall. You want to sell high and buy low — but so do all the other managers in your league.
I will not tell you to start London. I will not tell you that London will return his draft value for fantasy managers or the Falcons. I will tell you not to trade London now.
London’s value couldn’t be lower except if got hurt, like many of his peers did in Week 1. London had the same number of targets in Week 1 as his quarterback Ridder. Talent is not the issue, but opportunity may be.
The Falcons under Arthur Smith want to run on first, second, and third down, as shown by the Falcons’ 59.2% run rate in 2022. This is why both Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier will be used often in fantasy.
This gets exponentially worse if they are somehow winning the game like they did in Week 1 vs. Carolina. I see only three reasonably winnable games left on their schedule, so that gives us 13 games where the Falcons will be behind, possibly by a substantial margin for most of the game.
If Ridder has to throw 25-30 times a game in those games, by definition London’s value will rise from the depths he is at now. The current view of London is that he is an under-utilized talent and not worth the fifth or sixth-round pick he was this draft season. It is easy to forget how high the fantasy community was on London a few weeks ago.
What Should Fantasy Managers Look To Acquire When Trading London?
I would recommend NOT trading Drake London unless you are able to get close to his preseason value, maybe a running back like David Montgomery (and maybe to the Falcons fan in your league).
MORE: 2023 WR Fantasy Football Rankings
Other options would be steady but unspectacular backs like James Conner or Isiah Pacheco. If you need a WR in return, similarly poor-performing wideouts such as Christian Kirk or George Pickens may be attainable.
You have to choose who you believe in. You may just have to hold on to London and hope for a lot of games playing catch up, but understand that it may get worse before it gets better, if it ever does. Don’t be the manager that sells low.