Where are we at with Drake London? Statistically he’s cooled down a lot… top-12 dynasty WR?

[Ice]

I still believe Pitts is a 1st round talent. Never thought Drake was a first round talent and had a 2nd round grade on him. He is doesn't have speed or quickness. Like his routes okay but his QB is simply not NFL caliber.

They could be buys but the payoff is a long way out IMO. Don't own either one and not really interested in buying at all.

I doubt their owners will sell cheap just yet as hope springs eternal for many in fantasy football especially when they paid high first round picks for the players.

[ericanadian]

I still believe Pitts is a 1st round talent. Never thought Drake was a first round talent and had a 2nd round grade on him. He is doesn't have speed or quickness. Like his routes okay but his QB is simply not NFL caliber.

They could be buys but the payoff is a long way out IMO. Don't own either one and not really interested in buying at all.

I doubt their owners will sell cheap just yet as hope springs eternal for many in fantasy football especially when they paid high first round picks for the players.

I think he’s got alright agility, but he accelerates like he’s dragging a piano behind him.

[Shoreline Steamers]

I’ve probably read 500+ posts here over the past week mentioning that London and/or Pitts are essentially failed investments from here, probably the two biggest screaming buys I can remember in a long time, always follow the talent and it will most often pay off. Even over the short-term, I think these guys are huge buys. Just think of the immediate value gain from these purgatory bottom barrel prices if either of them SOMEHOW puts up two consecutive great outings over the next 16 opportunities.

I'm not actually calling either "failed" investments. But I don't think it's outrageous to think that players in the mold of Pitts and London, both considered mid/high 1st round investments would be playable by this point in their respective careers. I don't doubt either one of them. I do however very much doubt Atlanta's evaluation of the QB position. Mariota was washed when they signed him, and Ridder is trash.

I'm happy to have Pitts on my roster, I think he's a good player (as I'm sure London owners regard him). I'm just disappointed I can't put him in my lineup with anything remotely resembling confidence.

[Dibbles]

I’ve probably read 500+ posts here over the past week mentioning that London and/or Pitts are essentially failed investments from here, probably the two biggest screaming buys I can remember in a long time, always follow the talent and it will most often pay off. Even over the short-term, I think these guys are huge buys. Just think of the immediate value gain from these purgatory bottom barrel prices if either of them SOMEHOW puts up two consecutive great outings over the next 16 opportunities.

I'm not actually calling either "failed" investments. But I don't think it's outrageous to think that players in the mold of Pitts and London, both considered mid/high 1st round investments would be playable by this point in their respective careers. I don't doubt either one of them. I do however very much doubt Atlanta's evaluation of the QB position. Mariota was washed when they signed him, and Ridder is trash.

I'm happy to have Pitts on my roster, I think he's a good player (as I'm sure London owners regard him). I'm just disappointed I can't put him in my lineup with anything remotely resembling confidence.

Agreed, my point wan’t about current lineup confidence, but about buying both cheap before that lack of confidence improves. Buy (or hold, in your case) the talent . . . would be my advice.

[SteveMaddensShoes]

During rookie drafts it’s all draft talent, not situation. The moment these guys have a bad situation some of the same people are ready to bail on the talent. Kind of weird. It’s not like this is questionable talent, aka, a guy like AJ Dillon where maybe he isn’t that talented if Aaron Jones keeps outplaying him so badly.

If you are ready to bail on a bad situation then you might need to reevaluate your drafting guidelines

And to be fair Ice and a few others have never liked Drake. That lack of elite talent is not what’s going on here, imo, but you aren’t changing your tune anyway.

[thebadferret]

Perfect targets for rebuilding teams. High longterm values, but under the current coaches nice players to put in your lineup

[tstafford]

Perfect targets for rebuilding teams. High longterm values, but under the current coaches nice players to put in your lineup

I think this is right and probably more so with London than Pitts. Only because I think the Pitts owners will be harder to deal with than the London ones due to positional scarcity. I'm waiting another week before making a run at London in one league. I'm gambling on another bad week to further soften up the owner.

[Jigga94]

During rookie drafts it’s all draft talent, not situation. The moment these guys have a bad situation some of the same people are ready to bail on the talent. Kind of weird. It’s not like this is questionable talent, aka, a guy like AJ Dillon where maybe he isn’t that talented if Aaron Jones keeps outplaying him so badly.

If you are ready to bail on a bad situation then you might need to reevaluate your drafting guidelines

And to be fair Ice and a few others have never liked Drake. That lack of elite talent is not what’s going on here, imo, but you aren’t changing your tune anyway.

I agree it's Talent > Situation. Flowers in BAL. AJB in TEN... but there's a balance to these things. ATL is an AWFUL situation for anyone in that passing offense. BAL isn't even that bad of a situation anymore without Roman there, but is still viewed as one.

If I owned London anywhere, I would be selling at current market value before it drops even more. Not like we can project reasonable production for him this year. Then we get another WR class coming in and likely another year of middling QB in a run 1st offense. I still think ATL is a fringe playoff team and does not pick high enough to get their franchise QB. So it's back to square 1 in 2024. Londons 5th year option would be in 2026. How long are you willing to hold in this current state? You're hoping for a godsend at QB or an entire coaching revamp.

I will admit that he was not that highly ranked as a rookie for me either. Not as low as Ice was with a 2nd round grade, but you get my point. I took Wilson/Olave/Jamo over London (or would have if given the choice, London went very early usually). So maybe I don't believe in the talent as much as some people. I do believe the situation is ugly and isn't changing. Don't mind buying him for a rebuild but, you might as well wait to buy because I think his value keeps dropping

[Shoreline Steamers]

I'm happy to have Pitts on my roster, I think he's a good player (as I'm sure London owners regard him). I'm just disappointed I can't put him in my lineup with anything remotely resembling confidence.

Agreed, my point wan’t about current lineup confidence, but about buying both cheap before that lack of confidence improves. Buy (or hold, in your case) the talent . . . would be my advice.

I think we're on the same page. If you have either, best to hold if you still believe in the talent. If you're looking to buy and the owner who drafted them is panicking, definitely time to send an offer.

[j4pac]

London was a guy I was happy that was going early in rookie drafts. It’s certainly not bad…but he’s just not dynamic. He’s really no different from Michael Pittman…who honestly might be a better athlete, with a better pedigree.

[timeEd32]

I hope the London doubters enjoy their time in the Arthur Smith induced sun. Eventually you will see how very wrong you are about his talent.

[FantasyFreak]

The difference between Pitts and London, is talent at their respective position. Pitts is clearly more athletic and talented than most TE's. I mean, when you watch his highlights, it's amazing to see how open he is and yet the ball is still off target so often. He's really good at making adjustments to the ball, and moves like a big WR.

The thing is, if Pitts goes 2/39 or something similar, in your TE spot, it doesn't hurt your week nearly as much as if London does it in your WR spot. Pitts also had that rookie year, with an fading Matt Ryan that we can't forget. The QB play was beyond atrocious last year, and Ridder certainly isn't the answer, but honestly, if they turn to a guy like Heinecke at some point this season, I think we will see some decent games from him.

Heinecke can support some guys for FF, not sure about Ridder. It was a good D, and it was also a game plan that was clearly installed knowing there was a rookie QB playing his first game on the other side, and they wanted to minimize their own mistakes and not beat themselves.

I'm still in on Pitts, and I have found the price is cheaper than it was last year, so I have acquired him in a few leagues, even though the cost may "seem" a bit high for his current production, the talent in undeniable, and he has the chance to be a true difference maker at his position, something I don't think London has. At worst I think Pitts is just a flyer TE play with the ability for some splash plays, but he's still only 22, so I am not overly worried about short term situation.

[Jigga94]

I hope the London doubters enjoy their time in the Arthur Smith induced sun. Eventually you will see how very wrong you are about his talent.

Wake me up in 2026

[Ice]

During rookie drafts it’s all draft talent, not situation. The moment these guys have a bad situation some of the same people are ready to bail on the talent. Kind of weird. It’s not like this is questionable talent, aka, a guy like AJ Dillon where maybe he isn’t that talented if Aaron Jones keeps outplaying him so badly.

If you are ready to bail on a bad situation then you might need to reevaluate your drafting guidelines

And to be fair Ice and a few others have never liked Drake. That lack of elite talent is not what’s going on here, imo, but you aren’t changing your tune anyway.

We have watched London play a ton of games now. I doubt anyone can make a strong he has any ELITE traits. Doesn't mean he isn't a good player and would most likely do better with an Elite QB but being good and being elite are as different as black and white. He is a good route runner but good route runners also need quickness to really be great.

It's not that I don't like him as an NFL player but I sure didn't like him as an ELITE fantasy prospect because he just doesn't show a great skill set and he is already pretty slow and will never get faster. I think he is a legit WR 2 on an NFL team and will probably average between 750 and 900 yards for the foreseeable future with 4-8 TD's annually. I think he will be in the league several years but will be surprised if he gets a 5th year option.

I guess where we may differ is I don't question he has talent, he does, but I do question that he has Elite talent which is why I never put a 1st round grade on him.

[Cameron Giles]

London was a guy I was happy that was going early in rookie drafts. It’s certainly not bad…but he’s just not dynamic. He’s really no different from Michael Pittman…who honestly might be a better athlete, with a better pedigree.

Let's not get carried away. London is a very good player who's entirely being killed by bad QB play. There's nothing better he could've actually done on a day where he got 1 target.