Drake London vs. Christian Watson

[mild]

Because apparently this is a conversation that "brilliant minds" are having.

Let's enshrine our opinions in perpetuity, to cover the winners in glory and shower the losers in poop.

I will take Team Drake.

[Jfever]

The ceiling for Watson is high. The short term situation and competition for targets is a good thing. His floor is low. London is the much safer prospect.

[StripesOfKC]

Christian Watson sucks

This is like asking Elijah Moore or Tutu Atwell last year

Or Tee Higgins or Henry Ruggs

[BabyChark23]

This should not be a conversation. Drake London.

[abloom]

Neither but if I had to choose one id go London based solely on draft capital. But Im not interested in either of them

[Ice]

Within 3 years the fantasy world will finally have consensus:

Watson will be a star WR1 and Drake London will be force fed Spaghetti as the Falcons desperately try to turn him into the much slower TE on their roster.

Thankfully they will have hired the same dietician the Eagles used as they tried to convert J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to TE. Even though that experiment failed back in 2022, he has convinced the Falcons his new Spaghetti formula will work this time and London will be the best TE pick ever!

Sadly, London will ultimately have a Nirvana Moment and blame himself for the Twin Towers comment he claimed on draft night long ago once he realized he was the Ralph Sampson and Pitts was Hakeem Olajuwon in his feeble comparative attempt to sell height as the most important metric.

The fantasy community that loved London will look back and a few will come to the realization that they were bamboozled yet again because players like Butler, Harry, and London can look really good in highlight clips but are destined to fail because most LB's and half the DE's can outrun them.

Good Luck to the buyers of London!

[FantasyFreak]

Neither but if I had to choose one id go London based solely on draft capital. But Im not interested in either of them

This. I'd also add he's younger and has a better profile.

[Bronco Billy]

This should not be a conversation. Drake London.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I’m not a huge fan of either guy until the draft gets well into the first round, but we know exactly what London is - he doesn’t separate from DBs and is slower than molasses. A bunch of his receptions are going to be with a DB draped all over him, and NFL DBs are a damned sight better than PAC12 counterparts. Add that his projected QB, whether Mariota or Ridder, is going to do him no favors early in his career. There’s an implied ceiling there that makes him a valuable FF asset but not a go-to plug and play guy.

Watson at least has some significant upside given his athletic profile, but there is the huge bust risk associated with him. His rawness and suspect hands put some very real clouds on his horizon. But that alpha WR upside is also there, and he’s going to get every chance to develop under one of the best QBs in NFL history.

London is the safe pick with the likely capped upside that IMO doesn’t belong in the top 5 WR discussion despite the apparent golden opportunity. Watson is the classic boom-or-bust wild card that could as easily be a key cog in a championship FF roster in 2-3 years as he could be a roster clogger whose owner is frustratingly waiting for him to “get it”.

Pick your poison according to your risk tolerance, but both guys are going to go in FF drafts earlier than I’d choose to burn a pick on them.

[BabyChark23]

This should not be a conversation. Drake London.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I’m not a huge fan of either guy until the draft gets well into the first round, but we know exactly what London is - he doesn’t separate from DBs and is slower than molasses. A bunch of his receptions are going to be with a DB draped all over him, and NFL DBs are a damned sight better than PAC12 counterparts. Add that his projected QB, whether Mariota or Ridder, is going to do him no favors early in his career. There’s an implied ceiling there that makes him a valuable FF asset but not a go-to plug and play guy.

Watson at least has some significant upside given his athletic profile, but there is the huge bust risk associated with him. His rawness and suspect hands put some very real clouds on his horizon. But that alpha WR upside is also there, and he’s going to get every chance to develop under one of the best QBs in NFL history.

London is the safe pick with the likely capped upside that IMO doesn’t belong in the top 5 WR discussion despite the apparent golden opportunity. Watson is the classic boom-or-bust wild card that could as easily be a key cog in a championship FF roster in 2-3 years as he could be a roster clogger whose owner is frustratingly waiting for him to “get it”.

Pick your poison according to your risk tolerance, but both guys are going to go in FF drafts earlier than I’d choose to burn a pick on them.

I agree with everything except your conclusion. I agree with your concerns about Londons tape, and I share them. But… his analytical profile is extremely compelling and his landing spot guarantees him probably 150 targets this year and possibly a massive QB upgrade in 2023. Because of my concerns with his tape and most others considering him a top 2 WR in this class (he is WR4 in the class in my estimation), I will have zero exposure, but, personally, I can not accept that Watson is on the same tier as him at this point due to how raw he is. You are right that he may eventually be the better receiver, but I wouldn’t take the risk personally. As you said, pick your poison.

[CGW]

I have them in the same tier currently, but itll likely change once I get time to go back through. Much prefer Watson's upside with his physical traits and being tied to a HOF QB, but London is a far safer pick.

[Lumps]

Not interested in either. If I have to choose, I'll choose Watson just because of playing time, a better offense, and the FAR better QB will provide opportunities.

That said, give me Wilson.

[Bronco Billy]

This should not be a conversation. Drake London.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I’m not a huge fan of either guy until the draft gets well into the first round, but we know exactly what London is - he doesn’t separate from DBs and is slower than molasses. A bunch of his receptions are going to be with a DB draped all over him, and NFL DBs are a damned sight better than PAC12 counterparts. Add that his projected QB, whether Mariota or Ridder, is going to do him no favors early in his career. There’s an implied ceiling there that makes him a valuable FF asset but not a go-to plug and play guy.

Watson at least has some significant upside given his athletic profile, but there is the huge bust risk associated with him. His rawness and suspect hands put some very real clouds on his horizon. But that alpha WR upside is also there, and he’s going to get every chance to develop under one of the best QBs in NFL history.

London is the safe pick with the likely capped upside that IMO doesn’t belong in the top 5 WR discussion despite the apparent golden opportunity. Watson is the classic boom-or-bust wild card that could as easily be a key cog in a championship FF roster in 2-3 years as he could be a roster clogger whose owner is frustratingly waiting for him to “get it”.

Pick your poison according to your risk tolerance, but both guys are going to go in FF drafts earlier than I’d choose to burn a pick on them.

I agree with everything except your conclusion. I agree with your concerns about Londons tape, and I share them. But… his analytical profile is extremely compelling and his landing spot guarantees him probably 150 targets this year and possibly a massive QB upgrade in 2023. Because of my concerns with his tape and most others considering him a top 2 WR in this class (he is WR4 in the class in my estimation), I will have zero exposure, but, personally, I can not accept that Watson is on the same tier as him at this point due to how raw he is. You are right that he may eventually be the better receiver, but I wouldn’t take the risk personally. As you said, pick your poison.

Wait. Let me get this correct. Pitts led ATL in targets last year with 110. Gage as the top targeted WR had 94. And you are guaranteeing that London will get at least 150 targets? How exactly do you get there?

[CGW]

I disagree wholeheartedly. I’m not a huge fan of either guy until the draft gets well into the first round, but we know exactly what London is - he doesn’t separate from DBs and is slower than molasses. A bunch of his receptions are going to be with a DB draped all over him, and NFL DBs are a damned sight better than PAC12 counterparts. Add that his projected QB, whether Mariota or Ridder, is going to do him no favors early in his career. There’s an implied ceiling there that makes him a valuable FF asset but not a go-to plug and play guy.

Watson at least has some significant upside given his athletic profile, but there is the huge bust risk associated with him. His rawness and suspect hands put some very real clouds on his horizon. But that alpha WR upside is also there, and he’s going to get every chance to develop under one of the best QBs in NFL history.

London is the safe pick with the likely capped upside that IMO doesn’t belong in the top 5 WR discussion despite the apparent golden opportunity. Watson is the classic boom-or-bust wild card that could as easily be a key cog in a championship FF roster in 2-3 years as he could be a roster clogger whose owner is frustratingly waiting for him to “get it”.

Pick your poison according to your risk tolerance, but both guys are going to go in FF drafts earlier than I’d choose to burn a pick on them.

I agree with everything except your conclusion. I agree with your concerns about Londons tape, and I share them. But… his analytical profile is extremely compelling and his landing spot guarantees him probably 150 targets this year and possibly a massive QB upgrade in 2023. Because of my concerns with his tape and most others considering him a top 2 WR in this class (he is WR4 in the class in my estimation), I will have zero exposure, but, personally, I can not accept that Watson is on the same tier as him at this point due to how raw he is. You are right that he may eventually be the better receiver, but I wouldn’t take the risk personally. As you said, pick your poison.

Wait. Let me get this correct. Pitts led ATL in targets last year with 110. Gage as the top targeted WR had 94. And you are guaranteeing that London will get at least 150 targets? How exactly do you get there?

I'm with you. The highest target total I could find with Mariota as a QB was Corey Davis with 112. This isn't Matt Ryan's Falcons anymore. Projecting a Julio level of targets is ambitious, especially for a rookie.

The list of rookie WRs with 150 targets or more:

Anquan Boldin 164

[FantasyFreak]

I agree with everything except your conclusion. I agree with your concerns about Londons tape, and I share them. But… his analytical profile is extremely compelling and his landing spot guarantees him probably 150 targets this year and possibly a massive QB upgrade in 2023. Because of my concerns with his tape and most others considering him a top 2 WR in this class (he is WR4 in the class in my estimation), I will have zero exposure, but, personally, I can not accept that Watson is on the same tier as him at this point due to how raw he is. You are right that he may eventually be the better receiver, but I wouldn’t take the risk personally. As you said, pick your poison.

No, it really doesn't. Mariota behind a bad OL, and Ritter if he gets hurt possibly. Mariota will be running for his life half the year, I'd think. 150 targets is extremely optimistic. He's certainly not guaranteed close to that.

[Ice]

I agree with everything except your conclusion. I agree with your concerns about Londons tape, and I share them. But… his analytical profile is extremely compelling and his landing spot guarantees him probably 150 targets this year and possibly a massive QB upgrade in 2023. Because of my concerns with his tape and most others considering him a top 2 WR in this class (he is WR4 in the class in my estimation), I will have zero exposure, but, personally, I can not accept that Watson is on the same tier as him at this point due to how raw he is. You are right that he may eventually be the better receiver, but I wouldn’t take the risk personally. As you said, pick your poison.

No, it really doesn't. Mariota behind a bad OL, and Ritter if he gets hurt possibly. Mariota will be running for his life half the year, I'd think. 150 targets is extremely optimistic. He's certainly not guaranteed close to that.

Pitts had 110 targets last year and should lead the team this year.