There’s indecision at the bottom of the WR1 class. The question that has confounded drafters: Should they take the old, stalwart veteran (Davante Adams) or the newer, less proven model with a chance of success (Drake London)? These two receivers have rounded out the top 10 receiver positions in summer fantasy drafts, but who takes that spot is a back-and-forth – if you look at one site’s ADP list, it’s London; if you look at another site’s, it’s Adams.
Since the industry tells us that the difference in value between these two receivers is essentially negligible for the upcoming season, we’ve recruited Adam Ronis and Gene Clemons to break this virtual tie. Ronis is banking on the youth of Atlanta’s wide receiver, while Clemons is relying on the track record of the Raiders receiver. Read the cases below and pick your winner in the comments section.
Ronis loves the Drake:
Forget the stats for Drake London in his first two seasons. Coaching staff and system are important in football, and London was stuck under Arthur Smith, which is bad for receiver production. The Falcons averaged 183 passing yards the last two seasons.
The talent of London, who was drafted number 8 by the Falcons in 2022, is obvious. Not only did the system cause problems for London, the fact that the quarterbacks were named Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota and Taylor Heinicke did not help him either.
This season there is a big change as Zac Robinson breaks out of the Sean McVay lineage to become offensive coordinator and Kirk Cousins is brought in at quarterback. This is going to be a great season for London. Last season he had a 23.3% target share and that should improve as the Falcons will undoubtedly throw more passes and score more points.
It’s easy to look at Davante Adams and think he has a high level based on his two seasons with the Raiders. Adams had over 175 targets and 100 receptions in each season. Quarterback play wasn’t as good last season, and Adams went from 1,516 yards in 2022 to 1,144 in 2023. Touchdowns also went down from 14 to eight.
Adams had a 58.9% catch rate last year and if the crowd goes down it will hurt him as the quarterback play is not getting better. Many of the stats for Adams were worse last season and he turns 32 in December. We also can’t ignore that he has gotten worse against man coverage over the last few seasons. The quarterback play is probably one of the worst in football on a team that wants to run the football. Betting on the crowd when a receiver is declining, a year older and playing a bad quarterback is risky. Take London, the younger receiver stepping up in a better offense.
Clemons supports Davante
The Netflix series Receivers should have told you how passionate Davante Adams is about football. That’s why a streak of 103 receptions, 1,144 yards, and eight touchdowns feels like a disappointing season for the 10-year veteran. A season like this would be a career-defining season for Drake London. What separates Adams from London is his hands and running style. That’s why Adams has continued to perform well despite an inconsistent quarterback situation over the past two seasons.
In his two seasons with the Raiders, he was targeted 355 times, resulting in 203 pass catches, over 2,600 yards, and 22 touchdowns. His 11th place finish in the fantasy rankings among WRs was his worst finish since 2019, when he was 23rd in PPR leagues. He rebounded the next season as the best receiver in the fantasy rankings. In the three seasons leading up to 2023, he has finished in the top five in the fantasy rankings. History shows he rebounds from his interpretation of a subpar season.
His play at quarterback should be more consistent in 2024. It will be Aidan O’Connell’s second season, which means consistency and some familiarity with Adams, and that should lead to better numbers. And if Gardner Minshew gets the job, Michael Pittman’s production is a good indicator of Adams’ floor. That’s 109 receptions, 1,152 yards and four touchdowns. I think we can all agree that Adams is better than Michael Pittman Jr., but if those are Adams’ stats in 2024, they’ll be much better than anything London produced in his first two seasons.
There are just too many questions surrounding London that I don’t feel comfortable picking him over Adams. In Adams’ situation, the only question is who will throw him the ball. For London, the questions are: How will he adapt to this new offense? Will he be favored in it? New Falcons OC Zac Robinson comes from the Rams/Sean McVay lineage. This offense favors receivers who can operate in the slot, weave through traffic, and get dirty as blockers in the run game. Will London succeed at that position? Or will it allow super-talented but below-average tight end Kyle Pitts to become the offense’s primary weapon?
(Top photo of Davante Adams: Steve Marcus/Getty Images); (Top photo of Drake London: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
