Drake London is active for Week 1 vs. Saints

The Atlanta Falcons announced Week 1 inactives and Drake London is officially active for their matchup against the New Orleans Saints. London was listed as questionable this week due to a knee injury suffered in the team’s preseason opener. He was limited in practice throughout the week.

London flashed his potential in the Falcons’ preseason opener and justified the team’s decision in drafting him with the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft. His preseason playing time was cut short out of precaution when he suffered a knee injury, but now he has an excellent shot to become one of the Falcons’ top targets in the passing game. The Falcons saw their second-highest receiving target in Russell Gage depart in the offseason, and Calvin Ridley will miss the entire 2022 season due to suspension.

That opens the door for London to command a large share of targets as the number two option behind tight end Kyle Pitts. The Saints were middle of the pack last season in surrendering 21.7 completions per game to opposing teams, and they surrendered 21.9 fantasy points per game to opposing receivers. Sunday’s NFC South matchup could be a back-and-forth affair, opening up more downfield opportunities for Falcons receivers such as London.