Fantasy Football Breakout Draft picks for 2025: Drake London and why his red zone usage is very telling

When you’re drafting in your Fantasy Football leagues, there will always come a point in the draft where you are looking for upside. That could come in different shapes and forms — throughout the draft — and sometimes early on. As we enter the 2025 season, there is a bona fide tier of elite wide receivers who come off the board in the first 12 picks, followed by a larger group of Tier 2 receivers. Finding that receiver in Tier 2 who will make the jump into Tier 1 production can often be the difference in putting your Fantasy squad over the top. Drake London stands out as having the most upside among the group of Tier 2 receivers heading into the 2025 season after finishing the 2024 season strong.

As we head into 2025, London’s outlook has changed. He’ll benefit from entering his second season in the same offensive system, where he can play faster. He’ll also benefit from playing a full season with 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix at quarterback. It was when Penix took over in 2024 that London saw his production rise. Here’s a look back on what London accomplished in 2024 from a statistical standpoint:

• 100 receptions, 1,271 yards, 9 TDs on 158 targets over 17 games.

• Ranked WR6 in PPR, WR4 per game. However, it was the lowest-scoring WR4 in PPR since 2019.

• Averaged 29.3% target share, 28.9% targets per route run—matching his rookie usage with QB stability finally emerging.

Where London really stands out from a Fantasy standpoint is his touchdown upside with Penix. London was one of the most voluminous red zone receivers in the NFL last season.

Red Zone

• Led the Falcons with 24 red-zone, 10 goal-zone, and 18 end-zone targets — the latter tied for 2nd-most among WRs.

• Falcons were dead last in red-zone rates, but London commanded over half his team’s inside-the-10 targets (52.6%).

After turning the offense over to Penix, the Falcons went more pass-heavy. Overall, they were a more pass-heavy offense than in 2023 and jumped all the way to seventh in the NFL in passing yards per game. This kind of volume, coupled with London’s target share and red zone dominance, could take him from a fringe WR1 to one of the top-scoring Fantasy options at the position in 2025.

Here’s how Jamey Eisenberg is drafting the Falcons WR as outlined in his 2025 outlook: “London established himself as one of the top Fantasy receivers in 2024, and he will look to build off that performance this season. He’s worth drafting as early as Round 2 in the majority of leagues. In 2024, London had a career year with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns on 158 targets. And he showed a solid rapport with new starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. In three starts with Penix, London had 22 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns, and he scored at least 17.6 PPR points in two of those outings. London should continue to dominate targets, and he has the upside to be a top-five Fantasy receiver in all leagues. We consider him a top-10 receiver coming into the season, and hopefully, 2024 was just the start for London toward becoming a consistent Fantasy star.”