Drake London vs Ja'Marr Chase

“London was cooking last year before a PCL injury derailed his season in Week 11. In Weeks 1-10 last year, London was the WR6 in fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he was fourth in target share (30.3%), fourth in receiving yards per game (86.4), sixth in yards per route run (2.74), fifth in first-read share (37.6%), and seventh in first downs per route run (0.135, per Fantasy Points Data).”

“If London had a legitimate quarterback, we could draft him higher, but instead, he'll once again have to deal with mediocrity in the form of Tua Tagovailoa or Penix. London is a fine selection in round two, but look elsewhere here.”

“Over the first 10 weeks of 2025, London was the fantasy WR6, but with the Falcons stuttering and Michael Penix Jr. injured, he dropped to WR25 for the rest of the season. London has topped a 28% target share in three of his four NFL seasons. We know he'll draw targets, but it's their value that matters here.”

“London will now be under contract through the 2030 season. He's topped 100 catches and 1000 yards once (2024) in his four-year career. He finished as the WR7 and WR14 the last two seasons in fantasy points per game (half-ppr).”

“Branch's ability with the ball in his hands should guarantee him at least some role right away in an Atlanta offense without much talent at wideout outside of Drake London.”

“Top cap hit: Drake London, $7,996,200 (2.65 percent)”

“Atlanta now employs the NFL's third-highest-paid players at tight end and wide receiver, with London scoring a four-year, $141.1MM extension earlier this month.”

“Drake London is set to anchor the Falcons' receiver room once again in 2026 and well into the future.”

“The Falcons signed WR Drake London to a long-term extension with a new-money average of $35.26 million per year and a total five-year base value of $157.88 million, including a $33.656 million signing bonus and fully guaranteed compensation through the first two years of the deal.”

“There aren't many questions about Ja'Marr Chase in 2026, but if you remember 2025, there were plenty. The start of the season was rough, and everyone was panicking (and I was buying). It's old news because he led the league in targets, finished as the WR4, and is now going off the board as the WR1, right where Mike and Jason have him ranked.”

“No receiver projects for more volume than Ja'Marr Chase. His 182 targets led the league, reinforcing his status as one of the few true offensive focal points in the game. The surprising part of Chase's season wasn't the workload. It was the TD total. After scoring 17 TDs the previous year, Chase found the end zone just eight times despite finishing with 22 targets inside the 20-yard line, 6th most in the league.”

“Chase has averaged 115+ catches, 1,400+ receiving yards and 10+ touchdowns over the last three years, and Joe Burrow is coming into 2026 100% healthy.”

“Chase has led the league in targets each of the last two years. He's averaged 6.7 catches and 87.7 yards per game over his five-year career. Chase also gets to play with Joe Burrow, one of the best pure passers in the game.”

“Much of Chase's ceiling is tied to Joe Burrow's health. In games with Burrow at quarterback since Chase was drafted, he averages 0.78 touchdowns and 20.67 PPR points. In the games without Burrow, those numbers drop to 0.33 touchdowns and 15.48 points.”

“The only question mark is the consistency beyond Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, with the Bengals' next most targeted wide receivers combining for a 16% drop rate while Chase and Higgins were at 4% combined.”

“Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals (4) was the highest rated Wide Receiver in the NFL Top 100 for 2025.”

“One player who notably looks worse in per-route data compared to his annual ADP is Higgins' teammate — Ja'Marr Chase. However, I don't think anyone seriously believes this means Chase isn't one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.”

“In five years in the league, Chase has averaged 1,490 yards a season.”

“The same goes for elite wideouts like Ja'Marr Chase and Puka Nacua. But they are knocked down a peg or two by the top-tier quarterbacks.”

“Using this year's board, let's say you take Ja'Marr Chase at 1.01. You pick at 24 and 25.”

“The idea behind "Stars & Scrubs" is to build your team primarily around a few star players. For example, you may be able to walk away with Ja'Marr Chase, Jahmyr Gibbs and someone like Christian McCaffrey, but this will leave you with a significantly lower budget for the remaining picks.”