Team news: Atlanta Falcons | Page 10

Falcons rookie WR Drake London (knee) moving around like a guy who will be playing Sunday against the Saints. Atlanta still officially on the fence about his availability.

We just posted a report about how the Falcons don't expect to know about London's status until later in the week. However, Kendall's video looks promising and London appears to be moving smoothly in the drill.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith on Drake London, "We won't know until the end of the week."

Related players: Kyle Pitts, KhaDarel Hodge, Bryan Edwards, Olamide Zaccheaus

London practiced Monday, but beyond that and for Sunday's game the team doesn't expect to know much else until later. Pitts could be in line for a ton of targets if London is out and the WR work falls to Hodge, Edwards and Zaccheaus.

Falcons wide receiver Drake London, the eighth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, returned to practice Monday.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith on London: "He’s progressing." On if he expects him to be ready to play, "We’ll see what he looks like.” The team may ease the rookie into action, so his fantasy viability could be iffy to kickoff the season. He is currently ranked as a WR3 here at 4for4, but could shape into a main focal point of the offense alongside teammate Kyle Pitts.

Rondale Moore and Zach Ertz will also “be close,” per Kingsbury.

Moore's injury hasn't been announced, while Ertz is dealing with a calf injury. It's at least a good sign for both as we're still over a week away from Week 1.

Kellen Mond won't get a second season in Minnesota.

The Vikings are waiving the 2021 third-round pick, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday, per a source informed of the situation.

Related players: Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens

As the story put it, we often see new regimes move on from young players they weren't as high on, and this is a good example. The Vikings front office signaled the likely end of Mond's time in Minnesota when it traded for backup Mullens last week.

Heading into their final preseason game, the Chicago Bears' wide receiver depth chart is clear for their top-four options; Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Velus Jones.

An uninspiring group, to say the least. Pringle may technically be operating as the WR2, but all signs point to TE Cole Kmet benefitting from being the second option in the passing game. Pringle does make for an interesting late-round addition in best ball formats.

One player who has stood out in Cardinals preseason this year: Andy Isabella.

Related players: Marquise Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, A.J. Green, Antoine Wesley, Greg Dortch

It's not the first positive press for Isabella, who has had a very good camp despite being buried on the depth chart. The tweet went on to say the team feels he's had as good a camp as just about anyone. He's been the subject of trade rumors in the past but he's making himself tough to remove from the roster right now, the tweet added. Given the players in front of him, he'll likely have a tough time making any kind of fantasy impact on the Cards, but he's a player to keep an eye on if he's moved.

Falcons players I don’t see in early part of practice (perhaps they show up later):

WR Drake London
DL Marlon Davidson
TE John FitzPatrick
OL Jalen Mayfield
RB Cordarrelle Patterson (rest)

This is the 11th straight day London has missed, which is obviously important time as we get closer to the season. London is still 33rd on our WR rankings making him a lower-end WR3 option. It’s generally a good idea to be careful with rookie receivers, but London is shaping up to be an exception since his ADP is in the seventh round, as long as he can get healthy and ready to play. With Calvin Ridley suspended for the year, it’s going to be the Drake London/Kyle Pitts show in Atlanta. London should soak up 120-140 targets with ease. (Remember, Ridley saw 52 targets in five games last season.) The quarterback situation is unsettled, but Marcus Mariota should be able to hold down the fort while Desmond Ridder figures things out.

Per the article, "At this point, Kmet is the No. 2 pass-catching option in the Bears offense behind No. 1 receiver Darnell Mooney. Fields trusts him, but so does [offensive coordinator Luke] Getsy."

Related Players: Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, Velus Jones

It's not as if the team has many other options, but regardless, finding a tight end with a legitimate target floor is difficult to find in fantasy. Cole Kmet was involved in the screen game during the Bears' second preseason game, an area of the field that he was not utilized in during the last coaching regime; his four targets on screens in 2021 ranked 25th amongst NFL tight ends.

Kyle Pitts has been nearly unguardable during the first weeks of training camp. Not only is the second-year TE a mismatch due to his freakish size, he can run right past opposing linebackers and defensive backs with ease.

While this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, it's at least good to hear. As the story added, following an outstanding rookie season, Pitts appears ready to take his game to another level in Year 2. The Falcons lack experience at the wide receiver position so expect QB Marcus Mariota to target Pitts frequently this season, especially in the red zone. Pitts should be drafted as a top TE option and we rank him third on our list with an ADP of the late third in 12-team leagues.