Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Drake London

Friday, September 5, 6:35 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is ready to roll for the season opener at home against the Giants after finally reaching an agreement with Washington on a three-year, $96 million extension. The deal was signed less than two weeks before Week 1, allowing McLaurin ample time to ramp up and get in proper conditioning for Kliff Kingsbury's up-tempo offense. He's coming off his best season as a pro, catching a franchise record 13 touchdowns. The 29-year-old receiver will immediately get back on page and make up for lost time with rising quarterback Jayden Daniels, something the second-year signal caller isn't concerned about. "I don't think it [chemistry] ever leaves," said Daniels when asked if he is confident that his connection with Terry McLaurin can pick up where it left off. McLaurin was relatively quiet in two meetings against the Giants last season, totaling eight receptions for 41 yards, but he found the endzone twice in the second game. For his career, McLaurin has always played well against them, averaging six receptions for 75 yards and scoring five touchdowns in 11 games. He projects as a mid to high-end WR2 for Week 1, always with the potential for a long score.

Friday, September 5, 8:18 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London logged 100 receptions and nine touchdowns last season, finishing with the fourth-most receiving yards (1,271) and the third-most targets (158) in the NFL. The fourth-year pro will take on a Tampa Bay defense on Sunday that was extremely susceptible to the pass last year, yielding the third-most pass yards per game (245.3). London had one big performance versus the Bucs last season and one clunker, but that was with Kirk Cousins under center, not Michael Penix Jr. Despite being a rookie QB, Penix Jr. did not shy away from targeting his top wideout, peppering him with eight, 13, and 18 targets over the final three games of '24, which translated to 22 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns. With Darnell Mooney on the bad side of questionable for this contest, it could also mean a couple of extra targets for the Falcons' top wide receiver. All in all, it sets London up as a mid-range WR1 on Sunday.