Yes, Atletico Madrid is fairly well place in the table but no better than Barcelona, and to lead the league title next season I think Diego Simeone's squad is still under Xavi's team in some ways.
I don't see anything special about Atletico Madrid this season because they are indeed one of the favorites in the top four so nothing is different if we look at previous seasons
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid were among the top three teams in La Liga last season and next season will be no exception. These three teams will be between one and three in the points table but only positions may change. A relegation means that any of the three teams have the potential to win the La Liga title, with Real Madrid winning next season's league title or Barcelona and Atlético Madrid winning next season's league title. But for next season I will consider Real Madrid to win the league title. Whichever team wins the league title among these three teams will have to fight each other hard to win the league title in the next season.