This is the last Sunday of 2024 without meaningful NFL football. Let’s have some fun. Making bold predictions is one of the more fun approaches to analyzing players before the fantasy football season. By no means do I expect each one of these bold predictions is probable, but I do believe each one of them is possible.
My 2024 bold predictions vary in their level of boldness. The purpose of each bold prediction is to perhaps tip the scale towards or away from the players below if you’re deciding between them in a last minute fantasy draft or in making add/drops in your league’s free agency pool this season, especially early on. Whiffing on a bold prediction isn’t going to lose you your league, but hitting on one could have you hoisting your league trophy by season’s end.
I started my series of 2023 bold predictions in June last season. Waiting to make my bold predictions this year feels a little safer while still being able to think outside the box a little. There’s at least more concrete information to go off of. Even though last year’s were earlier, I still had some hits…but amongst plenty of misses. Check out my 2023 bold predictions here with a post-season review of each before scrolling down into 2024 bold predictions!
Fantasy Football Bold Predictions for Each NFL Team
Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray Finishes as the Overall QB1 on a Fantasy Point-Per-Game Basis
In non-rookie seasons, Kyler Murray has finished as the QB3, QB3, QB7, and QB10 on a fantasy points-per-game basis. The QB3 finish specifically in 2020 yielded 25.8 fantasy points per game which was the highest amongst quarterbacks who played in more than five games. Murray getting back to that level nearly two years post-ACL tear is what makes this a bold prediction. However, with Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, Greg Dortch, and other weapons in an expected, consistent negative game script most weeks, Murray can get there. The key to this bold prediction is Murray’s rushing ability. I’m encouraged by his 44 rush attempts in just eight games last season. That paces for 94 attempts in 17 games. Murray notably rushed 93 times as a rookie in 2019 and a career-high 133 times in 2020, though no more than 88 times since.
Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts Finishes as the Overall TE1 on a Fantasy Point-Per-Game Basis
This bold prediction is exciting for anyone with Kyle Pitts on their roster and a huge eye roll from just about everyone else. Pitts has more going for him in 2024 than any year prior, though! First thing’s first, the coaching change. Zac Robinson, the former L.A. Rams passing game coordinator, is now the offensive coordinator. The Falcons should run a ton of 11-personnel featuring their prominent pieces similar to the Rams’ offense.
Additionally, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback. Last season in Minnesota, T.J. Hockenson logged the second-most targets amongst tight ends (127) and the most on a per-game basis (8.5). Aside from Drake London and Bijan Robinson, the competition for targets is nothing outstanding. If Pitts can stay healthy, he has a legitimate path to achieving this bold prediction just as most people are ready to write him off, if they haven’t already.
Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry Scores 20 Rushing Touchdowns
Gus Edwards logged 198 rush attempts for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. His 39 red zone attempts ranked 10th and his 30 attempts inside the 10-yard line ranked 6th amongst all players. Additionally, Edwards rushed a league-high 19 times from five yards and in. As a result, his usage yielded 13 rushing touchdowns. Assuming Derrick Henry logs his usual 250 to 300 carries, with a good chunk in the red zone, he could add the 20-touchdown accolade to his Hall of Fame career. Only nine different running backs have achieved this before meeting the criteria for a bold prediction.
Buffalo Bills
Ray Davis Scores the Most Rushing Touchdowns on the Bills
Ray Davis isn’t your typical rookie. He is 24 years old and just two months younger than teammate James Cook. Davis has an impressive college career rushing for 900+ yards at three different universities: Temple, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. Davis, the fourth-round pick who stands a 5’8″ and weighs 200 pounds, can churn out yards. He stood out in preseason Week 2 specifically rushing eight times for 58 yards for a 7.3 yards per carry average. Josh Allen led the Bills with 15 rushing touchdowns last year. The rest of the team rushed for seven, led by Latavius Murray’s four. He is no longer on the team. Davis’ role could be limited to goal-to-go situations, which is great for Best Ball fantasy formats, but there’s room for more in Buffalo’s run game, especially if they want Josh Allen to protect himself.
Carolina Panthers
Xavier Legette is a Top-Five Rookie Wide Receiver in Fantasy Points Per Game
In 2024 redraft fantasy football leagues, Xavier Legette typically goes undrafted. Amongst rookie wide receivers, his Average Draft Position puts him closer to 10 than the top five. Xavier Legette is in one of the best positions to succeed in his first year, however. Carolina traded back into the first round to draft Legette 32nd overall. His final collegiate season produced 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. He is known as one of, if not the best, receiver of this class after the catch. If the Panthers find ways to manufacture him touches as a receiver and even out of the backfield, he will be one of the biggest adds on the waiver wire this season.
Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams Sets New Record For Most Passing Touchdowns by a Rookie Quarterback
Caleb Williams is stepping into arguably the best situation for a rookie quarterback ever with consideration to the weapons around him. Williams will be throwing to D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, and others for 17 games. The current record holder, Justin Herbert, tossed 31 touchdown passes in 15 games during his 2020 rookie season. This may not seem that bold of a bold prediction, but no Bears quarterback in franchise history has ever thrown 30 touchdown passes, let alone 4,000 passing yards in a single season, rookie or not. I think Williams does both.
Cincinnati Bengals
Chase Brown Finishes as a Top-20 Running Back on a Fantasy Points Per Game Basis
The average draft position between Brown and Zack Moss is starting to favor Brown with Week 1 right around the corner. Still, neither running back is often coming off of the board inside the top 30 at the position. Head coach Zac Taylor is firm in his belief that Brown and Moss are interchangeable, but in due time, I believe Brown will pull away and become a week-to-week starter in Points Per Reception fantasy football leagues.
In his final season at the University of Illinois, Chase Brown boasts a strong 328 carries for 1,643 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. At the 2023 NFL Combine, he showed off his 4.43 [40-yard dash] speed. For comparison, De’Von Achane ran a 4.32. Even though Joe Mixon remained the bell cow back in Cincy last season, Brown did have a few flashes. In just four games with seven or more carries, he logged at least one 10+ yard run in three of them with an average of 4.3 yards per carry.
Zack Moss has played in 53 of a possible 67 regular season games in four seasons and never more than 14 games in a single season. He profiles more as a north-and-south runner than can barrel into the end zone in scoring position. Brown, on the other hand, has more upside with his receiving ability and can get it done on the ground, as well. I think we see a breakout of sorts for Brown as he’s called upon more often than not in a variety of situations.
Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford Ranks Top-10 in All-Purpose Yards Amongst Running Backs
Unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns lost their starting right tackle, backup right tackle, and starting left tackle to injuries last season. Nick Chubb also succumbed to a season-ending knee injury, his second to the same knee he tore multiple ligaments in during college. We now know Chubb will miss the first four games of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List.
Jerome Ford will have at least four weeks leading the backfield with only Pierre Strong and D’Onta Foreman behind him. Not only should he dominate the percentage of carries, but Ford presents pass-catching upside with 63 targets of his own last season. Even when Chubb is back, there are likely to be questions about his effectiveness. Ford has an incredible opportunity to rack up a ton of yards with a high-volume role behind a healthier offensive line this season.
Dallas Cowboys
No Cowboys Running Back Rushes for 900+ Yards
The Cowboys have had a running back rush for 900 or more yards in every season since 2013. In all but two of such seasons, a Cowboys running back has eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. Yes, that includes Tony Pollard last season. The current running back room of Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, Rico Dowdle, and Deuce Vaughn have a combined 4,342 touches between the four of them. Zeke and Cook account for 96.6% of those touches. They are both 29 years old.
It’s hard to imagine either Zeke or Cook making it an entire season or running efficiently enough to eclipse 900 yards. This bold prediction more pertains to Rico Dowdle. We just don’t have a large enough sample size to feel confident in him handling a full workload or three-down role. He only costs a late-round pick in fantasy drafts, however. He’s worth taking a “wait and see” approach with as the potential lead back for the Dallas Cowboys, but my expectations are low. It wouldn’t shock me if their leading rusher still isn’t on the roster yet.
Denver Broncos
Javonte Williams Ranks Inside the Top-Five in Running Back Receptions
In order to achieve this bold prediction, Williams needs to catch about 50 passes at a minimum, something he’s never done. The bar is arguably higher this season as the top-five running backs in receptions in both 2022 and 2023 all caught at least 60 passes. To rank inside the top five in 2024, there is a ton of competition, too, with Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, Bijan Robinson, and others in the mix.
Javonte Williams is another year removed from a season-ending 2022 ACL tear. Sean Payton’s offense is one of the friendliest for running backs, as well. In New Orleans, an average of 31.1% of the team receptions were accounted for by running backs each season, topping 35% in three different seasons. Javonte Williams has the pass-catching upside and the Broncos wide receivers don’t pose a huge threat. In limited preseason action, Williams already looks like a favorite target of rookie quarterback Bo Nix. If you’re unable to get your hands on Williams in drafts, make sure Jaleel McLaughlin is stashed on your bench.
Detroit Lions
Sam LaPorta Finishes Outside the Top-Five Tight Ends
This is only a bold prediction because LaPorta is coming off of draft boards as the overall TE1 in some leagues. Including Week 18, Sam LaPorta scored 10 touchdowns last season. That’s two less than the record for most by a rookie tight end in their first season. Though he fell short of one record, LaPorta did set the record for most receptions (86) by a rookie tight end.
It’s easy to rally around LaPorta as a top tight end pick. The position has lacked “the next big thing” for years, he was one of the best values in drafts last season, and he’s on a very good Detroit Lions offense. This bold prediction is just meant to caution drafting LaPorta at cost. Nearly one-third of his fantasy points from 2023 are from touchdowns. Those aside, his competition for targets and production should be greater this season if Jameson Williams takes a step forward and with Jahmyr Gibbs more involved early on and for a full season.
Green Bay Packers
Josh Jacobs Wins the 2024 Rushing Title
There is a lot of emphasis on the value the Green Bay Packers receivers present. Rightfully so. We might look back at Josh Jacobs coming off of draft boards outside the top-10 running backs as one of the best values of 2024, though. Jacobs is a four-year/$48 million free agent signing for the Packers. However, just $12.5 million is guaranteed. That’s approximately $600k more than a one-year running back franchise tag. The remaining three years on Jacobs’ contract are essentially team options.
With this in mind, on a playoff-hopeful (and then some) roster, the Packers could seriously lean on Jacobs in 2024 with the ability to cut ties after the season. I’m talking like “300 or more carries” seriously. Behind Jacobs on the depth chart are rookie MarShawn Lloyd, who missed a lot of his first camp due to injury, and Emmanuel Wilson, who would be RB4, if even on the team, had it not been for A.J. Dillon heading to season-ending Injured Reserve. We saw Jacobs win the Rushing Title just two seasons ago and he’s got a shot on a better offense to do it again.
Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud Finishes Outside the Top-12 Quarterbacks on a Fantasy Points Per Game Basis
Justin Herbert is 2023’s fantasy QB12 scoring an average of 18.5 fantasy points per game. The QB12 of the last three seasons hasn’t averaged any less than 18.0 points per game. So, if this bold prediction comes true, it’s not as bad as it sounds unless if you drafted Stroud to be a top-eight or so guy.
Over the last three seasons, there have been 12 instances of a quarterback rushing 100 or more times. All of them have finished as a top-10 quarterback in fantasy football. There are a few players that come to mind as guys that can do that and others that can come close. Stroud is not one of them. He rushed just 39 times for 167 yards as a rookie. That’s actually more total yards than what he rushed for in college. Stroud will have to have a really strong season through the air to provide a worthwhile return on investment for fantasy managers. He can certainly do so with Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell, but I would rather invest in more mobile options, especially in a similar or later round.
Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. Sets New Career-Highs in Every Receiving Stat
This bold prediction means Pittman catches at least 110 passes for 1,153 yards and five touchdowns. Only three wide receivers caught more passes than this in 2023: Tyreek Hill (119), Amon-Ra St. Brown (119), and the league leader, CeeDee Lamb (135). Despite a career year for Pittman last season, there are still some doubts with his situation considering Gardner Minshew was his quarterback for the majority of the season.
In a small sample size of two full games and two where Richardson left early due to injury, Pittman has averaged 5.5 receptions for 55 yards and 0.3 touchdowns per game. That’s a 17-game pace of 93.5 receptions for 932 yards and five touchdowns. Again, it’s a small and incomplete sample size, but encouraging nonetheless.
Richardson is entering his sophomore season with Pittman as his clear top target in the passing game. Even if Richardson isn’t able to stay on the field, Joe Flacco is his backup with a proven track record, as recently as last season, of supporting WR1 fantasy performances. Pittman is appropriately priced with some question marks about he himself as his quarterback, but may once again be a massive value when we look back on this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr. Leads All Rookie Wide Receivers In Receiving Yards
In a class with Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Xavier Worthy, and plenty of others, this is one of the bolder bold predictions. Luckily, drafting Brian Thomas Jr. isn’t going to cost you much and if he’s even in the mix for this accolade, it’s a massive return on your investment. Thomas Jr. is a major deep threat added to Trevor Lawrence’s arsenal.
Calvin Ridley’s 1,797 air yards in 2023 ranked eighth among all wide receivers. He’s now a Tennessee Titan. Brian Thomas Jr. can step in a command deep targets immediately. His 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns on just 68 receptions (17.3 yards per catch) last season at LSU is a big reason why he was Jacksonville’s first-round pick. Christian Kirk and Evan Engram should lead the Jaguars in targets and receptions, but Thomas Jr. can break a game open in one play and should earn more playing time as the season progresses.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes Throws a Career-High Passing Touchdowns
Mahomes and the Chiefs are in pursuit of the first-ever Super Bowl “threepeat” this season. I like their chances of winning it all this year far more than last season. Mahomes will be a man on a mission with far better offensive weapons in 2024, as well. Rashee Rice looks like he will avoid a suspension this season; they drafted Xavier Worthy and his record 4.21 [40-yard dash] speed; they signed Hollywood Brown in free agency; and Travis Kelce remains an elite tight end option. Mahomes’ 27 touchdowns in 2023 are the second-lowest of his career while his 14 interceptions set a career-high. Throwing 51 touchdown passes would be a new career-high, for those wondering. That’s an average of three per game. If anyone can do it, it’s Patrick Mahomes in 2024.
Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams Logs a Majority of His Targets for a Different Team
The NFL trade deadline is on November 5, just after Week 9 of the 2024 season. By then, there is a chance a legitimate contender is willing to take on the remainder of Adams’ contract while the Raiders take on a significant 2025 dead cap hit in return for future assets. This isn’t an original bold prediction, but it’s important to recognize that drafting Adams means there’s a chance, however slight, that he’s not a Raiders all season.
This is a risk that most fantasy managers should be willing to take in the second round of any draft. Davante Adams has back-to-back seasons of 180 and 175 targets respectively including at least 100 receptions in each, as well. That’s with five different starting quarterbacks. Five! Gardner Minshew will be Adams’ sixth different starting quarterback in three seasons. He just finished targeting Michael Pittman 9.84 times per game in 13 starts together with the Indianapolis Colts. Adams is still a highly talented, high-volume play for fantasy football, but a mid-season trade may actually increase his value depending on the landing spot and quarterback.
Los Angeles Chargers
Kimani Vidal Leads the Chargers in Rushing Yards
Ahead of the sixth-round pick running back on the depth chart are Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. Both have a history with offensive coordinator Greg Roman from their time with the Baltimore Ravens. Both also have histories of soft tissue injuries, Dobbins specifically looking to bounce back from an early 2023 season Achilles tear. Gus Edwards’ 2023 yielded 13 rushing touchdowns, but just 810 yards on a career-high 198 attempts. Vidal comes from a smaller school in Troy University but did rush 291 times for 1,661 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. If given an opportunity, Vidal could command the backfield in Jim Harbaugh’s first season as the head coach. The possibility of him doing so is worth the last pick in your fantasy draft.
Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp Outscores Puka Nacua in Fantasy Points Per Game
This is one of the least bold predictions in this piece but worth including given the difference in the two receivers’ Average Draft Positions. I’m not taking anything away from Puka Nacua’s historic 2023 season. Many quickly forget that Cooper Kupp missed the first four games due to an early August hamstring injury. Upon returning in Week 5, Kupp then suffered an ankle sprain just six weeks later. In 12 games, Kupp averaged just 61.4 yards per game, the second-lowest of his career. A healthier Kupp is still one of the best receivers in football with a proven connection with quarterback Matthew Stafford. In fact, in 11 full games together, Kupp had the same or more targets as Nacua. Both Kupp and Nacua are great picks this season, but Kupp is the better value if this (somewhat) bold prediction hits.
Miami Dolphins
Jaylen Wright Scores the Most Total Fantasy Points Amongst Dolphins Running Backs
I want it clear that this bold prediction isn’t a knock against Raheem Mostert or De’Von Achane, but rather a public service announcement to add Jaylen Wright to the end of your bench. The Miami Dolphins traded a 2025 third-round pick to draft Wright in this year’s fourth round. His 4.38 speed fits right into the Dolphins’ offensive identity: a really, really fast team.
Wright has a 6.2 yards per carry average to boast from his collegiate career. The efficiency carried over into two preseason games with rushing lines of 10/55/1 and 7/36/0 averaging 5.35 yards per carry. Raheem Mostert is 32 years old and De’Von Achane has injury concerns of his own. I’m not here hoping for or predicting injuries, but if Wright is called upon for any reason, I think he handle a full workload and fulfill this bold prediction.
Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson Finishes Outside the Top-15 Wide Receivers on a Fantasy Points Per Game Basis
Jefferson made do with Nick Mullens as his quarterback in the final five games of 2023. In the final four games, Jefferson averaged 11 targets per game yielding two massive performances of 141 yards with a touchdown in Week 15 and 191 yards with a touchdown in Week 18. In two seasons under head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have finished third and sixth in total pass attempts respectively. Just about any quarterback, even Sam Darnold can sustain fantasy-relevant pass catchers with a high-volume approach.
If Darnold flops, however, the offense as a whole suffers, limiting Jefferson’s opportunities to put up his usual big fantasy numbers. This could be the case, especially early on with games against the Giants, 49ers, Texans, Packers, and Jets defenses in the first five weeks. Consider, too, that this offense has a 29-year-old starting running back and is without T.J. Hockenson for at least the first four games, as well. Jefferson might average 10-12 targets per game, but if they lack quality, it could be a painful season with him on your fantasy roster.
New England Patriots
Ja’Lynn Polk Leads Rookie Wide Receivers in Receptions
After finishing as the worst offense in the NFL with just 13.9 points per game in 2023, I wish I could say things will be much different in 2024. Sure, there’s a new set of coaches and a top-three rookie quarterback that will be under center eventually, but this is the first legitimate season of a significant rebuild. That rebuild includes drafting Ja’Lynn Polk 27th overall which is a significant investment after drafting Drake Maye third overall. The competition for targets isn’t notable and the Patriots should be playing from behind often. Polk is a late-round bench stash that could at least provide weekly flex numbers in Points Per Reception leagues.
New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill finishes as a Top-8 Tight End
This bold prediction applies to fantasy leagues in which Taysom Hill has tight-end eligibility, which he should. In the 2024 preseason alone, Hill played 20 snaps, eight of which were lined up at tight end. What’s important here is that for nine of those snaps, Hill lined up in the backfield. We’ve seen Hill break fantasy football before running the ball, especially when playing quarterback. In fact, over the last two seasons, Hill has the same number of carries inside the 10-yard line (30) as Alvin Kamara. If you miss out on some of the top names at the tight end position, I highly recommend drafting Taysom Hill for this season. He has the potential to be the best pick in fantasy with consideration to position, draft capital, and overall production.
New York Giants
Malik Nabers Surpasses All of Odell Beckham Jr.’s Rookie Stats with the Giants
Odell Beckham Jr. caught 91 passes on 130 targets for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns as a rookie in 2014. Incredibly enough, he did so in just 12 games. The New York Giants haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018. Nabers is an elite talent that many believe to be better than even Marvin Harrison Jr., his rookie classmate drafted two spots higher. Despite Daniel Jones as his quarterback, Nabers should surpass 130 targets in 17 games with ease. It’s the quality of targets that I’m worried about. Think Chris Olave with Derek Carr last season. Still, talent plus opportunity should equal success, and based on where Nabers is going in drafts, it’s a worthwhile bet.
New York Jets
Garrett Wilson Finishes as the Overall WR1 on a Fantasy Points Per Game Basis
After two straight 1,000-yard seasons catching passes from five different starting quarterbacks, this bold prediction rests on Aaron Rodgers staying healthy. Garrett Wilson cannot reach the ceiling we are all chasing if Rodgers isn’t on the field. For this reason, if you weren’t in on Wilson in 2023, then it’s hard to imagine you are for 2024 as Rodgers is 40 years old and coming off of a torn Achilles. Wilson’s talent and ability to be the Jets’ WR1 has been on full display, he’s just missing a legitimate quarterback to elevate him to the next level. Drafting Wilson at the back end of the first round or early second is with risk baked in that Rodgers may not play the entire season. If we could guarantee he would, he would likely be a top-five pick.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles Score 550 Total Points
This feat has only been achieved by six teams in NFL history, all of whom did so in 16 games. Four of the six have done so in the last 15 seasons, the most recent being the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs. Scoring 550 points in 17 games comes out to just over 32 points per game. The number is jarring and it should be; it’s a bold prediction article. With a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, implementing more pre-snap motion especially, it’s hard to fathom defenses figuring out a way to stop Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Jahan Dotson. Who do you cover? Not that any of these players are going significantly later in drafts, but you can’t go wrong investing in one of the best offenses if torn between an Eagle and another player.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pat Freiermuth Finishes Inside the Top-Five Tight Ends on a Fantasy Points Per Game Basis
We are only two seasons removed from a Freiermuth finishing as the TE7 in 2022, tied with Evan Engram. Freiermuth earned 98 targets in 16 games behind only Diontae Johnson (147) and slightly ahead of George Pickens (84). Johnson is no longer on the team and the receivers behind Pickens on the current roster are Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller, and rookie Roman Wilson.
Maybe it’s the disappointing 2023 season, Arthur Smith taking over as the offensive coordinator or a seemingly abundant number of tight ends to draft, but Freiermuth is barely drafted as a top-15 tight end, if at all. Now, Russell Wilson doesn’t typically pepper tight ends with targets, but Freiermuth is arguably the best of his career, at least in a while. After back-to-back 60+ reception seasons, 2023 is a brutal down year. If you don’t land a top-eight consensus tight end, stash Freiermuth as a player who could hit career highs across the board at a tremendous value with little competition in the Steelers’ passing game.
San Francisco 49ers
Jordan Mason Quadruples His 2023 Rushing Production in 2024
In 2023, Jordan Mason rushed 40 times for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Quadrupling these numbers equates to 160 rush attempts, 824 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Whether it’s your first time playing fantasy football or not, we know we can’t predict touchdowns so let’s focus on the volume and production.
Read into this bold prediction how you may, but I am cautious about Christian McCaffrey’s 2023 workload heading into this season. His 417 touches, playing into mid-February, are a career-high. Even if he is available for a full season, it’s possible Mason mixes in far more this season. Either way, he’s a priority add to any fantasy bench regardless of if McCaffrey is on your roster.
Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf Finishes as a Top-Five Wide Receiver on a Fantasy Points Per Game Basis
Since his 2019 rookie season, Metcalf has fantasy finishes as WR48, WR6, WR24, WR23, and WR20. It’s been a while since he came even remotely close to this bold prediction. A new regime and new offense is what makes it possible this season. Ryan Grubb, the offensive coordinator, enters the NFL after extremely recent success in the same role with the University of Washington. Washington’s 2022 offense under Grubb led the nation in passing yards per game and was second in total offensive production. The Seattle Seahawks ran the least amount of offensive plays last season. Needless to say, Grubb’s impact should be immediate and Metcalf, the WR1, should benefit greatly. The talent is there and he should see a massive opportunity of targets this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans Logs 1,400 Receiving Yards
Jerry Rice has 11 straight seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards. That’s an NFL record. Mike Evans has 10 straight seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards. We know Evans is going to get fed targets from Baker Mayfield. His 136 targets, the fourth-most of his career, speaks for itself. With the record in mind, too, perhaps we see an uptick of targets thrown Evans’ way boosting his value ever so slightly from a top-30 or so pick in fantasy drafts. Liam Coen, the new offensive coordinator, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, has experience maximizing weapons in the passing game. He has one of the best weapons in the NFL with Mike Evans.
Tennessee Titans
Both Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins Finish Inside the Top-24 Wide Receivers
The 2024 Tennessee Titans are not your father’s Tennessee Titans. I expect the Titans to be one of the pass-heavier teams this season. Head coach Brian Callahan is the former offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals who have finished inside the top-seven in pass attempts in three of the last five seasons. The Titans continue to invest in their offensive line which is an investment in quarterback, Will Levis. This is Levis’ first full season as the starter.
Last year, we saw Levis take plenty of downfield shots averaging the fourth-most air yards per attempt behind only Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, and C.J. Stroud (min. of nine starts). Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins don’t have any significant competition for targets. Both can have a successful fantasy football season as possession receivers who can also rack up points downfield. If you’re concerned about Hopkins’ knee injury heading into the season, then it’s all the more reason to invest in Ridley.
Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson Logs More Receptions Than Austin Ekeler
I think we all expect Brian Robinson to lead the Commander’s backfield in rush attempts. Robinson (25) is four years younger than Austin Ekeler (29) who has just two seasons with over 200 carries, his career-high being 206 in 2021. The two backs have similar Average Draft Positions, but I don’t think they should. Robinson took a huge leap in passing game usage jumping from just 12 targets as a rookie in 2022 to 43 last season. He caught 83.7% of them for 368 yards and four touchdowns. If he maintains his effectiveness in passing down work, he could flat out keep Ekeler off of the field and be one of the best values in Points Per Reception formats this season.
Got a few bold predictions of your own? Drop them in the comments below and then make sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.