The 2024 NFL offseason has been quite an eventful one. In case you haven't been following along, we're bringing you the biggest news stories impacting fantasy football rosters ahead of the draft. Here are the 8 biggest fantasy storylines you may have missed.
Like it?! If you're a Falcons fan, you'll like it. Atlanta has been in quarterback hell since the departure and subsequent retirement of QB Matt Ryan, but they finally have a face for their franchise. With the No. 8 overall pick in Washington prospect Michael Pennis, you could say they now have two faces. But enough of that. We're here to talk about 2024.
Although Cousins, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in Week 8, has been officially declared healed by a doctor, head coach Raheem Morris said there will likely be some modifications to his training during camp, but Cousins is a pure pocket passer who doesn't need to rely on his legs as much, so he's likely to return to his normal form quickly.
Overall, the Falcons posted a league-low 8.6% positive/accurate throw rate in 2023, but also ranked in the top six in uncatchable/inaccurate throw rate (22.5%) per PFF. Heading into 2024, Cousins' presence would certainly be a major upgrade for both WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts.
Several top running backs join new teams
The 2024 free agent class of running backs is unusually rich, and surprisingly, none of the top available players chose to re-sign with their current teams.
In addition to the free agent market trends, starting running back Joe Mixon was traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Houston Texans.
— What I like most about 2024: Derrick HenryBaltimore's offensive line lost some players this offseason, but they should be able to make up for that in a big way with QB Lamar Jackson. Even if Jackson takes away Henry's rushing power, this team is still a top-six offense with a smart coaching staff that is confident they can utilize Henry effectively in his age-30 season.
— My Warning Signs: Austin EkelerSurprisingly, he is the only one of these running backs to be drafted outside the top 30 at his position. Ekeler is currently sharing the backfield with third-year running back Brian Robinson and is expected to see a drop in volume (which was likely his preference in free agency). He is the team's top receiving option at running back, but there are concerns about how much volume he will actually see when Jayden Daniels becomes the QB. Given Daniels' rushing potential, he is expected to run the ball himself rather than utilize a check-down option. This means that Ekeler likely won't provide a big return on fantasy investment in 2024.
Rumors of Stefon Diggs' discontent with Buffalo date all the way back to the 2023 offseason. This year, the team opted to eliminate a rumored headache by sending Diggs to the Houston Texans for a whopping $31 million in dead cap hits, a move that caused major upheaval for both teams' offensive lines.
— Which Texans receiver should I draft?: Nico CollinsHe's the most expensive of the Texans wide receivers with an early ADP of WR17, but I think he's worth it in a crowded receiver corps given his performance last year. Collins was WR9 overall last year and ranked in the top five at his position in fantasy points per route run (0.65), fantasy points per target (2.39) and yards after the catch per reception (7.1). In fact, he and Tyreek Hill are the only receivers in the league to average over 3.0 yards per route run. He's #goodatfootball and has a decent target share in 2024.
— My favorite Bills sleeper at WR: Khalil ShakirNew free agent signing Curtis Samuel has high expectations, but I've always been drawn to Shaquill's performance late last season. While we saw Stefon Diggs' role shrink in the second half of the season, Shaquill's role expanded, receiving a season-high eight targets from Josh Allen in the divisional round win over the Chiefs.
He'll need an increase in average depth of target (7.4 yards aDOT in 2023) to reach his full fantasy potential, but all things considered, Shaquill appears to have earned Allen's trust late in the game, which could benefit his fantasy value in a year of WR turnover for the Bills.
Widely known as a fairly conservative team, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned that idea on its head this offseason: They hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator, signed free agent Russell Wilson, traded for Kenny Pickett and acquired Justin Fields in a trade, all in the space of 44 days.
Questions remain about whether Wilson is “retired” and whether Fields is actually a better quarterback beyond fantasy prospects, but the fact is that both were the more productive passers the Steelers have seen since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement.
— Which Steelers QB should I draft?There's been a lot of fan talk that Fields will take over the lead role during the season, which wouldn't be a surprise given his turnover tendencies unless he gets hurt. Fields has great potential as a rusher and it wouldn't be surprising to see the team prepare a Taysom Hill-esque package for him, but overall, Wilson is pretty much a sure thing as the starter. If they punt (or stream) a QB, Wilson is an intriguing option, with an ADP of the 28th QB in the early stages of the Yahoo Draft.
Several QBs return healthy in 2024
There have been several starting quarterbacks with season-ending injuries in 2024, including the aforementioned Kirk Cousins. Here is the latest injury information available heading into the NFL training camp session.
The Chicago Bears will… do well? Maybe?
The Bears did everything in their power this offseason to make their offense look completely different from the 2023 unit, which ranked in the bottom 10 in receiving yards (4.7) and EPA per play (-0.07) last season. WR DJ Moore was pretty much the only holdover from last year's team, after the team traded away Justin Fields, signed RB D'Andre Swift and acquired WR Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bears also had two first-round picks in the top 10, selecting top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams at No. 1 and top receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9.
This is an ideal situation for Williams, who joins the league's best wide receiver trio, and for Swift, who can take advantage of the increased scoring opportunities. However, it remains to be seen how targets will be distributed among these three talented wide receivers. The distribution of targets and Williams' chemistry with the wide receivers will be a storyline I will be following throughout training camp.
The 2024 rookie WR class is truly solid.
… Speaking of Rome Odunze! We have to talk about the very loaded WR class that emerged in the 2024 NFL Draft. Several of these wide receivers could make an impact in Year 1. A whopping seven receivers were drafted in the first round (including three in the first 10 picks) and three more were selected in the first five picks of the second round. It was a group with talent coming to the fore.
Budding superstars Marvin Harrison Jr. (4th overall pick by the Cardinals) and Malik Neighbors (6th overall pick by the Giants) are projected to be the top targets on their respective offenses right away, as reflected by their early ADPs of WR9 and WR28. One of the sneaky candidates to receive 120+ targets in 2024 is Los Angeles Chargers WR Ladd McConkey, who figures to be the team's top target recipient after the offseason departures of Allen, Mike Williams, Ekeler and Gerald Everett. McConkey has an ADP of WR49 in the early Yahoo Draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl, but no one can argue that they did so thanks to a strong regular-season offense. Throwing passes to 33-year-old Travis Kelce and rookie wide receiver Ruchy Rice, Mahomes recorded career lows in several categories, including touchdown rate (4.5%), yards per attempt (7.0) and NFL passer rating (92.6).
Now, he'll return in 2024 with even more offensive power.
The Chiefs' biggest need this offseason was a player who could stretch the field, someone to drop the defensive center of gravity while Rice handled the short game and Kelce handled the mid-range game. The Chiefs managed to acquire two players in Hollywood Brown and first-round draft rookie Xavier Worthy, both of whom have the speed, craftiness and ability to be big-play threats far beyond Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman. The addition of these players is expected to help Mahomes' rise in fantasy. Mahomes is poised to return to top-three performances after a down season.
