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USATSI

The 2024 NFL season is almost underway and you've most likely drafted your final Fantasy Football squad of 2024 so let's have some fun. I gathered the Fantasy Football Today team to find out their boldest Fantasy predictions of 2024. You didn't come here for preamble so let's get right to them!

Heath Cummings

1. James Cook will finish top four amongst all running backs in touches, catches, and PPR Fantasy points.

Cook averaged 20 touches per game in nine games with Joe Brady calling plays last year, and that was with another 10 touches going to the backup running backs. I expect Cook's role in the passing game to increase due to the Bills lack of talent at the wide receiver position. I also expect him to set a career-high in touchdowns this season. 

2. Trey McBride will lead all tight ends in targets, catches, and PPR Fantasy points.

Yes, I'm aware Marvin Harrison Jr. is on the team. I actually think that will help him when it comes to turning targets into Fantasy points and I don't see any reason that Harrison and McBride can't hog up to 50% of the team's targets. 

3. Rashee Rice will break the record for most receptions by a Chief, and finish as a top-12 wide receiver

In the 11 games including the playoffs following the Chiefs bye last year, Rice was on pace for 112 targets. Tyreek Hill is the current record-holder at 111. Rice has been the clear number one option for Mahomes in the preseason, and I expect that to continue throughout 2024. My biggest concern here is that the Chiefs don't play Rice in Week 18 due to having clinched the 1 seed. That won't hurt you in Fantasy though.

Jamey Eisenberg

1. Jayden Daniels will become the fourth quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards.

Lamar Jackson twice (2019 and 2020), Justin Fields (2022) and Michael Vick (2006) are the only three quarterbacks to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Daniels, who ran for 1,134 yards in 12 games last year for LSU, will do it in his rookie campaign.

2. Marvin Harrison Jr. will have the most receiving yards in a season for a rookie.

You don't have to go back far in the record books for this one since Puka Nacua set the mark as a rookie last year with 1,486. Harrison will be the first rookie receiver ever with 1,500 yards.

3. No receiver age 31 or older -- Cooper Kupp (31), Davante Adams (31), Mike Evans (31), Keenan Allen (32) and DeAndre Hopkins (32) -- will finish in the top 20.

Since 2014, there have been 63 wide receivers aged 31 or older to start at least 10 games in a season. Only eight of them have finished in the top 12 in PPR, only 15 have finished in the top 25 and 29 of the 63 didn't finish in the top 40. Father Time, as always, is undefeated.

Adam Aizer

Christian Watson is a Top 15 WR.

The Packers have a deep group of WRs, but Watson feels like the only one who could flirt with being a #1 Fantasy WR. Watson was a Top 12 WR in the second half of his 2022 rookie year, and he had two huge Fantasy games in Weeks 12 and 13 of 2023 before an injury derailed his season. He has shown greatness in spurts. This will be the year he stays healthy and puts it together for a full season.

George Pickens is a Top 10 WR.

Currently not a Top 24 WR in average draft position, Pickens is going to be a steal. His combination of air yards and YAC will make him one of the most efficient WRs (like Nico Collins in 2023). I know the Brandon Aiyuk rumors persist, but that's the only thing that will hold Pickens back from having a huge season.

Derrick Henry will be one of the biggest busts in Fantasy.

A Round 2 ADP for a 30 year old RB who has never recorded more than 33 catches in a season? I'm out! I'd take Henry in Round 2 only in non-PPR. People expect him to be among the NFL leaders in rushing TDs, but that is his only way of avoiding being a bust. If Henry doesn't score double digit TDs, you're going to be disappointed.

Jacob Gibbs

2024 is the year of the TE position.

The percentage of league-wide targets that go to the TE position has increased over time, and we now have multiple offenses featuring the position. The NFL just instituted the hip drop tackle rule change, putting defensive backs at a major disadvantage against tight ends. Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta, Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Dalton Kincaid, and Kyle Pitts all finish with 200+ PPR points and multiple post 250+.

Ray Davis scores more PPR points than James Cook.

Davis has a complete skill set and is handpicked and ready to contribute to Joe Brady's run-heavy scheme.

Xavier Worthy scores more than Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers.

Deep passing is back on the menu and Patrick Mahomes throws for 50+ touchdowns. We have already seen Worthy adapt to a higher level of competition, scoring 12 TDs as a true freshman at Texas.

Dave Richard

Joe Burrow will be the MVP of Fantasy.

The Bengals refused to trade wideout Tee Higgins, drafted receiver Jermaine Burton, signed tight end Mike Gesicki, drafted tight end Erick All, added gigantic veteran tackle Trent Brown, drafted gigantic rookie tackle Amarius Mims with a first-round pick, and replaced Joe Mixon with Zack Moss. Clearly, the Bengals are hyper-focused on keeping the offense flowing through Burrow. Last season, Burrow averaged 38.7 pass attempts per game in his first nine outings, a number that not only was surprising given the preseason injury he suffered but also a number higher than any other quarterback averaged in 2023 except for Joe Flacco and Kirk Cousins. Burrow also averaged 26.2 Fantasy points per game in five matchups when he said he felt good -- that number is 0.1 points off of what he averaged for all of 2022 when he was healthy. He'll have the best pass protection he's ever had with the most explosive receiving corps he's ever had without a run game that will siphon big numbers away. All he has to do is stay healthy and he'll be the MVP.

Derrick Henry will bounce back to a top-5 Fantasy RB.

Last season was Henry's first in five years not finishing as a top-5 Fantasy running back in PPR points per game (that includes the 23.6 he averaged in 2021 when he played eight games). He was game-script dependent on a bad Titans offense with a brutal offensive line. Now he'll work alongside Lamar Jackson in the Ravens' backfield, where he should especially benefit working out of shotgun where he can get a step before facing contact. He averaged 4.9 yards per rush running out of shotgun last year and 5.2 the season before, but the Titans didn't use it enough. The Ravens have been top six in RB rush attempts out of shotgun every year since Jackson took over and averaged over 5.0 yards per rush in all but one of them. Age-30? So what?! Henry should pulverize defenses and romp for 10-plus touchdowns.  

Kyle Pitts just doesn't have it.

We can keep coming up with excuses for why Pitts hasn't had a breakout season yet, or we can just accept him for what he is: an oversized wide receiver whose speed isn't the same as it once was and whose role is diminishing. There's no doubt that the Falcons offense will operate better with Kirk Cousins under center, but the hunch is that Drake London and Bijan Robinson will get their numbers called more than Pitts. Downfield shots once reserved for Pitts will be absorbed by Darnell Mooney, and even a handful of the short-range passes that Pitts would benefit from will be grabbed by Rondale Moore. If there's a path for Pitts to be great for Fantasy, it's via touchdowns. He's scored six through three seasons. I feel like I need to see it from Pitts before committing a top-80 pick to him on Draft Day.