Fantasy Football: Catch up on the biggest 2024 NFL offseason signings, news and injury updates
The 2024 NFL offseason was an absolutely wild ride. In case you weren't following along, we're here to catch you up on the biggest headlines affecting your fantasy football rosters ahead of drafts. Here are the eight biggest fantasy storylines you may have missed.
Kirk Cousins heads to Atlanta
You like that?! Falcons fans should. After living in quarterback purgatory since QB Matt Ryan's exit and then retirement, Atlanta finally has a face of the franchise. One could argue that after using the No. 8 overall pick to select Washington prospect Michael Penix, they now have two. But enough of that. We're here to talk about 2024.
After tearing his Achilles in Week 8, Cousins has been officially medically cleared from the injury, though he'll see some modifications to his reps throughout camp, HC Raheem Morris notes. However, given that he's a pure pocket passer who doesn't rely much on his legs to get the job done, it's a little easier to buy into the idea that he could return to form sooner rather than later.
As a whole, the Falcons had a league-low 8.6% plus/accurate throw rate in 2023 while also ranking top six in uncatchable/inaccurate throw rate (22.5%) per PFF. There's no doubt that Cousins' presence is a massive upgrade in terms of upside for both WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts heading into 2024.
Several top RBs found a new home
The 2024 free-agent running back class was abnormally rich, and surprisingly, not one of the top available assets opted to re-sign with his current team:
Saquon Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Derrick Henry signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens.
D'Andre Swift signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Chicago Bears.
Tony Pollard signed a three-year, $21.75 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.
Austin Ekeler signed a two-year contract worth up to $11.4 million with the Washington Commanders.
Zack Moss signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
On top of the free-agent market movement, there was also the trade of workhorse RB Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Houston Texans.
— My favorite of the bunch for 2024: Derrick Henry. Even with some losses on Baltimore's offensive line this offseason, working alongside QB Lamar Jackson should make up for that in a big way. Even if Jackson does snipe some rushing work from Henry, this is still a top-six offense with a smart coaching staff that I have faith will use Henry effectively in his age-30 season.
— My red flag: Austin Ekeler. Incredibly, he's the only one of these running backs being drafted outside the top 30 at the position. Ekeler now finds himself sharing a backfield with third-year RB Brian Robinson and projects for a decrease in volume (which appears was his wish in FA). Though he's the team's top receiving option at RB, I do have concerns about how much volume that will actually amount to when all is said and done with Jayden Daniels at QB. Given Daniels' rushing upside, he projects to run the ball himself rather than utilize his check-down option, which would likely mean that Ekeler does not offer a great return on fantasy investment in 2024.
Buffalo Bills trade Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans
There have been rumblings of Stefon Diggs' discontent in Buffalo dating back to the 2023 offseason. This year, they opted to rid themselves of that rumored headache, taking on a whopping $31 million in dead cap to ship him off to the Houston Texans. That move muddied the waters in a big way for both of these offenses.
— Which Texans receiver I'm drafting: Nico Collins. He's the most costly of the Texans wideouts with an early ADP of WR17, but given his performance last year, I think it's warranted, even in a crowded receiving corps. Collins was the overall WR9 last year, ranking top-five at the position in fantasy points per route run (0.65), fantasy points per target (2.39) and yards after the catch per reception (7.1). Heck, he and Tyreek Hill were the only receivers in the league to average over 3.0 yards per route run. The man is #goodatfootball, and he's more than earned his target share in 2024.
— My favorite Bills sleeper at WR: Khalil Shakir. There's a massive bit of hype for new FA signing Curtis Samuel, but I keep coming back to Shakir's performance down the stretch last season. As we saw the role of Stefon Diggs diminish in the second half of the season, Shakir's role expanded, culminating in a season-high eight targets from Josh Allen in the divisional round against the Chiefs.
In order to reach his full fantasy potential, he'll need to see an increase in his average depth of target (7.4 yard aDOT in 2023). All things considered, however, Shakir seemed to earn the trust of Allen down the stretch which could prove beneficial to his fantasy value in a year of turnover for the Bills at WR.
From Kenny Pickett to Russell Wilson (or maybe Justin Fields?)
The Pittsburgh Steelers, widely regarded as a fairly conservative organization, flipped that narrative on its head this offseason. The team brought in Arthur Smith as its new offensive coordinator, signed FA Russell Wilson, traded Kenny Pickett and acquired Justin Fields via trade — all in the span of 44 days.
Though there are some questions about whether or not Wilson is "washed" and whether or not Fields is actually a good quarterback beyond his prospects for fantasy, the fact is that both of them were more productive passers than the Steelers have seen since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.
— Which Steelers QB I'm drafting: Though fan narratives have pushed the idea of a Fields takeover at some point in the season, I still think it'd be a surprise barring injury considering his propensity for turnovers. Fields has tremendous upside as a rusher, and it wouldn't be surprising if the team had some specific Taysom-Hill-esque packages lined up for him, but overall, Wilson's presence as the starter feels pretty secure. If you're punting QB (or streaming), Wilson is an intriguing option, with an ADP as the 28th QB off the board in early Yahoo drafts.
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Several QBs return healthy in 2024
There were a number of starting quarterbacks who suffered season-ending injuries in 2024, including the aforementioned Kirk Cousins. Here's a look at the latest injury updates available heading into NFL training camp sessions:
Anthony Richardson (Colts, shoulder) — Colts GM Chris Ballard notes they expect no limitations to Richardson's workload in training camp.
Joe Burrow (Bengals, wrist) — Fully cleared for training camp.
Kirk Cousins (Falcons, Achilles) — Fully cleared for training camp, though HC Raheem Morris says team intends to modify his reps, Falcons staff writer Will McFadden reports.
Aaron Rodgers (Jets, Achilles) — Had "no restrictions" during OTAs.
Deshaun Watson (Browns, shoulder) — Fully cleared for training camp.
Daniel Jones (Giants, ACL) — Fully cleared for training camp.
The Chicago Bears get ... good? Maybe?
The Bears made a concerted effort this offseason to ensure their offense looked absolutely nothing like their 2023 unit — a group that ranked bottom 10 in yards (4.7) and EPA per play (-0.07) just last season. WR DJ Moore was just about the only holdover from last year's crew, the team having 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 inside the top 10, selecting top QB prospect Caleb Williams at No. 1 and a top receiver in Rome Odunze at No. 9.
It's an ideal circumstance for Williams, who arguably steps in with the best WR trio in the league, and for Swift, who can take advantage of what projects to be an increase in scoring opportunities. How the targets will be doled out between these three talented wide receivers, however, remains to be seen. The distribution of targets and word regarding chemistry between Williams and his wideouts will be a storyline I'm watching closely through training camp.
The 2024 rookie WR class is absolutely stacked
... Speaking of Rome Odunze! We've got to talk about this totally loaded WR class that emerged in the 2024 NFL Draft, as several of these wideouts could make an impact in Year 1. A whopping seven receivers were drafted in Round 1 (including three in the first 10 picks), with another three selected in the first five picks of the second round. It was a group front-loaded with talent.
Budding superstars Marvin Harrison Jr. (selected No. 4 overall by the Cardinals) and Malik Nabers (selected No. 6 by the Giants) immediately project to be top targets in their respective offenses, which is reflected in their early ADPs of WR9 and WR28. One sneaky candidate to see 120+ targets in 2024 is LA Chargers WR Ladd McConkey, who figures to lead the team in targets after the offseason departures of Allen, Mike Williams, Ekeler and Gerald Everett. McConkey has an ADP of WR49 in early Yahoo drafts.
Chiefs finally get some help for Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs managed to win the Super Bowl, but there isn't anyone who would argue they got there due to their firepower on offense during the regular season. Throwing to a 33-year-old Travis Kelce, rookie wideout Rashee Rice and not much else, Mahomes posted career lows in several categories, including touchdown rate (4.5%), yards per attempt (7.0) and NFL passer rating (92.6).
Now, he returns in 2024 with a bit more fuel in the offensive arsenal.
One of the Chiefs' biggest needs this offseason was a field-stretcher — someone to take the top off defenses while Rice works the short game and Kelce the intermediate. They somehow walked away with two of them in Hollywood Brown and first-round rookie Xavier Worthy. Each of them bring an element of speed, finesse and big-play threat ability that far surpasses the likes of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman. Expect these additions to be huge for Mahomes' upside for fantasy; he'll be ready to make his way back into top-three production after a down season.