What to Look for on Every NFL Team as Fantasy Football 2024 Begins

Months of research and data analysis have largely been left to waste after just a few weeks of injuries and roster changes. As the dust settles before kickoff, there’s one fantasy tidbit I’m focusing on for every team as we approach the start of the 2024 regular season.

Arizona Cardinals — There’s a lot of attention paid to slots player Greg Dortch as a top pick-up option, and for good reason, but I’m mostly interested in Michael Wilson role in the wideout field. If he commands that spot with natural progression in his second year, it’s a case of him racking up over fifty late picks all summer.

Atlanta Falcons — If ifs and buts were nuts and bolts, we’d all have a great fantasy season. Left hanging long enough, it’s time for the Falcons to fulfill Bijan Robinson’s prophecy — but if they continue to divide up the work in the field, especially on high-value touches on the goal line, Tyler Allgeier may be the most desirable support in the game. Watch this usage carefully.

Baltimore Ravens — If Todd Monken’s high-flying offense that never was simply takes a year longer than expected, the draft boards are missing at least one viable fantasy asset. Most pundits automatically anoint Nelson Agholor for a spot in the rotation, but my deep shot is a fourth-round rookie Devontez Walker be that guy.

Buffalo Bills — Losing Stefon Diggs without a comparable replacement will only put more strain on Josh Allen’s shoulders. One place the Bills front office could look to relieve that pain is the goal line — something they’ve talked about in the past. Only 12 of James Cook’s 237 total carries last year came in scoring situations. If the fourth-round rookie Ray Davis plays the hammer all season, can score a dozen tries.

Carolina Panthers — In almost every other situation, a rookie WR from the first round of the draft would Xavier Legette size will never hold out past the 150th pick — when all else fails, draft capital is a great place to speculate.

Chicago Bears — I don’t recall a coaching staff ever praising a rookie’s ability to read the defense and add so much value to the air attack as they did against Chicago. Roschon JohnsonThe former Longhorn, who was not drafted, could become an immediate part of Chicago’s offensive passing package.

Cincinnati Bengals — The best ball brothers can speed up this part… they were way ahead of the curve on the Bengals WR Andrei Iosivaswho trained with Joe Burrow on the first team throughout the preseason. In a worst-case scenario, if things went completely wrong with Ja’Marr Chase, “Yoshi” could literally be a draft pick.

Cleveland Browns — Power Deshaun Watson play QB at the NFL level? That’s something that would have been nice to know before Week 1, so I’ll be looking out for that.

Dallas Cowboys — After hitting him with so many balls last year, I kept trying to manifest him Jalen Tolbert into a fantastic thing for the Cowboys offense all summer long. If Brandin Cooks ages overnight on the wrong side of 30, there’s a ton of untapped potential in the DAL passing attack.

Denver Broncos — On a team that desperately needs a point guard, go for explosiveness — and no player exemplifies that better than the backup RB Jaleel McLaughlin.

Detroit Lions — It’s too late to add exemptions but not to make an exchange offer Jameson Williams.

Green Bay Packers — For the record, I was too intimidated by the depth of talent in the WR room to pick the Packers at the price. That said, snap share should be at the top of every fantasy GM’s watch list. Jayden Reed played all 15 snaps in double-wide sets last year. Oh boy. Is he taking that role himself? Is that Christian Watson cost? And it is Dontayvion’s Wicks even possible to plan in standard formats (ducks)?

Houston Texans — Everyone assumed Joe Mixon would guarantee draftees the cowbell role in a high-scoring offense, but he hasn’t been the Texans’ best RB this preseason. That title belongs to Cam Akers, who you should go to, add this as second if possible.

Indianapolis Colts — As for my tight end streamers, most of them abandoned ship after Jelani Woods got injured — but I noticed Kylen Granson gets all the work in the starting lineup. He has produced limited samples and is an interesting dark horse for a top-10 TE.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Keep a close eye on Jacksonville’s 11-man roster and how they utilize their first-round rookies Brian Thomas Jr. within the scheme of things. It’s too early to call the fight, but I already prefer him over presumed starter Gabe Davis — put him in any way you can.

Kansas City Chiefs — I hate to put this on the table for Isiah Pacheco’s creators, but stay tuned Samaje Perine slowly eats away at his passing/two minute work. That falling number will be your first sell signal.

Las Vegas Raiders — Will be Zamir White play third downs at all this year? Despite being responsible for 80% of all Raiders RBs after being acquired in Week 15, White has played on less than 20% of third downs. If Vegas stinks, there’s an obvious path to a bad pick — if it matters, I won’t draft any Raiders.

Los Angeles Chargers — The Chargers’ wide receiver situation is rife with uncertainty, which also makes for great speculation (especially with a talented quarterback). Brandon Rice led the entire team in preseason snaps on the way to the team. Maybe nothing, could be a league winner… but for free, worth finding out.

Los Angeles Rams — Sean McVay’s fantasy consolidation leaves little room for speculation outside the Rams RB room. Known for using single-backs, the real divide between Kyren Williams AND Blake Corum can damage both.

Miami Dolphins — None of the Dolphins’ star wide receivers saw action, so select a sixth-round rookie Malik Washingtonafter an incredible season at Virginia — he could be the next to benefit from Mike McDaniel’s space schemes.

Minnesota Vikings — Power Sam Darnold reverse the ghost game narrative under new OC Kevin O’Connell? If so, not only should he be in the lineup everywhere, WR3 Jalen Nailor should also be placed on your watchlist.

New England Patriots — It’s very rare for a team’s top scoring player to be so uncertain over Labor Day weekend that he’ll be available with the 170th pick. The odds are favoring DeMario Douglas, but I’m going with a second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk move the pointer.

New Orleans Saints — New Orleans still has questions to answer with just one week left in the season — and it’s looking increasingly likely it’ll be a utility man Taysoma Hill faces a role that could destroy ADP.

New York Giants — Malik Nabers’ projected target share continues to rise with his ADP, but who else will control the outside targets from Daniel Jones? Early reports point to Darius Slayton, but my gut tells me to leave the light on Jalin Hyatt, 1967.

New York Jets — This must be Jets bias in real time, but I don’t understand why Tyler Conklin is not part of the TE1 conversation in a very heavy offense. Maybe a real QB will do the trick?

Philadelphia Eagles — I’m reaching for it, but a rookie in the sixth round Johnny Wilson made the Eagles’ final roster. Although the signing of Jahan Dotson hurt Wilson in Week 1, there’s a chance we’ll hear Wilson’s name called soon — he’s 6-foot-6, 231 pounds, and has a 98th percentile speed.

Pittsburgh Steelers — Why did I do this to myself again? I couldn’t help but identify it Pat Freiermuth as a potential target for a Steelers team that wasn’t able to acquire Brandon Aiyuk, and I found myself back in the hands of Arthur Smith making the decisions (deep sigh).

San Francisco 49ers — Injuries did Kyle Shanahan’s job for us when injuries sent Elijah Mitchell to IR to end his season. Considering Christian McCaffrey is already dealing with bumps and bruises, Jordan Mason provide standalone value from the start? Don’t wait to find out.

Seattle Seahawks — Could the camp reports that Kenneth Walker III is becoming a full-on Superman be true? If so, he’s the league winner we’ve all been looking for. But if the coaches are blowing smoke, Zach Charbonnet some of the most valuable relievers in the game — keep a close eye on how the Seahawks utilize their passing game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Mike Evans has dropped in total targets, receptions, yards and yards per catch in each of the last three years. If the age curve hits the wrong side of 31 at the wrong time, the third-round rookie Jalen McMillan could occupy prime fantasy real estate outside the Pick 250.

Tennessee Titans — With DeAndre Hopkins questionable for Week 1, there may be enough options available for more than one name. When all else fails, turn to the incredible size and talent and pray. Chigoziem Okonkwo enters his third year as a surprise player who can go from an undrafted TE to a top-five weekly player with the right route scheme.

Washington Commanders — As often as coaches and teams lie to our faces, it’s the roster moves and snaps that provide the sunshine disinfection. Washington moving WR Jahan Dotson to a division rival tells me they’ve been pretty happy with the rookie’s maturation Luke McCaffreygreat addition to the pre-week 1 spec, with FLEX potential for the truly desperate.

(Top Tyler Conklin photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)