Ja’Marr Chase Dropped Out of Top 5, More AFC Predictions (Video)

AFC East

1. New York Jets 11-6

2. Buffalo Bills 10-7 (Wild Card)

3. Miami Dolphins 10-7

4. New England Patriots 4-13

Fantasy Prophecies

• Jets: Breece Hall wins Offensive Player of the Year and finishes the season as the No. 1 fantasy wideout, while Garrett Wilson scores double-digit touchdowns and is a top-three wideout… An improved offensive line and a strengthened defense help an aging Aaron Rodgers lead New York to the conference championship game.

• Bills: Josh Allen makes up for the lack of Stefon Diggs by running more, leading to another huge fantasy campaign and a top-three finish in MVP voting… James Cook loses touchdowns to Ray Davis (and Allen) but still finishes as a top-12 fantasy receiver… Keon Coleman disappoints, posting the fourth-most yards in Buffalo as the committee frustrates fantasy managers… Dalton Kincaid surpasses Travis Kelce as a top-three fantasy tight end… Bills have holes and a tough schedule but win a wild-card spot.

• Dolphins: De’Von Achane misses a few contests but finishes as a top-three fantasy player in points per game. He’s a universal top-10 fantasy draft pick in 2025. … Jaylen Wright is generating multiple peak weeks thanks to Raheem Mostert’s age. … Jaylen Waddle is closer to Tyreek Hill in fantasy points in 2024, while Jonnu Smith is a top-20 tight end. … Miami went 10-0 against teams that didn’t make the postseason last year, but just 1-5 against playoff teams. He’s just outside the playoffs in 2024 with another late-season slump.

• Patriots:Drake Maye finishes as a top-15 fantasy quarterback in points per game despite New England’s awful situation… Hunter Henry is the Patriots’ most valuable fantasy pass catcher, while Rhamondre Stevenson has been disappointing with one of the league’s worst offensive lines… New England enters every game as underdogs and has the league’s toughest schedule, so it’s in danger of winning the fewest games this year.

AFC North

1.Baltimore Ravens 10-7

2. Cincinnati Bengals 10-7 (Wild Card)

3. Cleveland Browns 9-8

4. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-9

Fantasy Prophecies

• Ravens: Derrick Henry is the 30-year-old NFL leader in rushing touchdowns, while Lamar Jackson has the potential to pass the ball more after winning MVP honors; Baltimore is right behind him in touchdowns. 38 pieces in the second halves of last season (excluding Week 18), when the Ravens’ dropback rate dropped from ninth-highest in the first half to lowest in the second (H/T LordReebs)… Baltimore is poised for regression and has lost many members of last year’s staff (including defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald), but the Ravens are repeating their success as division champions.

• Bengals: Joe Burrow continues to work harder underneath, not meeting his ADP with so many other dual-threat quarterbacks as competition… Chase Brown is outperforming Zack Moss, but that remains a frustrating committee for fantasy managers… Ja’Marr Chase isn’t one of the top five fantasy wideouts in 2024… Questions surround the Bengals as Burrow returns from major surgery and Chase holds out, but they’re still loaded with talent and are getting a roster spot that ultimately leads to a wild card spot.

• Brown: Deshaun Watson still looks like the player with the league’s worst contract, but David Njoku ends up as a top-five tight end in fantasy… Nick Chubb hasn’t been 100 percent in his return, leading to committee meetings and frustrated fantasy managers… Cleveland has a strong roster, but its quarterback has kept it from reaching the postseason.

• Steelers: George Pickens overcomes another tough quarterback situation to finish as a top-20 fantasy quarterback… Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren lose some of their draft stock to Cordarrelle Patterson, while Justin Fields finishes as a top-5 fantasy quarterback for multiple weeks… In a tough division, Mike Tomlin finally has a losing season.

AFC South

1. Houston Texans 11-6

2. Indianapolis Colts 9-8

3. Jacksonville Jaguars 8-9

4. Tennessee Titans 5-12

Fantasy Prophecies

• Texans: C.J. Stroud, who likely played with multiple concussions in his underrated rookie season, finishes second in MVP voting… Nico Collins is a top-10 fantasy WR, surpassing Puka Nacua, Drake London, Chris Olave, Davante Adams, Mike Evans and Jaylen Waddle (who are all higher in Yahoo’s drafts)… Tank Dell is scoring more fantasy points per game than Stefon Diggs, while Cam Akers is a deep sleeper in fantasy… Houston is a hyped team, but now it’s time for a star QB on a rookie deal. The Texans should also improve their health after leading the league in major player injuries according to FTN’s adjusted lost-game numbers. The coaching is a real question mark, but Houston is a real threat to win the Super Bowl in 2024.

• Foals: Anthony Richardson is an unstable quarterback but is playing wildly, scoring the most fantasy points per game among quarterbacks… Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in YPC and finishes second in rushing, while Michael Pittman has underperformed his ADP… The Colts have good coaching and an elite offensive line but are just shy of a wild-card spot.

• Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence will never be the Prince we were promised, but he is a top-15 fantasy quarterback despite OC Press Taylor… Travis Etienne is not a top-12 quarterback as Jacksonville follows through with its plan to offload him… Evan Engram is outscored by David Njoku in scoring, while Brian Thomas Jr. is the Jaguars’ best fantasy quarterback in the second half of the season.

• Titans: Tyjae Spears is scoring more points than Tony Pollard, and DeAndre Hopkins is scoring more than Calvin Ridley. … It’s still unclear how Will Levis will fit into new coach Brian Callahan’s offense, but the man with the scent will remain hyper-aggressive; Levis attempted as many long passes as Stroud did last season in just nine games as a rookie. … The Titans will miss Mike Vrabel, but they should be a fun fantasy team, as their offense will be a dramatic departure from last year’s 30th-place passer rating above expectations.

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs 12-5

2. Los Angeles Chargers 10-7 (wild card)

3. Las Vegas Raiders 6-11

4. Denver Broncos 5-12

Fantasy Prophecies

• Bosses: Patrick Mahomes throws for the most touchdowns and wins MVP honors, helping the Chiefs become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls… Isiah Pacheco has not lived up to his ADP, giving up touchdown passes to Samaje Perine and short touchdowns to Carson Steele… Travis Kelce is missing multiple games as he prepares for another postseason run… Xavier Worthy is a top-30 fantasy wideout (third among rookies), while Rashee Rice is a top-15 wideout.

• Chargers: Justin Herbert is throwing less under Jim Harbaugh, but he has the best YPA of his career… Kimani Vidal finally joins Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins on a Chargers defense that’s spreading fantasy points… Josh Palmer is a fantasy sleeper who surpasses rookie Ladd McConkey to finish as a top-30 wideout… Harbaugh and a favorable schedule help Los Angeles win the final wild-card spot.

• Invaders: Zamir White disappoints in fantasy, but Brock Bowers scores more points than Jake Ferguson… Jakobi Meyers provides a better ADP ROI than Davante Adams, who is a threat in the midseason… Maxx Crosby wins Defensive Player of the Year, but Raiders can’t overcome the league’s worst quarterback situation.

• Broncos: Bo Nix is ​​emerging as a bargain in Superflex drafts, while Courtland Sutton is far above his ADP… Jaleel McLaughlin and Greg Dulcich are surprise players, but Javonte Williams is Denver’s top fantasy target; Williams finishes as a top-20 fantasy running back thanks to Sean Payton… Broncos continue to rebuild in 2024.

NFC preview coming soon.