Fantasy Football Breakouts to Keep or Trade in 2024
One of the best things about Fantasy Football, or indeed just football, is that any year COULD be your year unless, of course, you’re the Dallas Cowboys (just kidding, I think an appropriate amount of time has passed to allow for jokes). For Dynasty owners out there, victory can often be predicated on the ability to spot players with sustainable success. So with the fantasy season in the rearview, it’s time to begin scheming. Which Fantasy Football breakouts from 2023 are worth keeping around, and which are worth selling high before they inevitably go careening off the fantasy cliff?
Keep
Puka Nacua (WR)
Ok, this is a no-brainer. When it comes to breakout players, Nacua is the gold standard. You really can’t say much about the rookie phenom who set records for both receiving yards and receptions. I understand the scheme helps, but watch the tape, Nacua wasn’t catching wide-open balls. He was making tough contested catches and then breaking ankles in the open field to pick up yards after the catch. He was tied first for the most top-12 weekly PPR finishes. Tied you say? With whom? Oh, just Tyreek Hill, Ceedee Lamb, and Amon-Ra St Brown. Nacua has shown the ability to connect with Quarterback Mathew Stafford, who has quietly been playing lights out, providing Nacua with a target share of 26.4%, 7th highest in the league. You could be forgiven if you stopped reading this paragraph after “no-brainer”. Keeping Nacua is money in the bank.
Rashee Rice (WR)
The Kansas City Chiefs might just be the most irritating team for analysts in 2023. There’s an absurd amount of time spent breaking down the tape, analyzing the weak points, and putting together a clear and succinct argument for why their offense isn’t enough to make a deep playoff run. Then they hit the playoffs, turn the clock back, and head to the AFC Championship game. I bring this up to say Rashee Rice has been the bright spark, outside of the signal caller, for the entire year. Year two is looking great for this dynamic Receiver, especially if a certain Tight End takes a SWFT decline (see what I did there?).
Trey McBride (TE)
Sure Zach Ertz played his role in the Arizona Cardinals offense early on, but the NFL can be a cruel mistress. An injury to Ertz put McBride in the driver’s seat and suddenly with a 27% target share his potential was undeniable. Even the Cardinals agreed by releasing Zach Ertz once he was healthy. McBride finished as a top 12 Tight End in the majority of his games as the starter. In the 2024 season, with a good coach, a locked-in Quarterback, and two first-round draft picks – I suspect the Cardinals will take a leap, and along with them, so will McBride.
Trade
Keaton Mitchell (RB)
Maybe calling including Mitchell on a list of Fantasy Football breakouts is a stretch. But anyone who watched him play for the Ravens knows, the undrafted rookie looked like the real deal. With Gus Edwards heading to free agency next year a lot of people are in on Mitchell for 2024. But given the team has J.K Dobbins, Justice Hill, and Dalvin Cook, not to mention the ability to turn most Running Backs into stars behind a talented line and scheme – I’m less invested in a post-ACL tear Mitchell. This isn’t to say he couldn’t explode next year, but if you can find someone to buy high whilst Mitchell has the hype around him, I’d be taking that capital any day of the week. My bet is the Ravens will have a hot-hand approach to their lead back, which ends poorly for fantasy owners.
DJ Moore (WR)
Moore had a career year statistically on the field and in fantasy. He heads into 2024 as Justin Fields` favorite target and has shown unquestionable chemistry with the third-year Quarterback. But will Fields be the signal caller in 2024? Even if he is, Luke Getsy their Offensive coordinator is gone, so there’s a new scheme to deal with. The time to offload DJ Moore is right now, before the draft, before the rumors about the number one pick begin to crescendo. Get what you can before people look to the draft knicks for answers on Chicago’s franchise-altering decision.
Remember people, true competitors shine in the off-season. When the casuals head to whatever the fantasy version of Cancun is.
Main Photo: [Michael Chow] – USA Today Sports
