2024 Fantasy Football Sleepers

Brian Thomas has loads of potential, but is very raw. I initially thought that would mean he’d have a low-producing rookie season followed by a big sophomore campaign, but I was reminded that I felt similarly about D.K. Metcalf. Thomas could thrive immediately as a rookie with Trevor Lawrence, so I’m interested in him in the 10th round.

There’s some danger with Chuba Hubbard because Jonathon Brooks could emerge as the starter at some point. However, Brooks is coming off a torn ACL, and this situation reminds me of what the Lions had last year. Everyone assumed Jahmyr Gibbs would be the starter, but David Montgomery ended up having a great year. Hubbard, who has enjoyed a great training camp, is not going away, and he’ll be running behind a much-improved offensive line.

Ray Davis is a James Cook injury away from being a starting running back in one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. He should get some of the workload even when Cook is healthy, given that Cook has had fumbling issues in training camp. At the very least, Davis is the favorite to get the goal-line work.

Jordan Mason has been named the No. 2 running back. He played with the rest of the starters in the preseason finale and looked terrific. Christian McCaffrey has a lot of wear and tear on his body, and he’s currently dealing with a calf injury. It’s likely that Jordan Mason will draw some starts this year, which makes him very appealing in the final rounds.

Braelon Allen easily won the RB2 job with the Jets despite being a rookie. I love Breece Hall this season, but if he suffers another injury, the bulk of the carries will go to Allen.

Chase Brown was given some opportunities late in his rookie season last year, and he thrived when given the ball. Now, Joe Mixon is gone. The Bengals signed Zack Moss, but there’s no guarantee that Moss will be given the workload over Brown. In fact, Brown has gotten first-team reps in training camp.

Antonio Pierce has praised Jakobi Meyers throughout training camp, but this is more than that. There’s a very real chance that Davante Adams is traded at some point, so Meyers could be the No. 1 receiver for the Raiders this year.

Roschon Johnson won’t do anything of note early in the season, but that will change once D’Andre Swift inevitably suffers an injury. There’s a chance Khalil Herbert will be traded, so Johnson could have a decent role down the stretch in 2024.

This ADP has to be a mistake. How in the world is Justin Herbert’s No. 1 receiver going in the 12th round? Palmer played eight games last year after Mike Williams got hurt, and he eclipsed 60 receiving yards in five of them. Now, Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler are gone, too, so all of those targets have to go somewhere. Palmer could be in for a big year.

Jaylen Wright is third on the depth chart, but that won’t last for long. De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert are both very brittle, so Jaylen Wright could see decent action this year. The Dolphins traded a third-round pick next year to obtain Wright, so they obviously think highly of him.

Will Shipley has impressed in training camp and the preseason. Obviously, Saquon Barkley stands in his way, but Barkley hasn’t possessed the best durability throughout his career. If Barkley gets hurt, Shipley is the favorite to handle the first- and second-down workload, whereas Kenneth Gainwell would probably do the most on third down.

Tank Bigsby struggled as a rookie, but he has looked like a new man this summer. Travis Etienne isn’t overly impressive, so Bigsby could steal some touches. And if Etienne were to ever go down with an injury, Bigsby would be in for a huge role.

Bucky Irving has enjoyed a terrific preseason. He’s a valuable backup to stash because if Rachaad White were to suffer an injury, Irving could potentially win you your league.

Kimani Vidal is down on the depth chart, but that could just be because he’s a rookie. He looked good in the Chargers’ second preseason game, and he doesn’t have much competition ahead of him. Gus Edwards is as pedestrian as they come, while J.K. Dobbins is coming off an Achilles tear. It’s worth noting that Vidal was kept out of the final preseason game with the rest of the starters.

Khalil Shakir had two 100-yard performances last year, and that was with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis on the team. Sure, the Bills signed Curtis Samuel and then drafted Keon Coleman, but what if Coleman is a bust? Josh Allen will have to lean heavily on Shakir, especially with Samuel currently injured. It’s worth noting that Shakir has been enjoying a strong training camp. That’s not the best indicator of future success, but it’s better than the alternative.

Darnell Mooney had a solid season a few years ago, but hasn’t done much since. It should be noted that he has played with some poor passing quarterbacks. If Kirk Cousins is healthy, that’ll be a huge upgrade for Mooney, who was paid a lot of money this offseason.

Greg Dortch reminds me of Adam Thielen in Thielen’s early days, where Thielen was considered a backup who worked so hard that he broke into the starting lineup. Dortch used to be an afterthought, but now he’s potentially the second receiver on Arizona.