2024 NFL Free Agents: Gabe Davis, Darnell Mooney, Curtis Samuel, Odell Beckham Jr. (2024)

After hitting on QBs and RBs already, let’s shift our focus to wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Free Agency Primer for Fantasy Football. Just as with the other positions, free agency significantly impacts team dynamics and shapes the landscape for Super Bowl contenders. Free agency also plays a critical role in how teams approach the 2024 NFL Draft. Here are all of the top 2024 NFL Free Agent Wide Receivers. Below we dive into a few notable names.

2024 NFL Wide Receiver Free Agency Primer

Gabe Davis

Gabriel Davis did not play in the final two games of the Bills’ season. The 2024 free agent will hit the open market in a relatively weak WR free agent class, which will likely create the demand for the extremely boom-or-bust WR. He finished the season as the WR40 in total points, averaging 8.2 points per game as the WR50. Davis posted 5 games with 20-plus fantasy points in 2023 to go along with 7 TDs and 1,200 air yards (30th), but he also went completely catch less in four of his last 8 games played. Even if he goes to a new team where he can improve on his 2023 15% target share (85th), Davis’ body of work as a boom-or-bust player will be hard to knock. One could argue that with a step back in potential QB play, his spiked weeks might also not be nearly as big, even if he is slightly more consistent on a week-to-week basis.

The Giants are a logical landing spot -given their need for WR and his relationship with former Bills coaches there – as is Cleveland. Ken Dorsey is the new OC for the Browns and oversaw Davis’ entire career in Buffalo.

The Jaguars might be the most logical landing spot if they don’t retain Calvin Ridley. Their WR coach, Chad Hall, was with Buffalo as their WRs coach during Davis’ first three seasons in the NFL.

Darnell Mooney

Mooney is coming off a horrible and injury-plagued season, but I can’t help but think he is going to be a STEAL in a very bad WR free agent class on a new team. The Bears drafted Tyler Scott in the 2023 draft to be Mooney’s replacement in 2024. Mooney finished the season 10th in yards after the catch per reception (6.0) despite entering the year coming off a late November broken ankle injury.

Don’t rule out Mooney landing in KC as a potential destination.

Matt Nagy was head coach of the Bears from 2018-2021. He coached Mooney during his stint with Chicago in Mooney’s first two seasons after drafting him in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Mooney shined his brightest from 2021-2022 in the NFL with a 27% target share. He has shown the ability to command targets at a high level, and the 26-year-old can surely make some noise should he land on a relatively weak WR depth chart.

I say that because the Titans could be another prime spot for Mooney to land after they hired former Bears WR coach Tyke Tolbert as their new WR coach for 2024 under new head coach Brian Callahan.

Curtis Samuel

Curtis Samuel finished the 2023 season as the WR44 overall, averaging 7.9 fantasy points per game as the WR52 in points per game (7.9). Par for the course when it comes to Samuel, who always seems to string together consecutive weeks of production before seeing his numbers drop off because of injury.

His receiving numbers were nearly identical to his 2020 campaign, albeit he was more efficient as the Commanders’ primary slot WR. Unfortunately, he was barely used as a rusher, with only seven carries compared to 38 in 2022. Entering his age 28 season, Samuel has never finished higher than WR25 at any point during his career, regulating him to WR4 fantasy status regardless of any new landing spot. He will have his fair share of productive weeks but nothing to move the needle as a fantasy game-changer.

Potential landing spots for Samuel include Las Vegas (reunite with Scott Turner), Buffalo (reunite with Joe Brady), Cleveland (reunite with Ken Dorsey) and Detroit (reunite with Jim Hostler, a former Panthers WR coach and senior offensive assistant for the Commanders).

I think the Lions’ landing spot makes a lot of sense, given the lack of reliable WR depth the team has behind Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The Bears and Dolphins also make some sense as well.

Odell Beckham Jr.

The Cowboys, Bills and Jets were heavily rumored to have Odell Beckham Jr. on their radar last season before he ultimately signed a deal with the Ravens.

Based on how each of the team’s WR rooms played out behind their respective alphas, makes sense they would be in the market to add another dynamic pass-catcher.

Beckham just turned 31 years old and did not live up to his contract expectations as a Raven in 2023. WR63 overall, averaging 6.4 fantasy points per game (WR67).

However, he still had his moments averaging 1.8 yards per route run – identical to his averages during his time spent in Cleveland from 2019-2020.

Top-30 WR in PFF receiving grade with a top-3 ADOT among WRs as a primary deep threat in the Ravens’ offense.

And once OBJ got his sea legs under him – after Week 8 – he started to show out more and more. 18th in yards per route run (2.3). He’s not completely washed and still can provide some fantasy juice in a favorable offensive environment.