The 2023 fantasy football season is over, which means one thing: it’s time to start prepping for 2024. Sure, you may be inclined to partake in a bit of responsible sports betting (head on over to BettingPros if you do), or play fantasy baseball, or look ahead to the NFL Draft. But let’s be honest with each other. The end of the fantasy football season is the time to celebrate your wins, lick your wounds from your losses, and take a look at what went right, what went wrong, and how you can get back to dominating again next season.
We asked several experts to name a player who disappointed in 2023 but deserves a second chance in 2024. Here are their responses.
- 2024 NFL Mock Drafts
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
- 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Profiles
Players Who Deserve A Second Chance in 2024
Q. Which player deserves a second chance in 2024 despite a disappointing 2023?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA )
“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is someone you should be targeting in your drafts next year. JSN had his off-season derailed by a wrist injury that forced him to miss time. He came back early, but had a slow start to the season, did not see more than 59% of snaps until Week 6 following the bye week. He finished the season 21st in yards after the catch on 93 targets. We saw his air yards, snaps, and targets go up following the bye week. This team is getting younger, Tyler Lockett is getting older. Look for JSN to earn more targets in 2024 and by a great value in your fantasy drafts.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
Calvin Ridley (WR – FA )
“In addition to a number of touchdowns that were just out of reach for Calvin Ridley in 2023, Matt Harmon’s new Reception Perception chart just dropped on him. And it was glorious. Every route on the Success per Route chart was green, proving Ridley still has the same ability at all levels. Last year’s PPR WR17 will likely find a new home and a better rapport with his new QB. Buy in at a newly reduced price.”
– Jeremy Shulman (The League Winners)
Aaron Jones (RB – GB )
“Aaron Jones still belongs as an RB2 despite his injuries last year. The last 4 weeks of the year, he averaged ~115 yards per game. AJ Dillon will be removed from the offense, and the contract indicates that Jones is going nowhere this off-season. In terms of career carries, Jones is in between David Montgomery and Saquon Barkley so he does not have much usage so far.”
– Justin Weigal (FantasySharks)
“Despite an injury-riddled 2023 season, Aaron Jones still has the juice. It’s not often you can say that about a 29-year-old running back, but then again, it’s not often aging backs string together 5 straight 100-yard rushing games (no other back had more than 3 straight 100-yard weeks). As this team gained momentum down the stretch, Jones was the engine behind this offense. Over the final 3 weeks of the regular season and 2 playoff games, Jones averaged 20.4 attempts and 117 rushing yards per game. After Jones propelled the Packers’ late-season success and A.J. Dillon set to hit free agency, Jones should command the goalline, passing, and early down work next season. The Packers will probably add a day 3 back in the draft, unnecessarily suppressing his value and making him a massive value and bounce-back candidate.”
– Ellis Johnson (RotoBaller)
Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE )
“There is nowhere for the New England Patriots offense to go but up from here, meaning Rhamondre Stevenson deserves another chance in 2024. While his production regressed from his breakout 2022 season to last year, the star running back was playing well before suffering a season-ending injury. Over his final six healthy contests, he averaged five yards per rushing attempt and 141 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. While many will fade him after regressing last season, Stevenson could become my favorite running back to draft in 2024, depending on his ADP.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“I’m willing to give Rhamondre Stevenson a pass and invest again in 2024. Stevenson’s overall numbers stunk, but if we look further into how his season played out, there’s hope for next season. In Weeks 1-8, among 39 qualifying backs (minimum 50 rushing attempts per Fantasy Points Data), he ranked 33rd in missed tackles forced per attempt and 38th in yards after contact per attempt. In Weeks 9-13 (Stevenson missed the remainder of the season due to a high ankle sprain), he looked like the stud that we thought we were getting for the entire season. In that four-game stretch (minimum 25 carries), among 48 qualifying backs, he ranked 13th in missed tackles forced per attempt and third in yards after contact per attempt. With only Kevin Harris, JaMycal Hasty, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn on the roster, Stevenson should be the leader of this running back room with bell-cow upside. Call me crazy, but Stevenson SZN is here again.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Javonte Williams (RB – DEN )
“It’s time to give Javonte Williams a second chance. The hype surrounding Williams going into last season was as high as it had been since his rookie season. Williams was finally expected to be healthy, and his time had arrived with Melvin Gordon gone. He finished as RB29 but was considered a bust as managers expected far better. As the Broncos move away from Russell Wilson as their quarterback, they will likely have a rookie quarterback under center in 2024. A rookie quarterback will likely lead to a heavy workload for Williams with many check-downs. Buy-low on Williams before his stock skyrockets.”
– Aaron St Denis (The League Winners)
Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL ) & Jameson Williams (WR – DET )
“The low-hanging fruit answer is Kyle Pitts, but since that might be a popular answer here, I’m going to throw in a Ringo longshot special: Jameson Williams. The rumor as of today (3/05) is that Kirk Cousins is close to signing with the Falcons. If that materializes, the combination of Captain Kirk and a new coaching staff, with an up-tempo offense, could help Pitts reach his massive potential. As for Williams, NFL Senior Writer Nick Baumgardner (who is based in Michigan) reports that, “Something I heard this week more than a few times: Detroit believes Jameson Williams is going to be a dude next year. And uh, to be clear: That’s the first time I’ve heard that type of firm optimism about Williams from Lions people in honest moments since he got there.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
“It’s more of a third chance than a second chance, but Kyle Pitts is on the verge of the breakout we’ve been waiting for since his 1,000-yard rookie season in 2021. Oh, stop groaning. Pitts has been an undeniable disappointment the last two seasons, but he’s been thwarted by lousy quarterbacking, the curious playcalling of Arthur Smith, and a knee injury that ended his 2022 season prematurely and might not have been fully healed in 2023. With his extraordinary combination of size, speed and ball skills, Pitts is still capable of becoming one of the NFL’s top pass-catching TEs. The Falcons are destined to upgrade the QB position, either with a veteran such as Kirk Cousins or a top rookie. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson figures to be more intent on featuring his most talented playmakers than Smith was. And Pitts should be completely healthy in 2024 after tearing his MCL in November 2022 and also sustaining a previously unreported PCL injury. Your patience might be in short supply with a player who’s burned you, but Pitts is going to reward those who stand by him.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Tony Pollard (RB – FA )
“I’d leave the light on for a Tony Pollard rebound in 2024. He will be turning 27 years old and won’t be rehabbing a broken leg as he did last year at this time. Pollard said he started to feel ‘back to normal’ during the Carolina Panthers game (Week 11). PFF’s highest-graded rusher from Week 11 onward…Tony Pollard. Whether it’s in Dallas (they have been reported to want to bring him back) or somewhere else, I am going to chase the positive TD regression. Pollard finished second in the NFL in red-zone touches (71). He scored 5 red-zone TDs.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
2024 NFL Mock Drafts
Here are a few early predictions for the 2024 NFL Draft. We’ll continue to add our 2024 NFL Mock Drafts leading up to the start of Round 1.
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Matthew Jones (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Russell Brown (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: PJ Moran (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Andrew Erickson (1.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft With Trades: Mike Fanelli (1.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft With Trades: Marco Enriquez (1.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft With Trades: Dennis Sosic
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Two-Round Writer Collaborative
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
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