Boom-or-Bust Players: Daniel Jones, Tony Pollard, Javonte Williams (Fantasy Football)

Here are all of the players we have as entering make-or-break seasons in 2024 fantasy football. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football players entering make-or-break seasons.

2024 Fantasy Football Draft Advice

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average.

Daniel Jones (NYG)

Is it far-fetched to think that we might get a rebound from Daniel Jones in 2024 after his ugly, injury-shortened season in 2023? Optimists will note that Jones finished QB9 in fantasy points per game in 2022, fueled by 708 rushing yards and seven TD runs. They’ll also point out that with the Giants spending the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft on Malik Nabers, Jones will have a true No. 1 receiver for the first time in his professional career. The pessimists will note that in the six games Jones played last year before getting hurt, he posted a dismal passer rating of 70.5, with two TD passes and six interceptions. They’ll add that Daniels has averaged fewer than 7.0 yards per pass attempt in all five of his NFL seasons. The ceiling for Jones may be higher than some fantasy managers realize, but it’s entirely possible that Jones will stumble early in the season and be replaced by Drew Lock.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

Tony Pollard (TEN)

I’ll own the L here. Tony Pollard was a massive disappointment last year. He went from being one of the most explosive backs in the NFL to a rusher that left a ton of yards on the field. Pollard got the role that we all wanted last season, ranking seventh in snap share, 13th in opportunity share, and second in red zone touches. He was a volume-eating machine, ranking seventh in carries and 11th in targets among backs, but he did very little with the work. Pollard was the RB11 in expected fantasy points per game, but he was the RB23 in fantasy points per game. He was 44th in yards per touch and 37th in yards created per touch. Some of this could easily be due to the injury he sustained in the prior season because his numbers down the stretch were much better. In Weeks 11-18, among 44 qualifying backs, Pollard ranked 15th in yards after contact per attempt, so there’s hope that he bounces back in 2024 with a full offseason to get back to 100%. Tennessee isn’t the sexiest landing spot for Pollard, but considering the contract size and length and the team’s yearning to move quickly to acquire his services, he should be considered their lead back in 2024. Tyjae Spears will push him at every turn, but money talks and Pollard got it this offseason.
– Derek Brown

Javonte Williams (DEN)

Javonte Williams looked like a shelf of his former self in the first season. Yes, I know this was his first season coming off a devastating knee injury, but it still wasn’t pretty. Volume wasn’t the issue for the RB31 last season, as he rolled up 264 touches, but his efficiency numbers were scary. Among 49 qualifying backs last season, he ranked 41st in missed tackles forced per attempt and 33rd in yards after contact per attempt. Williams also was 55th in fantasy points per opportunity and 53rd in yards per touch. Could he bounce back in 2024 and look more like the eventual stud we saw in 2021 and 2022? Sure, it’s possible. Is it also possible that a back with a 40th percentile speed score and 72nd percentile burst score never regains his former juice? Yep. Williams looks entrenched as Denver’s early down guy, but don’t be surprised if Jaleel McLaughlin eats into his carries more this season and capsizes his pass-game usage. Williams is an RB2/3.
– Derek Brown

Fantasy Football Draft Rankings

Check out the consensus 2024 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.