NFL training camps have opened, and the heart of fantasy football draft season is just ahead. FantasyPros analysts Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice and Mike Maher begin a series of preseason roundtables by discussing the most compelling training camp battles, rookies with uncertain 2024 outlooks, play-callers in new places and more. Here is this week’s full fantasy football roundtable. Below we dive into a few notable fantasy football players and their outlook for 2024.
NFL training camps have opened, and the heart of fantasy football draft season is just ahead. FantasyPros analysts Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice and Mike Maher begin a series of preseason roundtables by discussing the most compelling training camp battles, rookies with uncertain 2024 outlooks, play-callers in new places and more. Here is this week’s full fantasy football roundtable. Below we dive into a few notable fantasy football players and their outlook for 2024.
Pat Fitzmaurice: I’ve never been especially smitten with Hollywood Brown, but if there’s a quarterback/coach combo that can coax a big season out of the speedy receiver, it’s Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid. Brown ran the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds at Oklahoma’s Pro Day in 2019. Reid is going to devise all sorts of evil schemes to leverage that speed.
The addition of Brown also bodes well for Mahomes, who slipped to QB12 in fantasy points per game last season, largely because he didn’t have a receiver who could reliably make plays downfield. Now Mahomes has at least one with Brown and maybe two if rookie Xavier Worthy pops right away.
Derek Brown: I have not been the most staunch supporter of Derrick Henry in the past, but I have changed my tune this year. The King has not fallen off at all in terms of efficiency after ranking ninth in explosive run rate and 11th in yards after contact last year, per Fantasy Points Data. Now, he’s in Baltimore in a run-first offense with a mobile quarterback who will open up running lanes.
The Ravens will ride King Henry all year, and it will be glorious. I will confidently draft him as an RB1 for my fantasy teams and pounce on him in any drafts where he slips a few picks past ADP.
Mike Maher: Call me crazy, but I’m intrigued by Aaron Jones in Minnesota in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense. I think he’ll fit the scheme well and I believe they’re going to feed him touches this year. The offense could take a step back without Kirk Cousins at QB, but I think they’ll be good enough to give Jones the volume and quality of touches we’re looking for.
This offense is going to be commanded by either Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy, so we’re probably going to see more running from the Vikings in 2024. And since Jones also has a three-down skill set, there’s little worry about him coming off the field in obvious passing situations. Jones’ ADP is currently outside the top 50. That feels like a value to me.
Andrew Erickson: Imagine Saquon Barkley running behind an offensive line that isn’t horrible. That’s what excites me about him with the Eagles in 2024 after Howie Roseman shelled out big money to get him in free agency.
