Fantasy Football New Year’s Resolutions (2024)

The 2024 fantasy football season is over. Unless your league foolishly plays in Week 18, it’s time to look forward to next year. For redraft players, there isn’t much to do until training camp. However, dynasty players have already dove into the upcoming offseason, starting with free agency and the NFL Draft.

This year has had several surprise fantasy performances. Unfortunately, we also saw many star players struggle with injuries. However, learning from what happened this year is critical to improving as a fantasy player.

Every year, people make New Year’s resolutions. So, here are six fantasy football resolutions.

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Fantasy Football New Year’s Resolutions

Pocket Passers are Back in Style

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have been the top two scoring fantasy quarterbacks for most of the season. Therefore, it’s no surprise they are fighting for the NFL MVP award. Both quarterbacks are elite passers and dangerous threats with their legs. While fantasy players have been taught to draft dual-threat quarterbacks, pocket passers are making a comeback in the fantasy football world. Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff and Sam Darnold have been top-10 quarterbacks this year.

The four pocket passers have been outstanding this season, averaging 18.4 or more fantasy points per game entering Week 17. Yet, Burrow was the only one drafted as a QB1 this year. Goff was a QB2, while Mayfield and Darnold went undrafted in most non-superflex leagues. Furthermore, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love and Brock Purdy have played well when healthy this season. Don’t be afraid to wait on a quarterback in 2025 and select a pocket passer with limited rushing upside.

Drafting Older Running Backs is the New Trend

Fantasy football experts who were against drafting Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry as top-eight running backs used their age as an argument. However, the two superstars have been far and away the top running backs in fantasy football this year. Barkley is on pace to potentially break Eric Dickerson’s rushing record. Meanwhile, Henry has the second-highest rushing total of his career. More importantly, both superstars have been outstanding despite their quarterbacks having massive roles in the run game.

Furthermore, Barkley and Henry aren’t the only two older running backs with outstanding fantasy seasons. Joe Mixon and Alvin Kamara have averaged over 16.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per game this year. Meanwhile, James Conner was the RB10 over the first 16 weeks, averaging 14.4 fantasy points per game. While the upcoming NFL Draft class has several appealing running back prospects, don’t forget about the old guys when drafting your fantasy teams in 2025.

NFL Coaches Are Awful Liars

No one likes a liar. While lying isn’t illegal, it’s frowned upon, especially by fantasy players. There have been multiple head coaches full of (you know what) this year. Kyle Shanahan told everyone Christian McCaffrey was healthy heading into the season. Yet, the superstar didn’t play in Week 1, with fantasy players finding out 90 minutes before kickoff. Furthermore, McCaffrey started the year on injured reserve, missing the first nine weeks with Achilles tendinitis.

Unfortunately, Shanahan wasn’t the only head coach caught in a liar in 2024. The New England Patriots are on track to have the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. First-year head coach Jerod Mayo has been awful. He told the media that Rhamondre Stevenson would be benched for fumbling issues, not once, but twice. Yet, the veteran running back started both games after his so-called “benching,” including last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Nico Collins and Puka Nacua Belong in the WR1 Conversation

While Christian McCaffrey was the near consensus RB1 this season, fantasy players debated which wide receiver should be the first drafted. CeeDee Lamb was coming off a massive year. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase had quarterback or contract concerns impacting their outlook. While all three superstars have played well this season, fantasy players shouldn’t assume one of them is the slam dunk No. 1 wide receiver next year. Two others belong in the mix.

Both Collins and Nacua missed significant time this season with injuries. However, both superstars have been outstanding when healthy. Collins averaged 14.9 half-point PPR fantasy points per game entering Week 17 as the Houston Texans’ clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver. Meanwhile, Nacua has averaged 19.7 fantasy points per game in the nine contests he didn’t leave early with an injury or ejection, a higher average than every wide receiver besides Chase entering Week 17.

Make Drafting Rookies a Priority

Last year, one of my resolutions was to draft more rookies in 2024. Hopefully, fantasy players listened because this season’s rookie class has been outstanding. Jayden Daniels has been a must-start quarterback all year. Meanwhile, Bo Nix turned into a solid low-end QB1, while Drake Maye has been a reliable QB2 in superflex leagues. While he has been inconsistent, Caleb Williams has had massive fantasy performances. More importantly, the pass catchers have been unbelievable.

Everyone had high hopes for Marvin Harrison Jr. However, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey have been far superior and must-start wide receivers for most of the season. All three rookie wide receivers have averaged at least 14.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, with Nabers and Thomas putting up top-15 numbers despite inconsistent quarterback play. Furthermore, both Nabers and Brock Bowers (108) broke Puka Nacua’s rookie receptions record (105) in fewer games.

Everyone Owes Brock Bowers an Apology

Speaking of Bowers, the entire fantasy football community owes him a massive apology. Many, including myself, ranked him outside the top 10 tight ends in their preseason rankings. Everyone pointed to the Las Vegas Raiders’ awful quarterback situation, the team’s wide receiver core, all the offseason talk about them being a run-first offense, and the rookie’s lack of college production. Yet, Bowers has been the highest-scoring tight end over the first 16 weeks.

The rookie has caught passes from three quarterbacks this season. Yet, Bowers was the TE1 entering Week 17, averaging 12.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. The rookie tight end has been outstanding despite having only four receiving touchdowns this year. He broke Puka Nacua’s rookie reception record in one fewer game. Furthermore, Bowers needs nine receptions in Week 18 to break Zach Ertz’s record for the most catches by a tight end in a season.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.