1 Bold Fantasy Football Prediction for Every Team: Drake London, CeeDee Lamb, DK Metcalf, and Others

There are two ways to play fantasy football. You can play it safe, or you can swing for the fences. It’s always risky to chase outliers, but outliers are how we separate from our competitors. With that in mind, here is one bold prediction for every team this season.

Will These Bold Fantasy Football Predictions Become Realities?

Before we get to the bold predictions, I would be remiss not to remind everyone that these are, well, bold. Not a single thing you read below is likely to occur. However, everything you read below is at least plausible.

So, while these are mostly for fun, odds are a couple of them will hit. If you already have a strong position on something listed below, perhaps the bold prediction can serve as that little extra push you need to draft (or not draft) a particular player this season.

Arizona Cardinals: James Conner Fends Off Trey Benson All Season and Finishes as an RB1

I’m pretty sure James Conner has outperformed his average draft position (ADP) every year of his career. What does this guy have to do to get some respect?

Last season, Conner was written off as injury-prone. He was playing on a bad team that we knew would be without its starting quarterback for at least half of the season.

Although five dismal games were mixed in, Conner finished as an RB1 six times, including each week of the fantasy playoffs.

Yes, the Cardinals drafted Trey Benson in the third round. But let’s not pretend like that’s elite draft capital. Everything we’ve heard from Arizona’s camp suggests Conner will have the same role he had last season.

He may get hurt, see Benson ball out, and watch the Cardinals decide to turn the page and hand the keys to the rookie. But what if Conner stays healthy? He’ll now have a full season with Kyler Murray. Last season, he averaged 18.26 fantasy points per game with Murray against 11.88 without him.

Conner is going as the RB19 in fantasy drafts. His ceiling outcome is top six. If Murray is as good as I think he will be, Conner just might get there.

Atlanta Falcons: Drake London Finishes as the Overall WR1

The fantasy community believes in Drake London’s talent as much as I do. That’s evident from the fact that this guy — who has never finished inside the top 40 wide receivers — is being drafted inside the top 12 at the position this year.

The community believes London will benefit massively from the QB and coaching upgrade. But overall WR1? That’s a bridge too far…or is it?

Kirk Cousins propelled Justin Jefferson to overall WR1 numbers. Is London as good as Jefferson? No. But London is definitely talented. What if this offense fires on all cylinders?

There are seven wide receivers I believe are capable of finishing as the overall WR1. London is the cheapest among them. Is it unbelievable for London to catch 110 passes for 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns?

Baltimore Ravens: Derrick Henry Reminds Everyone He’s Not Done Just Yet and Scores 20+ Touchdowns

Derrick Henry is 30 years old. After playing exclusively for the Titans, he’s now on a new team for the first time in his career. He’s playing alongside one of the best rushing QBs in NFL history, who will inevitably steal some touchdowns. Most notably, Henry has never scored 20 times in a single season in his career.

Sportsbooks have Henry’s rushing total set at 10.5, so he has to seriously outperform expectations to essentially double his projection. How does he get there?

The Ravens possess, by far, the best offense Henry has ever been a part of. Henry operates best in positive game scripts, and Baltimore wants to run the ball near the goal line. Still, they don’t want to overexpose Lamar Jackson to hits. Henry might just have one more epic season in him, leaving us kneeling before him in January, proclaiming, “All hail his grace, the King.”

Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen Finishes as Overall QB1, But None of His WRs Finish Inside the Top 36

Since the moment Stefon Diggs was traded, fantasy managers have been speculating over which Bills WR will benefit the most. Who is going to step up as Josh Allen’s preferred option? What if the answer is no one?

The three candidates are Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman. Samuel is a veteran who has never finished higher than a mid-WR2. We know who he is at this point. A breakout is extremely unlikely.

Shakir made some nice splash plays last season but was a fifth-round pick in 2022 and totaled just 161 receiving yards. Last season, he commanded a whopping 8.9% target share. It’s not going to be Shakir.

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The most likely candidate is the rookie, simply because he’s an unknown. Unfortunately, Coleman is considered a contested-catch specialist. That archetype rarely pans out without improvement elsewhere in the profile. Coleman averaged fewer than 2.0 yards per route run in college, which is a major red flag regarding NFL success.

What if the Bills use a WR by committee, Allen still throws for over 4,000 yards, and offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s run-heavy approach continues to feature designed runs for Allen, including around the goal line? Despite not having a top target, Allen maintains his fantasy value, while none of his WRs are worth starting in fantasy.

Carolina Panthers: Jonathon Brooks Assumes a 3-Down Role By Midseason and Posts RB1 Numbers Over the Second Half

Currently, Jonathon Brooks’ ADP is RB26. To be fair, that’s largely injury-related. Brooks is recovering from a torn ACL and is not guaranteed to play in Week 1. He certainly won’t be back to 100% when the season starts. Plus, he’s a rookie.

At the same time, Brooks is talented. He could’ve crept into the first round had he not gotten hurt. What if he has a Breece Hall-like recovery? In that scenario, Brooks is pretty much back to himself by midseason.

Imagine a world where Bryce Young takes a step forward, making this offense better as a whole. Brooks easily supplants Chuba Hubbard as the lead back and is just too good to keep off the field. He averages 20 touches per game from Week 9 onward and propels fantasy managers who took a chance on him in the middle rounds to championships.

Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams Becomes the First Rookie QB in NFL History To Support 2 Fantasy WR1s

Before he even set foot on an NFL field, Caleb Williams made history. No top draft pick has ever walked into as good of an offensive situation as Williams has with the new-look Bears.

Williams is the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck. What if the hype is real? In this scenario, Williams has a rookie season even better than C.J. Stroud’s 2023. Not only does DJ Moore pay off at his WR22 ADP, but Keenan Allen does, too, in an even bigger way given his WR30 ADP.

Cincinnati Bengals: Tee Higgins Finishes as a WR1

It would be a pretty massive return on investment if Tee Higgins was able to crack the top 12 at his position. Fantasy managers would sign for that right now from any WR drafted where Higgins is going at WR26.

Three years ago, Higgins averaged 15.7 fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall WR12. His performance declined each of the next two seasons, but it’s easy to explain it away.

In 2022, Higgins had three games where he left early due to injury, resulting in 4.7, 0.0, and 0.0 fantasy points. Take those games away and he averaged 17.8 ppg — WR1 numbers.

In 2023, Higgins was a disaster, averaging 11.5 ppg. Once again, we can explain it away. He had a complete anomalous goose egg in Week 1. He again left two games early due to injury, scoring just 4.1 and 3.9 points in those contests. And most importantly, Joe Burrow was only healthy for a couple of games.

Higgins is still a talented player. He’s heavily motivated, playing for a new contract. Burrow is back healthy. And this is a very consolidated passing attack, with Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins set to command over 50% of the targets.

Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson Gets Benched for Jameis Winston

Just one short year ago, fantasy managers were excited about the prospect of Deshaun Watson having a normal offseason and being able to return to being the elite QB1 he was in Houston.

At 29 years old, Watson should still have a few high-quality years left. However, he hasn’t exactly had a conventional career.

Watson missed all of 2021 and more than half of the 2022 season. He returned to start six games and looked awful, which is to be expected. A year later, injuries limited him to six games once again. When healthy, though, he still looked awful.

Watson completed just 61.4% of his passes in 2023. His 6.5 yards per attempt in each of the last two seasons were well below his career average up until that point. He only averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game.

Cleveland gave Watson a mega contract, which will afford him an extended leash. But the Browns also have a roster capable of making a playoff run. We saw it last season when they got into the playoffs with Joe Flacco under center. If Watson plays like he did last year, he’s not making it the full season as the starter. That is exactly what I think will happen.

Dallas Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb Tops Cooper Kupp’s 2021 Season

In 2021, Cooper Kupp averaged 25.9 fantasy points per game. It is the greatest fantasy season by a WR of all time. If anyone is ever going to top it, CeeDee Lamb in 2024 fits the bill.

Lamb could not be better positioned for a truly monster season. The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the league. Lamb is the unquestioned No. 1 WR, and they have very little in the way of offensive threats beyond him. Their running backs are an old, declining Ezekiel Elliott and a rotational back in Rico Dowdle. This is going to be a pass-heavy offense.

What if the run game is so abysmal that the Cowboys let Dak Prescott attempt nearly 700 passes? Lamb averaged 23.7 PPG last season. He needs 2.3 PPG more to overtake Kupp. If he can turn last year’s 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns into 150 catches for 1,900 yards and 16 touchdowns, plus a little extra on the ground, he can do it.

Denver Broncos: No Player From This Team Is a Fantasy Starter

To be honest, I’m not sure how bold this is. The earliest drafted Broncos weapon is currently Javonte Williams at around No. 95 overall. It’s not that difficult to envision this backfield devolving into a nightmare three-headed committee with Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime.

Their starting quarterback, Bo Nix, is a rookie, and unlikely to crack the top 12 at his position. Courtland Sutton is the WR1 on this team. He’s being taken as the WR47. No other player is even being drafted in standard-sized leagues. There’s a very real chance the Broncos are the worst offense for fantasy football, providing managers with no useful players.

Detroit Lions: 3 Lions Finish No. 1 Overall at Their Positions

It’s almost impossible for this prediction to come to fruition. There’s only one football. For three Lions to get there without one being the quarterback, they would all need elite volume and elite efficiency.

Last year, though, Sam LaPorta averaged 14.1 fantasy points per game, just 0.5 PPG behind overall TE1 Travis Kelce. Amon-Ra St. Brown averaged 20.7 ppg, just 3.0 PPG behind overall WR1 CeeDee Lamb. Jahmyr Gibbs averaged 16.1 PPG; he’s the toughest one because of the presence of David Montgomery. Gibbs did not come close to Christian McCaffrey’s 24.5 ppg.

How does it happen? LaPorta and St. Brown can have mostly repeats of their 2023 seasons and get there. They just need the league average to drop a bit. Gibbs is trickier, but here’s the path. What if David Montgomery gets hurt, allowing Gibbs to see a larger workload?

In this case, the increase in volume would not impact his efficiency. He then achieves his goal of being a 1,000/1,000 player en route to a historic year.

Green Bay Packers: Christian Watson Stays Healthy and Finishes as a WR1

My favorite archetype of receiver to invest in is the sophomore receiver coming off a very efficient rookie year. That led me to Drake London and Christian Watson last season. It didn’t work out.

What if I was just a year early? There’s a reason Watson was highly touted last season. He averaged 11.7 fantasy points per game as a rookie on limited volume.

Last season, Watson averaged 11.3 PPG. He wasn’t much worse, and he just couldn’t stay healthy. We’ve since found out the root cause of the issue — asymmetry with his hamstrings.

Jordan Love has emerged as one of the better QBs in the league. Say he takes another step forward while Watson stays healthy, and the two develop a strong rapport and Watson establishes himself as the Packers’ top receiver. Catching 70 passes for 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns puts him in contention to be a WR1 and is within the range of outcomes.

Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud Throws for 5,000 Yards and 40 Touchdowns

Stroud had one of the best rookie seasons a quarterback has ever had. He’s already a top-five quarterback in the NFL, and he’s also nowhere near as good as he will be at his peak.

This season, the Texans’ front office equipped Stroud with two new weapons in Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon. What if the Texans decide to let him rip it every week?

Imagine Stroud on a team with a 60% neutral-game-script pass rate. Defenses aren’t going to be able to cover Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Diggs. Mixon is also a solid threat out of the backfield. It’s certainly possible that the second-year passer will reach his final form early and have a career year in 2024.

Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson Goes Full 2019 Lamar Jackson

The title says it all. In 2019, Lamar Jackson ran for 1,213 yards, threw 36 touchdowns, and averaged 28.2 fantasy points per game. It was the best season by a fantasy quarterback ever. If there’s anyone in the NFL now who has a chance to match it, it’s Anthony Richardson.

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Although he played only four games as a rookie, Richardson showcased his dual-threat ability. He averaged 34 rushing yards per game and left two games early.

There’s certainly a world where Richardson can average over 60 rushing yards per game. If he progresses even a little bit as a passer, a historic season is possible in what should be a high-octane Colts offense.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence Solidifies His Bust Status and Finishes Outside the Top 24 QBs

Ever since he was dubbed the best prospect since Andrew Luck (which was never true), I’ve been pushing back on Trevor Lawrence as anything other than a good prospect/mediocre NFL QB.

Lawrence was trending in the wrong direction after one of the worst rookie seasons by a first-round QB in NFL history. He appeared to make considerable strides over the second half of his sophomore season. Unfortunately, those did not carry into 2023.

Last season, Lawrence averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall QB13. It would take a massive decline for him to fall outside the top 24, right? Well, not exactly. We already know exactly what it might look like.

From Weeks 1-10 last season, Lawrence averaged 14.3 PPG. If not for a really strong four-game stretch from Weeks 11-14, Lawrence would’ve finished as the overall QB25. Is it that crazy to think he can have a repeat of last year, except without the four weeks of elite QB1 numbers?

Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes Reminds Everyone Why He’s the Greatest QB in NFL History, Throwing for Over 5,000 Yards, 40 Touchdowns, and Supporting 3 Top-24 Fantasy WRs

This is a hefty bold prediction. Coming off the worst season of his career (one in which he still won the Super Bowl), Patrick Mahomes enters the 2024 season as a man on a mission.

NFL defenses have made it a point to take away the deep ball, which contributed to Mahomes’ career-low 7.0 yards per attempt last season. He threw for just 4,184 yards, 27 touchdowns, and averaged 18.4 fantasy points per game, by far the worst of his career.

Even though the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, their offense was not up to their standards. They signed Hollywood Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy in the first round. Both of those players, along with Rashee Rice, are being drafted as fantasy WR3s.

If Mahomes has the year I think he will have, everyone is going to eat. Get yourself pieces of the Kansas City offense, as there’s a very real chance every player on this team outperforms his ADP.

Las Vegas Raiders: Davante Adams Finishes Outside the Top 24 WRs for the First Time Since 2015

In 2020, Davante Adams had the best season of his career, averaging 25.6 fantasy points per game. Since then, it’s been a slow decline in his productivity.

Adams averaged 21.5 ppg in 2021, which was still incredible. In 2022, he dipped below 20, averaging 19.7 ppg after his peripheral numbers fell, but a career-high 14 touchdowns bailed him out.

Last year, things started to trend downward. Adams averaged just 15.6 PPG, his lowest since 2016. Most notably, his yards per route run dipped to 1.98.

Poor QB play had a lot to do with it, but Adams also did not get open or perform at the same level as he did during his prime. He is declining, there’s no disputing that.

Of course, Adams’ decline could be gradual, which would allow him to maintain competitive numbers for another year or two. But what if it isn’t? What if 2023 was the last hurrah for the future Hall of Famer, and he’s about to completely fall off in 2024?

Los Angeles Chargers: J.K. Dobbins Is Finally Healthy and Finishes as a Fantasy RB2

Once upon a time, J.K. Dobbins was headed toward being a fantasy RB1. As a rookie, he averaged 6.0 yards per carry and looked to be the Ravens’ RB of the future.

After tearing his ACL in the 2021 preseason, Dobbins returned in 2022. Despite needing another surgery to clean up his knee, he was able to average 5.7 yards per carry. When healthy, he is as talented as anyone.

Of course, this is now a player who not only tore his ACL but also tore his Achilles. There’s a very distinct possibility that Dobbins can’t play football at a high level anymore.

However, a healthy, explosive Dobbins is a perfect fit for Greg Roman’s run-heavy offense. We know this because he played in it in 2020. Gus Edwards is 29 years old, also injured frequently, and not exactly the most dynamic player. At his RB42 ADP, Dobbins would be one of the steals of the draft if he can manage a top-24 season in 2024.

Los Angeles Rams: Blake Corum Is a Top-5 Running Back Over the Second Half of the Season

Last year, Kyren Williams came out of nowhere to finish as the overall RB2. He was a true three-down back and was able to turn his massive volume into elite production.

However, Williams is not a special player. He’s good enough to win, and he’s in a great situation with elite opportunity. What if instead of Williams in that role, it was Blake Corum? I think he can produce close to the same numbers.

All it would take is for Williams to get hurt and miss extended time If that happens, Williams may not return to his previous role, and Corum would be off to the races as an elite RB1.

Miami Dolphins: Jaylen Waddle Outscores Tyreek Hill

Do I think this happens? Of course not. But these are bold predictions, baby! There’s certainly a path.

Tyreek Hill is 30 years old. He’s coming off the best season of his career, but also his highest volume. Hill’s 33.7% target share was No. 1 in the league, and also a career high. The usage was somewhat of a problem, as Hill broke down over the final weeks of the season due to an ankle injury.

What if Hill struggles to stay healthy again? He could tweak an ankle. He could pull a hamstring. While Hill hasn’t shown any signs of decline, his skill set does not tend to age particularly well. His straight-line speed won’t go away, but the quick twitch movements that make him so lethal will dissipate sooner rather than later.

Minnesota Vikings: Ty Chandler Outscores Aaron Jones

It appears the fantasy community has decided that Aaron Jones is the clear RB1 and Ty Chandler is just a backup. Look no further than the 31-spot positional gap between the two as evidence.

Jones has never really been a heavy-volume guy, so Chandler is going to play more than his RB49 ADP suggests. What if this is a true timeshare? A 55/45 split. Then, what if Jones, who struggled to get over a lingering hamstring strain, nearing his 30th birthday, once again can’t stay on the field?

I still believe in Jones’ talent. That’s not the issue. What will doom him, if anything, is his ability to stay healthy. There’s a much higher chance that Chandler outperforms Jones than their prices suggest.

New England Patriots: Ja’Lynn Polk Emerges as Team’s WR1 and Posts High-WR2 Numbers Over the Second Half

This was the most difficult team to find a bold prediction for. There just isn’t anyone on this roster I am excited about for fantasy purposes. If one player could break through and be a value, it’s rookie second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk.

The Patriots have one of the most climbable depth charts at WR in the league. They will likely deploy fifth-round sophomore DeMario Douglas and journeyman Kendrick Bourne (once fully healthy) as their top two receivers.

That leaves the door open for someone to step up and establish himself as this team’s true alpha. If anyone is going to do that, it’s Polk.

The rookie was incredibly productive in his final season at Washington, catching 69 balls for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. With a WR67 ADP, he is essentially free. He just might end up winning fantasy managers championships over the second half of the season.

New Orleans Saints: Rashid Shaheed Finishes as a Fantasy WR2

Every fantasy manager to ever exist would sign for a WR2 finish from a player being drafted as the WR58, which is where Rashid Shaheed has been going.

The Saints have a very consolidated target share. Their only two truly reliable pass catchers are Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara. But the ball has to go somewhere else, those two aren’t going to combine for an 80% target share. This year, Shaheed sure looks like he will be an every-down player, starting in two-receiver sets.

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Per TruMedia, he averaged 2.07 yards per route run against man coverage. His speed gives defenses problems. If Derek Carr can be just a little more accurate on his deep balls, Shaheed has the potential to be a league-winner at his ADP.

New York Giants: Devin Singletary ‘Volumes’ His Way to a High-RB2 Finish

Fantasy managers can acquire the services of Devin Singletary for the low cost of RB36. Who wouldn’t love their low-RB3 to produce mid-RB2 or better numbers?

During training camp, every player is the best, especially rookies — especially Day 3 rookies. Every Day 3 running back darling shows out and seems ready to threaten the starter. That’s where we’re at with Tyrone Tracy Jr.

But Tracy is still a fifth-round rookie, while Devin Singletary is coming off a season where he went from seldom-used backup to taking Dameon Pierce’s job. Now, he’s reunited with his former offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll.

I am extremely confident that Daniel Jones will get benched at some point this season, likely in the early going. Drew Lock is less mobile than Jones and more apt to check the ball down to Singletary. We could be looking at 13-15 carries and 3-4 targets per game for Singletary. It won’t be pretty, but Singletary could end up being an incredible value at cost this season.

New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers Is Done, Resulting in Yet Another Failure-To-Launch Season for Garrett Wilson

I have zero doubts about Garrett Wilson’s talent. He is as good as everyone thinks, but he can’t overcome poor QB play. Very few can.

For the past two seasons, Wilson has been unable to realize his potential with Zach Wilson under center. This year, he’s finally poised to get a healthy Aaron Rodgers…or is he?

Rodgers is 40 years old. He’s coming off a torn Achilles, and when we last saw him play, he was pretty mediocre throwing to a similar group of receivers that Jordan Love was able to thrive with last season in Green Bay.

What if it’s over for Rodgers?

The Jets are insulated better than they were last year now that they have Tyrod Taylor as the backup QB. However, Taylor is not about to propel Wilson to the WR1 season his ADP suggests he will have.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Justin Fields Starts 10+ Games and Averages Elite QB1 Numbers

I don’t buy the reports that the Steelers’ starting QB competition is a fait accompli. Russell Wilson is going to start Week 1. He’s just not going to finish the season.

At some point, Wilson will get benched for Justin Fields. Now, Fields isn’t exactly a great NFL quarterback. But he brings a different element of explosiveness that Wilson cannot offer.

Once Fields takes over, we know what he can do. Run, and run A lot. Fields averaged 20.5 fantasy points per game in 2022 and 18.4 PPG last season.

Since Week 7 of the 2022 season, Fields has recorded 13 games of 20+ fantasy points, including two games of 40+ and another over 30. Just get Fields in there and he will be an every-week QB1 in fantasy.

Philadelphia Eagles: DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown Both Finish as WR1s

Is this bold enough? Eh, let’s roll with it. Yes, DeVonta Smith did average 15.0 fantasy points per game in 2022, putting him perilously close to WR1 territory. But he didn’t get there! Meanwhile, A.J. Brown has finished as the overall WR8 in each of the past two seasons.

I guess this looks bolder when you consider that Smith was merely the overall WR20 last season. Also, how many people think Jalen Hurts can support two fantasy WR1s, especially in light of how he performed as a passer last season? Smith’s ADP certainly doesn’t think so, as he is going around WR22.

It could happen, though. The Eagles coaching staff is well aware that their offense did not perform up to standards over the second half of last season. To help remedy that, they brought in former Cowboys and Chargers coordinator Kellen Moore.

Look for Moore to utilize more pre-snap motion and put both Brown and Smith in advantageous positions as frequently as possible. He is going to make it easy for Hurts to find Philadelphia’s top two pass catchers, propelling both to WR1 seasons.

San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk Finishes Outside the Top 24

This is the bear case for Brandon Aiyuk. He’s one of the most talented wide receivers in the league. He also plays in an offense that moves slowly and doesn’t throw the ball. As a result, Aiyuk has to rely on elite efficiency. That’s a dangerous bet to make in fantasy.

Last season, Aiyuk averaged 3.18 yards per route run, third in the league. He was second in yards per target and yards per reception.

Just two short years ago, he finished as the overall WR23. He wasn’t noticeably worse at football. He just wasn’t as efficient, only averaging 2.09 yards per route run and 13.0 yards per reception (4.9 fewer than 2023).

Aiyuk can still be really good at football and underwhelm fantasy managers in 2024. All it would take is for the 49ers to be the same offense they were last year, Aiyuk to see a slight tick down from his 25% target share, and his per reception efficiency to drop to 2022 levels.

Seattle Seahawks: DK Metcalf Finally Realizes His True Form and Finishes as a Top-5 WR

Ever since his breakout 2020 season, fantasy managers have been waiting for DK Metcalf to become an every-week WR1. After averaging 17.0 fantasy points per game in 2020, Metcalf has been between 13.3 and 14.4 ever since.

Metcalf is still an incredibly talented receiver. He just hasn’t had the right combination of play-calling and quarterback play. This could be the year everything comes together.

The Seahawks moved on from Pete Carroll, bringing in a defensive head coach in Mike Macdonald. He hired former University of Washington OC Ryan Grubb to run the offense. Grubb likes to push the ball downfield. Do you know who is built to dominate downfield? A 6’3″ specimen of a human who runs a 4.33 40-time at 228 pounds.

Metcalf’s WR18 ADP could look mighty low as early as October.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Godwin Outscores Mike Evans

Just one year ago, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin had comparable ADPs. Interestingly enough, Godwin was the guy being drafted first.

After Evans went out and posted a WR1 season while Godwin fell to low-WR3 territory, fantasy managers are now convinced Evans is the superior option, drafting Evans at WR18 and Godwin at WR35.

In 2022, Evans averaged 15.0 PPG, with Godwin at 14.9 PPG. In 2021, Godwin averaged 17.3 PPG, almost a full point more than Evans.

Fantasy managers are very susceptible to recency bias. What’s stopping Godwin from doing exactly what he did in 2022 or 2021?

In 2022, he ran 57.6% of his routes from the slot. Dating back to 2019, his slot rate has been over 50% each year. Last season, he was there just 32.1% of the time. Reports out of Bucs camp heavily suggest Godwin will be utilized in the slot more frequently, meaning he might be one of the best values of the season.

Tennessee Titans: DeAndre Hopkins Posts a WR2 Season

Admittedly, I was feeling better about this bold prediction before news broke about DeAndre Hopkins’ knee sprain. We never want to see players enter the season with an injury. It’s even worse when the player is 32 years old. But I’m sticking with it.

Hopkins has been going outside the top 36 wide receivers all Summer. Until this injury, I held steadfast in my ranking of Hopkins ahead of Calvin Ridley. If healthy, I believe Hopkins to be the better player and the receiver more likely to be Will Levis’ top target.

The Titans are about to experience an offensive philosophy shift the likes of which we haven’t seen in a long time. They are going from a run-heavy team centered around Henry to a pass-happy unit banking on Levis.

Even if Levis isn’t good, based on volume alone, Hopkins still looks like he has enough juice to turn back the clock one more time.

Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels Finishes Inside the Top 5 Fantasy QBs

I don’t think this is even that bold. But since Jayden Daniels is being drafted as the QB13, a top-five finish has to count.

How can Daniels get inside the top five? It’s not that far-fetched; he just needs to run like he did in college.

In his final year at LSU, Daniels ran 135 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. If Daniels can average over 50 rushing yards per game, he would just need to have reasonably good touchdown variance to get there. Why can’t Daniels have a season like 2011 Cam Newton?