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We’re just four weeks into the NFL season, but there’s been no shortage of impact from this year’s draft class on your fantasy football lineups, for better or worse. Let’s take a look at the newbies.
Fantasy MVP: QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
I’ve been aggressively banging the drum for Daniels all offseason, and even I’m surprised at how quickly he seems to have acclimated to the pros…and a spot in our starting fantasy football lineups. Through the first four weeks of the season, he is one of only four quarterbacks with over 1,000 total yards and has totaled 7 touchdowns (3 passing, 4 rushing) and just 1 INT as the QB1 so far this year.
Over four weeks, Daniels has two the first three QB ends in fantasy. Here’s a list of players with that many (or fewer) since Week 1 of last season: Patrick Mahomes (1), Joe Burrow (0) and CJ Stroud (2).
Biggest disappointment: QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
It is possible that we have been victims of hard hits hype train once again this year. After an inside look at the team’s training camp session and a flurry of what seemed like positive moves for the roster, things still haven’t gone well for Williams.
There’s still a lot to like about how the Bears have built this offense around Williams, especially from a personal standpoint with DJ Moore on a long-term deal and a top-10 pick in Rome Odunze set to play out his contract. rookie along with him. Although Williams has been largely unplayable for Fantasy to this point (only one game with 12+ points), he could emerge as a solid trade target in dynasty leagues if the coach who likely drafted him as the QB1 off the board is holder. to panic.
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RB star to watch in the second half: RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The obvious choice for a star to watch in the second half is Carolina Panthers rookie Jonathon Brooks, who will make his NFL debut sometime after Week 5 following a season-ending knee injury. in 2023. However, I would like to shed some light. on another emerging star with breakthrough potential: fourth-round running back Bucky Irving, who has made an exceptional case for an increased workload alongside Rachaad White this year. In fact, he may simply be defending the in bulk of the workload…
White has always been an inefficient runner, but most were able to ignore that when considering his fantasy value thanks to his value as a receiver. Unfortunately for him, however, Irving has looked clearly better through the first four weeks of the season, outperforming him in most efficiency categories, including yards per carry attempt, forced missed tackle rate, yards after contact and first down and scoring rate. Although he had a costly fumble in the Week 5 TNF bonanza, he saw an increase in his offensive snap percentage for the fourth consecutive week, an encouraging sign of what could come down the stretch.
Headache of the year: RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets
Yahoo’s own Scott Pianowski singled out New York Jets running back Breece Hall as one of his biggest mistakes in this year’s draft, and for good reason. He’s struggled from the start, and unfortunately, fourth-round rookie Braelon Allen looks great in comparison, which certainly makes it that much harder for the Jets to keep him off the field.
Part of Hall’s appeal as a top-three off-the-board RB in fantasy leagues this year was his projected workhorse role in what should have been a vastly improved offense. Instead, he’s splitting touches, with 74 this year to Allen’s 34, a bigger split than originally projected this offseason. Allen won’t have standalone value this season, but would emerge as a must-have RB every week if Hall were injured.
Everything we thought they would be: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals), Malik Nabers (Giants)
There’s not much that hasn’t already been said about Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. After all, each of them was a top-six pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Each of them stepped in to become the top receiving option in their respective offenses, and Nabers specifically leads the NFL in targets ( 51) during the first four weeks.
Harrison Jr.’s rank as a top-15 wide receiver isn’t particularly shocking; after all, he was recruited as such. Nabers was the biggest dart thrower for fantasy football coaches, selected on average as the WR25 off draft boards primarily due to concerns about his ability to overtake Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback. Those concerns, while completely valid (Jones ranks 27th among QBs in accurate throw percentage per PFF) are seemingly totally irrelevant thanks to a ridiculous 33.6% target rate that ranks third in the NFL.
Expect both receivers to be reigning superstars for many years to come. There is no need to think too much about it.
Saving the unsalvageable position: TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Most fantasy football coaches lamented Las Vegas’ landing spot for Georgia’s otherworldly prospect, Brock Bowers. It looked like a crowded situation in the Raiders’ receiving room with All-Pro receiver Davante Adams leading the pack and underrated Jakobi Meyers and former second-round TE Michael Mayer in the mix. Then, there was the question of who the hell would throw the ball to them. However, Bowers has quickly risen to the top of the rankings, leading the team with a 21.9% target share on routes run, which ranks sixth among all tight ends with 10 or more targets this year.
Bowers has yet to reach positive results this season, but he ranks second in receptions (20) and receiving yards (216), good for TE3 in the year in half PPR scoring formats. Once the touchdowns finally come (and they surely will at some point, as he’s tied for the second-most red zone targets among TEs combined with elite yards after receiving ability).
Most wasted potential: WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
We’re only four weeks into the season, but it looks like we have more than a handful of “almost” snaps from No. 9 pick Rome Odunze. Many of those “almosts” come at the hands of his quarterback, of course, with the fourth-highest rate of inaccurate and uncatchable throws at 26.5% per PFF, ranking only behind Bryce Young (on the bench) , Anthony Richardson and Trevor Lawrence (both). struggling). Odunze’s 52.4% catchable target rate ranks 83rd among 86 qualified receivers.
Despite the lack of ability to connect yet, Odunze Ranks third among wide receivers in separation generated against man coverage in 2024 based on average Fantasy Points separation score, and the two have continued to build chemistry throughout the offseason and regular season. Odunze was right up there with Harrison Jr. and Nabers in terms of his NFL readiness as a wide receiver, with excellent size and fluidity as a route runner that will surely show up sooner rather than later.
