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Three fantasy winners from the 2024 NFL Draft
The 2024 NFL draft is over and now fantasy football drafts are just a few months away. Fourteen skill position players were taken in the first round. These three have the greatest chance for fantasy success.
Caleb Williams (QB) Chicago Bears
The Bears surprised no one by taking USC’s dual-threat weapon, but some were surprised to hear his thoughts about running the football. During an appearance on Fox Sports’ The Herd, Williams said, “I don't like running unless I have to. I like throwing the ball to my receivers, letting all of us have fun.”
Fear not, fantasy managers. Williams averaged 5.6 yards per carry with six touchdowns for Oklahoma in 2021 and ran for 524 yards and 21 scores as a Trojan. Former Bear Justin Fields managed 17.71 fantasy points per game in 2023 thanks in part to his 657 yards on the ground.
Through the air, Williams should be in great shape with pass-catchers like DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, last year’s sixth- and eighth-leading fantasy wide receivers. He’ll also have Rome Odunze, last year’s leading receiver in the FBS.
Xavier Worthy (WR) Kansas City Chiefs
Worthy made headlines by running a record 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. That’s slightly faster than Chiefs GM Brett Veach ran to get him off the board after the Bills handed them the 28th pick.
Patrick Mahomes' newest WR holds the Combine 40-yard dash record (4.21)
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 26, 2024
Xavier Worthy ➡️ Chiefs
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/vy25vgkzCO
The Chiefs have a pair of Super Bowl championships since trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins and appear to have his heir apparent in Worthy. Hill finished with top-10 fantasy numbers in four of six seasons with the Chiefs but never had a wide receiver like Marquise Brown to help shoulder the load.
Catching footballs from Patrick Mahomes in Andy Reid’s offense can do wonders for a player’s fantasy value. If Worthy has half the success Hill had with the team, he could settle in as a weekly WR1.
Malik Nabers (WR) New York Giants
Fantasy football is all about opportunity and Nabers will get plenty of it in New York. Only the Panthers threw for fewer yards per game (161.2) than the Giants (169.8) in 2023, making Nabers the team’s No.1 receiver the moment he takes the field.
Darius Slayton led New York with 770 yards last season, which ranked 46th among NFL receivers. Nabers’ 1,569 yards in 2023 were second-most in college football. His 14 touchdowns were five more than all Giants receivers combined last season.
His quarterback isn’t exactly an All-Pro, but Daniel Jones had the NFL’s sixth-best completion percentage before a forgettable, injury-filled 2023 season. If Nabers can get open, which he should with 4.38 speed, fantasy managers should expect Odell Beckham-like numbers in 2024.
More must-reads:
- Five teams that improved the most in 2024 NFL Draft
- Four NFL Draft 'projects' with the best chance to develop into stars
- The 'No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Yankees not close to done adding ahead of trade deadline
The New York Yankees already made headlines by acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. That may not be their only move ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Yankees have an extensive shopping list. While a right-handed hitting infielder is a priority, New York is also looking for help in the rotation and bullpen. Acquiring McMahon may have contributed to the push for a right-handed hitting infielder. McMahon has struggled against left-handed pitching throughout his career, posting a .231/.307/.378 batting line in 1,079 plate appearances, hitting 34 homers and 35 doubles. Those struggles have been even more pronounced this year. McMahon is slashing .207/.289/.310 in 97 plate appearances against southpaws, with two homers and three doubles. Kirschner specifically listed Minnesota Twins utility man Willi Castro as someone the Yankees are targeting, whose career .260/.306/.399 batting line in 689 plate appearances against lefties would make him a solid complement to McMahon. Likewise, the club's pursuit of pitching makes sense. Marcus Stroman has been much better since returning from the injured list at the end of June, but he cannot be considered a reliable option. Rookie Will Warren has been inconsistent, and with Clarke Schmidt likely lost until 2027 due to Tommy John surgery, the rotation needs work. New York's relief corps may be further down the team's needs. While every contending team looks to bolster the bullpen ahead of the trade deadline, the Yanks' upgrades could come from within. Relievers Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. are expected back in August, while fellow reliever Yerry De los Santos was activated from the IL on Saturday. The Yankees still have a lot of work to do ahead of the trade deadline. It could be a busy next few days in the Bronx.
All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit into the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .217/.288/.408 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability, and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts, and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
Four well-paid players who will dominate fantasy football in 2025
Several NFL players signed lucrative contract extensions in the offseason, but not all of them will carry their good fortune to fantasy football. Here are four who will. WR Ja’Marr Chase | Four years, $161M Cincinnati’s 25-year-old receiver finished 2024 with career-highs in yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17) and set the bar financially by becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history this offseason. He’s since been eclipsed by Steelers T.J. Watt, who recently signed a three-year, $123M contract extension. Watt gets the win, but as a linebacker, he’s essentially a non-factor in fantasy football. Chase was anything but with 403.0 fantasy points last season, more than any wide receiver and second-most of any player, regardless of position. Expect him to be taken first overall in the majority of drafts. RB Derrick Henry | Two years, $30M Henry was scheduled to make $8M in 2025 before signing his new contract, but remains a bargain even at $15M per season. Last year, the 31-year-old running back averaged a career-high 5.9 yards per carry for 1,921 yards and tied Buffalo’s James Cook and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead with 16 rushing scores. His yardage total was the second-most of his career and second only to Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley, who finished second to Gibbs (362.9) in fantasy points (355.3) by running for a near-record 2,005 yards in 2024. Henry’s limited usage in the passing game will always impact his fantasy numbers, but his 336.4 points were the fourth-most among running backs last season. With almost no competition for carries beyond quarterback Lamar Jackson, fantasy managers should look to stack the pair in 2025. WR Tee Higgins | Four years, $115M No wonder the Bengals haven’t paid Trey Hendrickson. While the All-Pro defensive end looks for a contract extension of his own, Cincinnati will look for its other high-paid receiver to challenge Chase for the team lead in yardage, something he did in 2020 before Chase arrived. Higgins missed five games with quad and hamstring injuries in 2024, but still managed 911 yards and a career-high ten touchdowns, good for 222.1 fantasy points as part of the NFL’s sixth-highest scoring offense. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow may not lead the league with 4,918 yards like he did last season, but as long as he’s on the field, Higgins should be no worse than a top-15 receiver this year. QB Brock Purdy | Five years, $265M Purdy’s contract makes him the highest-paid 49er in franchise history, a distinction he’ll try to live up to in 2025. Surrounded by one of the NFL’s most talented rosters since joining the team as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, many still see the 25-year-old as a system quarterback. This year, he’ll get a chance to prove otherwise with wide receiver Deebo Samuel now in Washington and Brandon Aiyuk on the PUP list. Many expected wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who would also like a new contract, to hold out of training camp, but that hasn’t been the case so far as Jennings has been a full participant. Fortunately for Purdy, San Francisco will play the league’s easiest schedule in 2025, facing opponents that hold a .415 win percentage from 2024. Add a healthy Christian McCaffrey to the backfield, and the Niners offense should be much better in 2025 with Purdy likely to challenge the numbers that ranked him sixth in fantasy points (306.6) in 2023.
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