The 2024 National Football League season has been a wild ride. In previous seasons, the projections, rankings, etc. for fantasy football have been fairly consistent. We’ve had our regular stars sitting at or near the top of their respective positions all season long at times.
However, we’ve seen fantasy mainstays fall off hard in 2024, while guys who were projected to be the undisputed starter have tailed off, and are either in a timeshare, or the depth chart has already flipped. It has left fantasy managers scrambling.
In addition, we’ve had some discarded talents, sometimes on their second, third or fourth stop, find a new home and resurrect their career. It’s still very early in the season, but we have some surprise fantasy contributors, and guys we just can’t rely on for help anymore.
As we look back at Week 3, we’ll check out some utilization situations, and how they’re changing the fantasy landscape going into Week 4.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running backs
We’ve actually visited and revisited Tampa’s backfield already in this fantasy space. But, it appears that three strikes for Rachaad White, and you’re out.
White was selected as early as Round 2 in fantasy leagues of 12 or more teams, and he was penciled in on some teams to be a low-end RB1. Unfortunately, he just seems to be stuck in neutral, averaging 2.1 yards per attempt. Sadly, in Week 3 he had six carries for 17 yards, and that was his best yardage total per attempt of the season at 2.8.
Bucky Irving has steadily carved out a nice role for himself in the offense, rolling for 70 yards on nine carries against Denver Sunday, while totaling a season-high 12 touches. He is worth using as an RB3 or flex fantasy option heading into Week 4 against Philadelphia.
On the flip side, White should not be dropped, as fantasy managers spent too much draft capital on him. But, he also should no longer be started, at least until he shows the consistency we expected.
Indianapolis Colts wide receivers
The Indianapolis Colts were expected to have a solid passing attack with Anthony Richardson is healthy and ready to go. He has been extremely inaccurate, however, and that has trickled down the line to affect the fantasy value of his receivers.
Josh Downs made his return in Week 3, which also affected the pass distribution a little, as he tied for a team-high with five targets, while going for 22 yards on three grabs. Michael Pittman Jr. had five targets, too, finishing with four receptions and 36 yards. Meanwhile, Alec Pierce was down to two targets, after having 10 in the first two games, although he did have a 44-yard reception on his lone catch. Ashton Dulin and Adonai Mitchell had no catches and one target each.
Richardson has been extremely erratic, and he is completing less than half of his attempts this season. No one receiver is standing out, and really, they’re not being put in a position to do so. Until Richardson picks up his play, all Indianapolis receivers are going to be useless from a fantasy perspective.
Denver Broncos running backs
Oddly enough, in that Week 3 game between the Buccaneers and Broncos, we had a similar situation playing out on the other side of the field.
Javonte Williams didn’t enter 2024 with as much leash, and he was making his way back from knee reconstruction. He was still expected to head up the backfield, with Jaleel McLaughlin also waiting in the wings after some success in 2023.
Williams has 52 rushing yards on 24 carries, good for 2.2 yards per attempt, and he has no explosiveness, with his longest tote being nine yards. He does have good hands out of the backfield, and should continue to see time in passing downs. However, that alone doesn’t make him a fantasy start going forward.
For McLaughlin, he had his chance to pounce, but he, too, is averaging just 2.2 yards per attempt, including eight carries for 13 yards in the past two games.
It was Tyler Badie answering the prayers of head coach Sean Payton, as he asked, can somebody run for more than a few feet, please?!?! Badie ran nine times for 70 yards, including a 43-yard scamper, but we didn’t see him in the passing game. Still, the rushing yardage alone makes him an intriguing addition to fantasy rosters. He shouldn’t be trusted to start right off the bat, but add him as a reserve for his potential.
Dallas Cowboys running backs
Ezekiel Elliott was brought back to Dallas by Jerry Jones, and a wrong was righted. Zeke belongs in a Dallas jersey as he looked out of sorts in his lone campaign with the New England Patriots.
The feel-good story has worn off in Big D, however, as Elliott was limited to just three carries for six yards, while catching a single pass for six yards on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Rico Dowdle had eight runs for 32 yards, good for 4.0 yards per attempt, double that of Elliott. Dowdle also has good hands out of the backfield, posting three catches and 24 yards.
The pace of the game was important, too. Dallas was getting crushed early, which meant abandonment of the run. Dowdle saw more action in passing situations, and that’s a main reason he had more touches. But the production was there, where it hasn’t been for Elliott all season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Dowdle get double-digit rushing attempts Thursday against the New York Giants. In PPR leagues, he is worth a look as a RB3 or flex option, with lesser appeal in standard play — unless, of course, he officially becomes the bell cow.
Baltimore Ravens tight ends
What in the world has happened to Mark Andrews? He was once a bona fide TE1 in all fantasy leagues.
He suffered a major injury last season but returned for a playoff game, so his slow start in Week 1 was at least understandable. In that Week 1 game, Isaiah Likely blew up for a touchdown and triple-digit yardage, too. In Week 2, Andrews had four receptions for 51 yards on five targets, and it looked like he was trending in the right direction.
In Week 3, yes, Baltimore started off hot, and the rushing game was doing well, but just one target and no catches for Andrews is unacceptable. Likely also had just one catch for four yards on a single target.
Baltimore tight ends have been used more for blocking, trying to lean a strong running game with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, etc. And, the distribution has been more traditional as the wide receivers are being relied upon a little more.
Right now, Andrews and Likely can’t be trusted on a regular basis. The goose egg for Andrews was an eye-opener. The once-dependable fantasy staple is no more. Hit the waiver wire and try and score a guy like Tyler Conklin of the New York Jets, or even Jonnu Smith of the Miami Dolphins.
