Coach: Sean McDermott 7 PPG
QB: Lamar Jackson 31 PPG
A second stellar MVP season for Lamar, who took his game to elite heights under new OC Todd Monkin. Posting QB6 numbers per PPG in the IFL, he finally stayed healthy after two struggle bus years. While his passing yards routinely rank in the middle of the NFL, it’s naturally his generational running ability that soars him into the upper tier of fantasy godliness. His 821 rushing yards easily paced the position and his 148 rushing attempts ranked second only to Jalen Hurts. What is scary to think is he’s never increased his rushing TD total above 7 his entire career, which could blow his PPG into #1 overall player territory if he ever increased it to double digits. Locking in as a top 5 option, Lamar is an elite difference maker for 2024.
RB/WR/TE: Najee Harris 16 PPG, Diontae Johnson 15 PPG, Chuba Hubbard 15 PPG, Adam Thielen 14 PPG, Marquise Brown 13 PPG 6th men: Dalton Schultz 13 PPG, Tank Bigsby 11 PPG, Zach Charbonnet 10 PPG, Xavier Legette 10 PPG, Cole Kmet 10 PPG, Isaiah Likely 8 PPG
Najee Harris has provided a rather consistent, but slightly down-trending career. Rushing-wise, he’s slowly lost touches to more efficient Jaylen Warren, who again outpaced him in yards per attempt. (4.06 for Najee versus 5.26 to Jaylen) After the Steelers declined his 5th-year option, we’re trending toward a more even timeshare, perhaps one where Warren out touches Najee if he continues to be better with his opportunity. Harris 2023 was solid, where he posted 255 carries (6th), 1,035 yards (7th) and 8 TDs (11th). As a receiver, he lost substantial work to the elite receiving in Warren, who received 71 targets to his sad panda 29. To begin the year, it appears Najee will lead this run-heavy attack, but that may fluctuate as the season rolls along.
After a pair of underwhelming seasons with Pittsburgh, Diontae Johnson was traded away to the worst team in the NFL. Anywhere was better than Pittsburgh, as he wasn’t startable, which somehow included a 147 target 2022 where he delivered 86 receptions, 882 yards, and zero touchdowns. Call me crazy, but I’m not so sure we’re going to see fantasy goodness from Diontae moving forward in Carolina either. It’s very much on the table he can snag 120+ targets again, but he’s only been efficient one out of three times when he’s received a massive target workload. (140+ targets) There is plenty of target competition in an offense that was the worst in the league last year, but the arrow is pointing up(ish) for Bryce Young and Co. For now, Johnson is a bye-week filler.
As we enter the year, the starting incumbent Chuba Hubbard will be a startable asset. Dave Canales recently stated that Jonathon Brooks will enter the fold around weeks 3 or 4, which would likely render both of them risky fantasy plays until one takes over the backfield. You wouldn’t have guessed it from a lack of notoriety, but Hubbard delivered an above-average fantasy result, checking in as the RB/WR/TE 43. He provided 238 carries (9th), 902 yards (20th), a ghastly 3.79 yards per carry, and 5 rushing TDs. He was mid as a receiver as well, with 43 targets (26th), 39 receptions (22nd) and 233 yards (25th). In the near term, Chuba should produce closer to the 20 PPG mark until Brooks returns to the field.
Somehow, Adam Thielen kicked father time’s ass the as the only viable receiving weapon in Carolina last year. In weeks 1-6, he posted 5 weeks of over 17.60 points but only crossed that threshold once over the final 10 weeks. This is shocking especially when you hear he commanded 137 targets. That won’t get it done as an IFL starter, and Thielen is better suited for a bye-week filler. With Diontae Johnson and 1st rounder Xavier Legette also in Carolina, even a 14 PPG projection could be a bit aggressive. Let’s all hope Dave Canales can turn the Panthers’ ship around if only a little for fantasy’s sake.
It was a pretty tough season for Hollywood Brown, who had Joshua Dobbs throwing him the ball for most of his season. He also missed the last 5 weeks, when Kyler was finally ramping back up. Brown was let go, and signed a 1-year 6.5 million contract with the Chiefs. Exciting, but we’ve been through a laundry list of receivers who joined the Chiefs, and got our hopes up, only to disappoint in the fantasy realm. Will Hollywood be any different? Last season, anyone not named Travis Kelce had a 16.9% target share and below. (Rice was second with that 16.9% share) With incoming Xavier Worthy and Rice still in the fold, I’d be surprised to see enough volume for Brown to be a viable fantasy commodity. Rice was a quality slot weapon and Brown/Worthy are there to provide speed to keep the defense honest. The opportunity just isn’t here to provide consistent fantasy numbers. He’s a bye-week filler.
PK: Harrison Butker 9 PPG
PN: Logan Cooke 10 PPG
DT: DeForest Buckner 20 PPG
For as long as the IFL has existed, DeForest Buckner has been a beast. Destined for the Hall of Fame, the dude is the prototypical DT for fantasy purposes – a high-volume tackler who throws in a decent amount of sacks. (6-9) The past two seasons saw him post over 70 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 8 sacks. Last year, he led defensive linemen with 7 PDs too. Still only 30, we could get a couple more 300+ seasons from Buckner. An argument could be made he’s been a better fantasy asset than Aaron Donald throughout his career. He’s the DT1 entering 2024.
DE: Maxx Crosby 22 PPG, Josh Hines-Allen 20 PPG
It was the Maxx Crosby show again in Las Vegas, who is far and away their best player. The man has been a one-man wrecking crew along the Raiders’ defensive line, registering back-to-back seasons over 90 tackles and 12 sacks. Crosby is often solely responsible for week-winning outputs, including three 40+ point efforts. (including a 50-point outburst wild card weekend) Crosby is only 27 and has registered just an absurd amount of snaps through the last two years. Perhaps that will one day catch up to him, but the Eastern Michigan product is one of the best fantasy assets in the IFL.
We may have overlooked Josh Hines-Allen’s breakout a bit. The dude dropped a 350 on us and it feels like no one even noticed. Well, his fantasy owners did as his 17 sacks finished only second to TJ Watt. The total was not a fluke either, as he finished 4th in pressures with 46. A bright spot on an epic Jaguars collapse, Hines-Allen is arguably the best player on this team. Only 27, he has plenty of quality years left to consistently finish as a top 10 EDGE.
LB: Quincy Williams 19 PPG, Ja’Whaun Bentley 15 PPG
I think it’s one of the coolest stories in the NFL that Quinnen Williams plays with his brother Quincy. The 3rd round pick out of Murray State found limited success early in his career with Jacksonville before landing a starting job with the Jets. Playing next to CJ Mosley must have helped his development, because he was a fringe startable asset in 2021 and 2022. He took off last year, with 139 total tackles (13th), 2 forced fumbles, 1 INT, 2 sacks, and 10 pass deflections. That’s a quality floor this gentleman provides, but he did regress toward the second half of the season. Still only 28, Small Q is set up for an indefinite stay as an IDP star. Let’s hope he can keep the tackle numbers up playing next to Mosley for at least one more year.
A man of consistency, Ja’Whaun Bentley has been the man in the middle for the Patriots for the 20s. That is not changing in 2024, with Bentley fully expected to lead this crew again. He isn’t the flashiest player, but he reels in 110-120 total tackles annually and will throw in 4-7 big plays a year. Still only 27 and signed comfortably through 2025, he’s a rock solid LB3.
CB: Charvarius Ward 12 PPG, Mike Hilton 11 PPG, DaRon Bland 12 PPG (*will likely be placed on IR to begin the season) (Jaycee Horn 11 PPG)
Charvarius Ward was a beast, leading the 9ers secondary into another Super Bowl. Despite their unit losing All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga, their secondary held their own, ranking 1st in interceptions. (22) Naturally, Ward was a part of that with 5 picks of his own and an incredible 23 PDs. His tackle numbers also supplemented an overall CB4 effort with 72 total tackles. The PD numbers are guaranteed to decrease, so regression is baked into the 12 PPG projection. He’s a top 16 option.
After six seasons of moderate production from Mike Hilton, most were not expecting him to average 13.2 PPG in 2023. That’s what he delivered in his slot role in Cincinnati, notching a career high in tackles with 84. I struggle to see this repeating itself as we have seen what he generally produces in a similar role in both Cincy and Pittsburgh. It’s within the realm of outcomes for a repeat CB1 finish, but I’d bet on a regression back into the JAG tier.
*Insane year for Daron Bland, who set the NFL record with 5 pick-sixes. While that will not be replicated, it’s clear Bland has a knack for interceptions with 14 career turnovers through his first two seasons. A 2022 Day 3 pick out of Fresno State, the Cowboys hit a home run with his selection. He’ll start opposite Trevon Diggs again and should be good for 60+ tackles and 3-5 INTs, ranking well within the top 32 corners.
S: Kevin Byard 13 PPG, Jeremy Chinn 13 PPG, Daxton Hill 11 PPG
Wild season for Kevin Byard, who was traded from Tennessee to Philadelphia midseason and largely did not live up to expectations. He was subsequently released and quickly signed by the Bears to replace free safety Eddie Jackson. Byard predominately plays deep and will likely do so again. Eddie Jackson’s snap alignment had him free safety over 80% of the time, and it’s likely Byard’s counting stats suffer a bit. He’s consistently posted over 80 tackles and before 2023 was good for 3+ INTs. Now over 30, the best may be in the past, but he’s a back-end-worthy starter.
It’s looking like Jeremy Chinn is going to be the box safety delux for the Commanders. After falling out of favor on a sad Panthers team, I’m a bit surprised to see Chinn’s opportunity develop, but he chose his landing spot wisely. He signed a 1-year $4.1 million contract to replace quality predecessor Kamren Curl. Chinn is shaping up to be his direct replacement, making him one of the best IDP landing spots for opportunity. This feels like a late-career Landon Collins situation, where he’ll provide below average expectations in excellent opportunity. Keep an eye on how the snap allotment shakes out between Jatavius Martin, Derrick Forrest and Chinn.
Daxton Hill finished as the S7, but alas, he is changing roles. 2024 will place him as an outside corner, likely destroying much of the value he’s accumulated through the past year. Much of his time was playing deep safety too, but he still provided a solid floor of tackles. He delivered 110 tackles, 2 INTs, and 1 sack. I wouldn’t rule out a return to safety at some point, but as it stands, I would struggle to start him until he proves himself again.
Off: Baltimore Ravens 15 PPG
PPG: 313
W-L: 6-11
X-Factor: The offensive depth pieces vastly exceed their projections.
It’s a tough situation in Seattle at the given time. The offense is going to struggle without many stars. Lamar will carry this unit with what could very well be a third MVP season. Defensively, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better defensive line in the IFL. The back seven is held together by shoe strings and duck tape. It’s likely going to be a rough season in Seattle, with a potential eye on a rebuild if things don’t break early in the year.
