Janice R. Andrews
As the 2024 fantasy football season gets closer, it’s important to look over our star rankings again. We are now in the middle of the draft season, and sometimes the best way to get ahead is to change your mind about certain people. Our fantasy experts have found six players whose opinions they’ve changed in the last month. This could be because of how they played in the preseason, changes to the team, or just a deeper look at the data. Let’s get into the specifics of these guys who could make or break your fantasy season.
Jameson Williams, wide receiver for the Detroit Lions
Before the 2024 fantasy season starts, Jameson Williams is one of the most interesting possibilities, but he’s also one of the most divisive. Williams has been a bit of a mystery during his two years in the game. In regular season and playoff games, he has only caught 31 passes in his career, and he hasn’t always been able to run routes well. In his last six games of last season, though, he showed signs of promise. He played like a strong role player, if not a good WR2.
What’s different? Plans and hopes. At first, the excitement around Williams and the excitement of the Detroit coaching staff made a lot of people think that his ADP would soar into the mid-rounds. But as of late August, Williams is the 125th player taken in Yahoo drafts and the WR46. Most sites agree that he is the WR49, which is an even lower ADP. Now that it’s too late, the risk is very low and the payoff could be very high. Taking a chance on Williams so late in the draft could make all the difference.
Bryan Thomas Jr., wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars
For many fantasy football players, Brian Thomas Jr. wasn’t the first name that came to mind during the off-season. Like Terrace Marshall, the past of LSU WR2 loomed big, making it hard to put a lot of faith in Thomas. Thomas was the fourth receiver picked in the 2024 draft, even though he had the most catching scores (17) in the NCAA last year with just 68 catches. He was picked well behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze.
But practice has shown us a lot. Christian Kirk has been the only receiver who hasn’t been in two-receiver sets with Thomas and Gabe Davis. Last season, when Kirk wasn’t used enough before Zay Jones got hurt, this small sample size is similar. Thomas could be a straight replacement for Calvin Ridley if the Jaguars’ offense looks like it did in 2023. He offers a lot of potential at a much better draft value.
Zamir White, running back for the Las Vegas Raiders
Early in the draft, Zamir White was seen as a surprise pick because the Raiders’ offense looked like it would focus on defense and the run game. White was expected to play a lot. But as the preseason has gone on, worries about the Raiders’ attack as a whole have grown. White’s fantasy value has gone down since there isn’t a clear No. 1 quarterback and the team as a whole could finish last.
More people are looking at White’s market share because they are afraid that the Raiders’ offense will fail. At first, White was seen as a late-round gem, but now that the attack as a whole is looking bad, his value has gone down. Other Raiders players, like Davante Adams, are also being reevaluated because their draft worth is also low.
Keon Coleman, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills
This summer, Keon Coleman’s fantasy stock has been one of the most up and down. When Coleman didn’t make it out of the first round of the NFL Draft, people in the fantasy football community were not happy with him at first. Because of this, people didn’t like him, even though he did really well in college. Things have looked better for Coleman since he joined the Buffalo Bills, who don’t have Stefon Diggs or Gabe Davis anymore.
Even though the Bills have the sixth-shortest chances to lead the NFL in points, they are still expected to have one of the best offenses in the game. Since Joe Brady took over as play-caller in the middle of last season, he has had the whole summer to set up his system, which should help Coleman. Coleman’s 10th-round ADP makes him a good target, even though some people are worried about his image. He will start for Josh Allen.
Rome Odunze, wide receiver for the Chicago Bears
At first, Rome Odunze was ranked far behind pros like D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen in most fantasy football lists. People thought that Odunze, as a rookie, would find it hard to get ahead of Chicago’s more experienced receivers. But results in the summer have begun to change that view.
As the Bears’ new quarterback, Caleb Williams has made it clear that he likes Odunze better, especially when the team needs to rush. Because of this, Odunze could become a favorite receiver right from the start of the season. It’s impossible to deny his skill, and it’s getting harder and harder to ignore his promise as a top target for Chicago’s attack.
Javonte Williams, running back for the Denver Broncos
There were a lot of questions about Javonte Williams’s fantasy value going into the summer. After a bad 2023 season in which he had trouble getting back into shape after major surgery on several ligaments, there were doubts about his ability to lead the Broncos’ backfield. However, Williams has begun to look more like himself again as the preseason has gone on, which has caused his fantasy chances to be reevaluated.
Sean Payton is known for making schemes that are good for running backs. Williams got 264 touches in 16 games last season, even though he was still recovering from a big injury. Williams is likely to have a good season because Russell Wilson is picking running backs more often and Bo Nix has a history of doing so. Williams is now the clear boss in Denver’s backfield after Samaje Perine was cut. This makes him a valuable pick at RB21, which is much higher than his expert average rank of RB27.
