The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, You can subscribe here for free.
Predictions are great this time of year, even if many are doomed to end up in the trash. Let’s dust off the crystal ball and give you some end-of-season headlines today:
💪 Best Fantasy Value: Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders
Imagine someone with the rushing upside of Anthony Richardson and then throw in the upside of a Heisman Trophy passer. That’s Daniels. There’s a trade-off for a questionable Washington offensive line, but Daniels’ mobility should help alleviate some of that. WR Terry McLaurin is also poised for a career year.
Both the Panthers and Seahawks got coaching upgrades at an ideal time — head coach Dave Canales lands in Carolina, while design savant Ryan Grubb is the new Seattle OC. Young was largely set up to fail in his rookie year — Canales, the Winston Wolf of the NFL, can smooth that over — while JSN’s first year was largely an injury-plagued mess (both to him and his offensive teammates). I’m not going to assume every scout was completely wrong about him.
🥱 Best boring value from a young player: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
Lawrence may not have been the Peyton Manning 2.0 he was advertised as, but he hasn’t done much wrong as a pro. His rookie-year downfall was largely due to the mismanagement of Urban Meyer hanging over his head as an NFL coach. Since then, Lawrence has been listed as both QB7 and QB12, and if rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. plays as expected, the Jaguars should have a fun, dynamic offense in 2024. Lawrence won’t turn 25 until October. He’s still on the rise.
Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Prediction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
😬 All-Star for charge management: Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
Kansas City was cautious about using their all-world tight end during last year’s regular season, but unleashed all the fury during their playoff run (Kelce posted a ridiculous 32-355-3 line in the tournament). Kelce is now entering his 35th season, so expect more of the same. The Chiefs should win their division easily, and the wide receiver room has been repainted, so Kelce won’t have to carry a heavy workload. The Chiefs are essentially the NFL’s Dodgers — a team that’s already practically planning for the playoffs on Opening Day. I can’t wait to use Kelce in my playoff games, but I haven’t proactively drafted him all summer.
Look at New England’s schedule and tell me where the wins are. Every underdog is going to end up in an upset here and there, but this list is a meat grinder. And remember, we’re talking about a team with an unproven coaching staff, a inconsistent offensive line, a rookie QB at the end of the day, and a defense that just traded its best player. The over-under is 4.5 wins, but they might not get there. The Patriots are also going to be a consistent target in survivor leagues.
