Welcome to Week 1 of the fantasy season! This year, my RSR colleague Brennan Stewart and I will be working together to give you tips to help you win your league in 2024. He’ll be covering start/sit decisions that’ll help you win week-to-week, and I’ll be focusing on waiver pickups that could pay off with a championship victory.
So, with that, who should you be looking to stash before the season starts?
Ja’lynn Polk: WR, NE (28.8% rostered)
Ja’lynn Polk perfectly fits the mold of a league-winning pickup: a guy that’s not getting too much buzz from the media but has a massive opportunity to fill up the stat sheet. Fantasy managers as a whole aren’t too high on him, seeing that he’s rostered in roughly just one of every five ESPN leagues… and I think that’s a big mistake.
The Patriots took the rookie slot receiver in the second round last year, and he figures to be their WR1. As the second option in his last season at Washington, Polk caught 69 passes for 1,158 yards (16.8 per grab) and nine touchdowns. The 6’2”, 190-pound wideout gained praise from scouts for his consistent presence over the middle of the field and his outstanding ability to catch balls in traffic.
Polk figures to be the top dog in a New England wide receiver room that only boasts DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, and Javon Baker as competition for targets. Kendrick Bourne will miss the first four games of the year, almost guaranteeing that the former Husky will be the WR1 in Foxborough.
And, while it’s true that the Patriots’ passing offense was abysmal last season, there’s reason for optimism in 2024. In addition to drafting Drake Maye, an impressive passer out of UNC, with the 3rd overall pick, the team also signed veteran Jacoby Brissett in the offseason, a solid quarterback in his own right. In short, the QB play will be much improved in ’24. That, combined with the promotion of Jerod Mayo to head coach, sparks optimism for a successful season from Polk. Given the lack of weapons the Pats have in the passing game, the rookie could immediately see 7-8 targets per game, and his ability to catch passes over the middle of the field increases his probability to score touchdowns.
Polk could be a true league-winner in 2024. There’s really no harm in stashing him at the bottom of your roster, especially in deeper leagues. I have him on my team, and I’m excited to see what he can do in his first NFL season.
Rico Dowdle: RB, DAL (34.6% rostered)
I really don’t understand why Rico Dowdle is rostered in so few fantasy leagues.
Yes, I understand that Dallas has a pass-first offense, but you can’t pass the ball all the time. Last season, the Cowboys ranked 14th in the league with 468 rushing attempts, and the team will have to redistribute a lot of those with Tony Pollard and his 252 carries heading to Tennessee in free agency.
I will admit that there is a good bit of confusion with the RB room in Big D. The team surprisingly brought back franchise legend Ezekiel Elliot in free agency on the heels of a disappointing season in New England that saw him average a dismal 3.5 yards per attempt. Adding to the clutter, the front office decided to bring in veteran Dalvin Cook, who averaged an even lower 3.2 yards per carry with the Jets and the Ravens. While this indisputably would be the best running back room in the league in 2017, it’s 2024 and both players are far past their primes.
And the Cowboys’ front office and coaching staff have to recognize that at some point. Cook and Zeke are just too old to resurrect their careers at this point, and the recent acquisition of the former doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence in Elliot.
Dowdle, though, was efficient in somewhat limited opportunities in 2023, averaging a solid 4.1 yards per rush. His role should be drastically increased in 2024; in my eyes, he’s established himself as the clear-cut RB1 in Jerry’s World. I bet that he gets at least 150 carries this season, if not far more… and that’s volume worthy of a roster spot.
Managers overall don’t seem to be overly high on him right now, but he’s being added with some frequency in recent weeks. Snag him while you can!
Jaylen Wright: RB, MIA (23.1% rostered)
Picking up Jaylen Wright won’t have much impact on your fantasy team right now. But doing so could pay dividends as the season progresses.
Running back injuries are nearly inevitable in the NFL; the position is just so physical. Miami’s lead back in 2023, Raheem Mostert, missed a pair of games last season, and RB2 De’Von Achane appeared in just 11 contests as a rookie, spending a solid chunk of his premier campaign on the injured reserve. Neither back is particularly big, especially Achane, so it’s highly probable that they’ll both miss time.
While I’m obviously not hoping anyone gets injured, if either of the two aforementioned runners goes down, Wright would immediately be thrust into a sizeable role in an offense that logged a league-high 27 rushing scores in 2023. Despite being a pass-heavy offense, the Dolphins were 15th in the NFL in rushing attempts, meaning that volume would be there.
Wright is a really good player, too. The rookie out of Tennessee averaged an eye-popping 5.4 yards per carry in his two preseason games and punched it into the end zone once. In his last year in college, he exploded with a whopping 7.4 (!!!) yards per attempt on 137 carries. This guy was nothing short of impressive, and he would thrive in a high-powered Miami offense if given the opportunity.
In my eyes, it’s almost guaranteed that the skinny Achane will get injured and that the aging Mostert will miss some time in 2024. Again, I obviously hope that both stay healthy, but it’s hard not to imagine the fantasy ramifications for Wright if both were out at the same time. Adding him is really a long-term investment, since he probably won’t contribute much early on in the season. But, fantasy championships are played in December, when bodies are tired and when injuries have piled up. Stash Wright for now… the potential payoff is absolutely worth it.
That’s a wrap for my free agency report this week! Check back next Tuesday for a recap of how Week 1 went for guys available on waivers – and advice on who you should pick up.
