The Pre-Season portion of our 2024 NFL Season is complete. In less than two weeks, the real bullets start flying. There were some surprises in play over the past three weeks as players started competing for depth chart superiority. Here are five players moving up and down your draft board from the Offensive side of the ball.
Offensive Risers-
QB-Bo Nix – Denver Broncos
Nix claimed the starting QB position after just two preseason games played. We do have to remember that it is preseason, but he was going against other NFL players who are also trying to make their team. He was 23 of 30 in passing for 211 yards and 2 TDs. Nix was responsible for zero turnovers. He also posted 6 carries for 30 yards which is an added bonus. Nix led seven drives in his two preseason games and scored on six of them. The one that did not result in a score was because of a fumble by his tight end. Sean Payton has Nix right where he wants him and will let the leash out a little more in each game. They are the perfect match for fantasy football success.
WR-Rashod Bateman – Baltimore Ravens
Bateman has the 2024 season all set up for him to breakout, if he can finally stay healthy. His competition is minimal with Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews likely the only two receivers ahead of him. Other than one week at the beginning of training camp, Bateman has stayed healthy and, on the field, building chemistry with Lamar Jackson and the other receivers on the field. Very decent chance he sets a new career high in catches, yards, and TDs of which his current highs are 46 receptions, 515 yards, and 2 TDs. Even though this will be his fourth year in the league, he is still only 24 years old and has the opportunity because of his first-round draft capital.
WR-Rome Odunze – Chicago Bears
Odunze was the Bear’s second 1st Round pick in this year’s NFL draft. As a senior with the Washington Huskies, Odunze produced 92 receptions for 1,640 yards, and 13 TDs. The Bears added Keenan Allen, in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers, to the lineup with D.J. Moore. Allen has reportedly shown up to camp heavier and slower than last year. Odunze is the biggest WR on the Bear’s roster at 6’3″ and 215 lbs. Caleb Williams worked with all the WRs during the off-season and a connection was being built with Odunze. Allen is the perfect player for Odunze to model his game after and Allen is all in as far as helping Odunze blossom. Odunze has the upside to be the Bears’ #1 WR this year.
WR-Jameson Williams – Detroit Lions
Williams is a former 1st-round pick of the Lions who is going into his 3rd year in the league. He has only played in 18 games over those two years. He has produced just 25 receptions in those 18 games. The upside yells out as those 25 receptions delivered 395 yards and 3 TDs. Last year’s #2 WR Josh Reynolds is gone after signing with the Broncos. He should be third in the pecking order behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. Reynolds left 40 receptions up for grabs, and Williams should add a good portion to land 60 receptions this year out of the more than 600 passes thrown by Jared Goff. Behind him on the depth chart is Khalif Raymond and rookie Isaiah Williams.
WR-Brian Thomas Jr. – Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas Jr. was another of the 1st Round WRs selected in the 2024 NFL draft. He is taking over the Calvin Ridley role from last year. The 6’3″ 209 lb WR ran a blazing fast 4.33 40-yard dash. He is a big play waiting to happen. Thomas Jr. had 3 receptions in the preseason for a whopping 93 yards. He will develop his route tree and timing with Trevor Lawrence and become the Jaguars’ #1 WR by the end of his rookie season. Lawrence will get a chance to show off his long ball often in 2024.
Offensive Fallers-
RB-Jonathon Brooks – Carolina Panthers
Brooks is a running back that can do it all and do it all very well. In his final year at Texas, he delivered 187 carries for 1,139 yards, 25 receptions for 286 yards, and 11 total TDs. Brooks tore his ACL in November of 2023. It was not healed enough to take part in any of the training camp festivities. That is red flag number one. Brooks was placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list to start the season which means he cannot play until at least Week 5. This is red flag number two. The Panthers then have three weeks to either activate him or put him on season-ending IR. He will not get a full load right away if he is activated. This is red flag number three. The draft capital needed to obtain him will be too high compared to the value you will receive back during the season.
RB-Tyjae Spears – Tennessee Titans
Spears had a nice rookie season and was looking to grow much more for 2024. Derrick Henry had signed with the Baltimore Ravens and left the RB1 role wide open. The 5’11” 195 lb RB with no ACL was ready to compete and show he could be the workhorse. Enter Tony Pollard, and the Titans show they have different ideas. Pollard proclaimed himself completely healthy during the second half of 2023, and the Cowboys RB delivered double-digit carries, up to seven receptions in a game, and a combined four TDs in his final seven games. Meanwhile, Spears had just one game of double-digit carries and zero games with seven receptions during his rookie year. Spears was the pass catcher for Henry last year, but Pollard can catch the ball. Spears will be a distant #2 RB behind Pollard for the 2024 season.
RB-Rachaad White – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
White had hardly any competition for carries or receptions out of the backfield for the Buccaneers last year. He had 272 carries out of the 360 total RB carries, which was 76%. White had 64 of the 82 total RB receptions, which was 78%. The Buccaneers decided they needed an option at RB and drafted Bucky Irving out of Oregon in the 4th Round of this past NFL draft. Irving will relieve White quite a bit as he showed in college what he was capable of with 186 carries for 1,180 yards and 56 receptions for 413 yards last year at Oregon. White will regress in rushing and receiving numbers. White’s 3.6 yards per carry average for 2023 did not instill much confidence in the 2024 ground game.
TE-Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers
Freiermuth has proved that he can be a #1 TE with the right conditions and circumstances from the QB position. TE is one of the toughest positions to adjust to in the NFL, but this is his 4th year coming up. He has had to struggle through bad QB play in all of his last two years with Kenny Pickett. Now he gets the misunderstood Russell Wilson who is not sure what a TE position is. Out of Wilson’s 337 completions last year, 39 went to the TE position. Freiermuth nearly doubled that by himself in his first two seasons in the league. Don’t forget that the new offensive coordinator for the Steelers is Arthur Smith and don’t forget what he did to Kyle Pitts. Freiermuth is a faller here due to no fault of himself.
RB-Kendre Miller – New Orleans Saints
Miller was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL draft to start giving Alvin Kamara some breathers. Injuries have derailed those thoughts as Miller has already had a knee patella sprain, and a thigh/hamstring sprain in August of 2023 during training camp which cost him a substantial part of training camp and a couple of games to begin the season. He got healthy and contributed offensively in six games before suffering a pedal ankle sprain which cost him most of the rest of the season. The Saints gave Miller a mulligan for his unhealthy rookie season. 2024 brought on new hope and with Kamara another year older, the expectations for Miller were raised. Miller suffered a hamstring injury in late July and is now on Injured Reserve to start the 2024 season which means he cannot play until Week 5 at the soonest.
Thank you for checking out my Moving Up and Down Your Draft Board article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber!
