Fantasy soccer season is per week away! Amidst the thrill, there are nonetheless loads of questions because the kickoff to the 2024 NFL season approaches.
Our NFL Nation reporters are right here to assist present all the knowledge you want to get an edge as you make your fantasy draft selections. Here is what they needed to say about a few of the extra convoluted backfields and vast receiver rooms, and what to make of some acquainted names attempting to work again from accidents.
How will the next groups distribute backfield touches?
Tandem method in Cincy with Mixon gone?
Zack Moss and Chase Brown will obtain the majority of the carries, however how they will be used stays to be seen. With Joe Mixon now in Houston, the Bengals have extra freedom to divvy up their early-down snaps. That would depart Trayveon Williams because the third-down again. Regardless, Moss and Brown could have upside as late-round picks, particularly in PPR leagues. Count on the Bengals to make use of their operating backs usually within the passing recreation. — Ben Child
Go determine, the Broncos are powerful to name
Escape your decoder ring, tarot playing cards and fortunate socks to determine it out. Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime are projected to be the backs of alternative. And coach Sean Payton has promised to provide rookie QB Bo Nix a extra productive run recreation to assist with the educational curve. However the Broncos have proven no reliable indicators as to how that can look. Williams has been the RB1 within the offseason program and camp, however McLaughlin seems poised for a little bit of a breakout along with his work, particularly the advance he has proven as a pass-catcher and protector. Payton likes Estime as an influence purple zone possibility. The way it all shakes out could rely upon down and distance and Payton’s temper with the play sheet. — Jeff Legwold
Chargers to take ‘sizzling hand’ method
Gus Edwards and J.Ok. Dobbins will share carries within the backfield, however how that share works could change every week. “Whoever’s bought the recent hand” is what offensive coordinator Greg Roman stated he would inform Edwards and Dobbins every week. Dobbins, at 5-foot-10, 215 kilos, is extra of an elusive again than Edwards and may catch passes out of the backfield. Edwards (6-foot-1, 238 kilos) is a extra bodily runner and scored a career-high 13 touchdowns with the Ravens final season. The Chargers may lean on Edwards within the purple zone. — Kris Rhim
Robinson is lead again, Ekeler in pass-catch mode
That is fairly clear. Brian Robinson Jr. can be their main operating again, so count on him to get the majority of the carries. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury stated of Robinson: “He is a No. 1 again on this league, there isn’t any doubt. After this season, if he stays wholesome, folks will acknowledge what he can do within the run recreation.” Austin Ekeler will function a third-down again, however he’s able to operating as properly. His main obligation, nonetheless, can be as a pass-catcher. — John Keim
Harris to get majority of labor?
Jaylen Warren is nursing a hamstring harm, so the Steelers will probably lean on Najee Harris and Cordarrelle Patterson early within the season. As soon as Warren is wholesome, Harris will nonetheless probably get extra carries, even when the pair have near-even snap counts. In 2023, Harris performed 569 snaps to Warren’s 519, however Harris had 255 carries to Warren’s 149. And Harris had extra dashing yards (1,035 to 784). Harris remains to be the Steelers’ main possibility on early downs, however Warren has emerged as a strong change-of-pace, third-down again along with his burst and pace. Warren completed with 61 receptions on 74 targets for 370 yards final season, good for the third-most receiving yards on the group. Harris, in the meantime, was focused simply 38 instances and completed with 170 yards on 29 receptions. Do not depend out Patterson for goal-line and purple zone work, although. He had 4 carries within the preseason, together with a 31-yard landing run towards the Detroit Lions. — Brooke Pryor
Duo seems like it should cut up touches
Titans operating backs coach Randy Jordan persistently mentions catches and carries as methods they will depend touches. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are comparable from a skill-set perspective, so they will not have a set bundle for every of them. Jordan is large on going with the recent hand, so their utilization will probably range from recreation to recreation. Judging from how the Titans approached preseason video games, Pollard seems to be the starter, with Spears coming onto the sphere quickly after. Spears will see a superb share of alternatives within the passing recreation, however do not be stunned if each are on the sphere concurrently properly. — Turron Davenport
How will the WR goal distribution and productiveness play out?
Deep corps of receivers will battle for targets
This can be the perfect vast receiver corps to ever play in Chicago. Between DJ Moore, who’s coming off a profession 12 months, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, the Bears have three receivers who every topped 1,000 yards final season (Odunze led the FBS in receiving at Washington). It is comprehensible to venture Moore and Allen to get a bulk of the targets early on, contemplating their respective NFL pedigrees, however do not count on Odunze to be eased in as a rookie. “I feel he is very able to doing all these issues,” coach Matt Eberflus stated in regard to Odunze making contributions just like the 2 veteran receivers. Shane Waldron’s Seattle offense used 11 personnel (3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB) on the Fifteenth-highest fee in 2023 and shifted its utilization from multiple-TE units to extra three-receiver formations from 2022 to final season. Even when Odunze is the group’s No. 3 receiver behind Moore and Allen to begin the season, having the No. 9 total draft decide in that spot will make a robust case for extra WR targets throughout the board. As Moore stated this offseason, the race is on to see who’s the primary to achieve 1,000 yards in a deep receiver room. — Courtney Cronin
Rice high possibility, however Chiefs will unfold it round
There is not any purpose to imagine Rashee Rice will not once more lead the group’s wideouts in catches. He had a robust coaching camp. However he will not lead by a large margin as he did final season. The Chiefs have large plans for Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown. Worthy is probably not a high-volume receiver, however he confirmed a capability to make large performs in coaching camp and the preseason. Even with fewer catches than Rice, he may lead the wideouts in yards. Brown was set again by a dislocated shoulder that would preserve him out of a number of early-season video games, however he may even be a giant a part of issues as soon as he returns. The Chiefs see him as greater than only a deep risk. He ought to end behind Rice among the many group’s vast receivers in catches. — Adam Teicher
Love’s favourite goal may change week to week
If there is a receiver whom Jordan Love has the strongest reference to, it seems to be Romeo Doubs. They’re virtually all the time on the identical wavelength in terms of timing and positioning. If there is a receiver who’s essentially the most versatile, it is Jayden Reed. The largest deep risk? That is Christian Watson. One who may gain advantage from the all the eye paid to the opposite three? Take a look at Dontayvion Wicks. All of that is to say, the Packers could not have a WR1, however they’ve 4 who could possibly be such on any given day. — Rob Demovsky
How will the Seahawks’ WR manufacturing play out this season?
DK Metcalf remains to be the No. 1 possibility. He looks like a secure wager for properly over 100 targets, assuming he stays wholesome. The potential change within the pecking order is on the No. 2 spot, the place Jaxon Smith-Njigba has an opportunity to overhaul Tyler Lockett. Smith-Njigba has appeared like a breakout candidate, and a 1,000-yard season out of final 12 months’s twentieth total decide hardly appears out of the query. Lockett, who turns 32 in September and took a pay reduce in March to return to Seattle, is coming off his first season since 2017 wherein he did not high 900 yards receiving. He has been sidelined for a superb chunk of the summer time with a decrease physique challenge. — Brady Henderson
Diggs primed for targets, however Texans trio will all produce
Stefon Diggs seems to be the No. 1 when it comes to targets, based mostly on what we have seen at coaching camp, and he’ll get essentially the most snaps within the slot between the trio of Nico Collins, Tank Dell and himself. That ought to make Diggs a neater goal to seek out, which implies extra catches. However the total manufacturing among the many trio can be razor skinny, as a result of any of them can produce a giant recreation in a given week based mostly on the sport plan and the way the opposing protection is enjoying them. As quarterback C.J. Stroud stated, the ball goes to whoever will get open. — DJ Bien-Aime
Potential debuts for injured gamers
When will Jonathon Brooks make his 2024 debut, and the way do you count on he can be utilized?
Week 5 on the earliest, as he’ll start the season on the bodily unable to carry out (PUP) listing. Whereas Brooks’ rehab from November ACL surgical procedure has gone properly, the Panthers take a look at him as a long-term resolution and do not need to rush him again. Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders will carry the load within the meantime, however as soon as Brooks is prepared, he’ll be the lead again as a result of his versatility most closely fits what coach Dave Canales desires to do. — David Newton
When do you count on Nick Chubb to take the sphere, and the way lengthy earlier than he receives a full workload?
The Browns have not given a timeline for Chubb’s return after he sustained a extreme knee harm final September that required two surgical procedures. Chubb will start the season on the PUP listing, which implies he’ll miss at the least the primary 4 video games as he continues his rehab. The Browns count on Chubb to play sooner or later this season however will not rush him again. A midseason return is a secure wager, with him returning to a full workload by the ultimate month of the season as Cleveland makes a playoff push. — Daniel Oyefusi
When do you count on T.J. Hockenson to make his 2024 debut, and what do you count on from him upon his return?
The preliminary tough timetable for Hockenson’s harm, which occurred Dec. 24, 2023, indicated a return a while across the first month of the season. Hockenson spent coaching camp on the PUP listing however did a few of his rehab exercises on an adjoining area in full view of the general public. By the top of camp, he was operating exhausting and altering instructions usually. That stated, he’ll stay on the PUP listing to open the season and thus be ineligible to play till Week 5. Based mostly on his conditioning in August, he needs to be at full pace by October to renew his common and intensive function within the Vikings’ offense. — Kevin Seifert
