Fantasy Football 2024 Draft Prep: Jamey Eisenberg's Breakouts 3.0 pinpoints players who will win your leagues (2024)

With Murray, it's probably best to define him as a re-breakout candidate since he's been impressive at times in his career, averaging 26.9 Fantasy points per game in 2020 and 24.9 points in 2021. For the past two years, however, Murray has been under 21 points per game, but I expect him to get back to his earlier level of play. Last year, Murray returned in Week 10 from the torn ACL he suffered in 2022. In eight games, he scored at least 22.4 Fantasy points four times. He wasn't afraid to run, gaining at least 32 yards on the ground in five outings, and he rushed for three touchdowns. And we know his rushing prowess is what makes him attractive to Fantasy managers. Adding Marvin Harrison Jr. gives Murray an elite receiving option to go with Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch. And Murray reportedly had a great offseason to prepare for this campaign. He's my No. 6 quarterback, and you can draft him as QB10 based on his ADP at 84.5. I love that value, and I love Murray in 2024.

It's easy to tie in Murray and Daniels because the Commanders offensive coordinator is Kliff Kingsbury, who was the former head coach in Arizona. And Murray and Daniels have similar traits as running quarterbacks, which we love. The rookie from LSU and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner had 135 carries for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games last season, and he rushed for 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns in 26 games for the Tigers. That's 77.6 rushing yards per game, which would be amazing if he does something similar for the Commanders. He's also a solid passer, completing 72.2 percent of his throws at LSU last season for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions. Daniels has solid weapons with the Commanders in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Luke McCaffrey, Zach Ertz, Ben Sinnott, Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr., and Daniels should prove to be incredible value with an ADP of 101.9. He could be a surprise top-five quarterback by the end of the season.

For Warren to truly breakout, he will likely need Najee Harris to get benched or injured. But even in tandem with Harris, Warren could still have a career year and be a standout Fantasy option. Last year, Warren averaged 11.6 PPR points per game -- just ahead of Harris (11.5) -- and that came with Warren finishing fifth among running backs in receptions with 61 catches for 370 yards on 74 targets. This season, under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, we could see Warren get more opportunities as a rusher as well. While Harris should remain the workhorse, Smith's offenses in previous stops in Tennessee and Atlanta have been run heavy, and last season with the Falcons, Bijan Robinson (214 carries) and Tyler Allgeier (186 carries) each got plenty of work. Warren only had 149 carries compared to 255 for Harris in 2023, but it's not crazy to expect both to be around 200 carries this season. And Warren averaged 5.3 yards per carry last year, which bodes well for his potential production this year if his role increases. He's a great target at his ADP of 87.1, and I plan to draft him as a low-end starter this year.

The message this entire offseason and training camp from the Titans has been that Spears and Tony Pollard will share touches. It goes back to Brian Callahan telling me at the NFL owner's meeting in March that Pollard and Spears are a "pretty formidable 1-2 punch." But Callahan wouldn't say if one will get significantly more touches than the other, so it's somewhat of a guessing game how this will unfold. It wouldn't be a surprise if Spears is the better of the two, and he's cheaper with an ADP of 102.8 compared to Pollard at 78.1. As a rookie in 2023, Spears only had seven games with at least 10 total touches, but he scored at least 11.7 PPR points in four of those outings. He did well as a receiver out of the backfield and was one of just 14 running backs in 2023 with at least 50 receptions (52 catches for 385 yards and a touchdown on 70 targets). If Spears remains in the pass-catching role that gives him value even as a flex if he's the backup to Pollard early in the year. And if Pollard were to miss time due to an injury then Spears could be a star. I want plenty of shares of Spears, especially at his current ADP.

When Zack Moss signed with the Bengals this offseason, the prevailing thought was he would replace Joe Mixon as the starter in Cincinnati. But once training camp opened, Brown reportedly has emerged as the potential starter, which could be fun. He didn't have a ton of work as a rookie in 2023 (44 carries for 179 yards and 14 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets), but he showed off his explosiveness with three plays of at least 27 yards. And in the three games where he had at least 10 total touches, he averaged 11.3 PPR points. Going back to his college days at Illinois, Brown had 328 carries for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns and 27 catches for 240 yards and three touchdowns in his final season in 2022. We'll see how the Bengals use Brown and Moss in tandem, but Moss has struggled to stay healthy when given chances to start in Buffalo at the beginning of his career. I plan to pass on Moss at his current ADP (79.4) and just wait for Brown (107.5), who should emerge as a weekly starter in all leagues.

Austin Ekeler's ADP (87.3) remains slightly ahead of Robinson (88.7), but I like Robinson much more this season. I would have no problem drafting Robinson as a No. 2 running back, and he should be the best running back for the Commanders. Ekeler, 29, might be washed up after what we saw in 2023 with the Chargers, although he was dealing with a high-ankle sprain after getting injured in Week 1. Still, Robinson should prove to be the better rusher (178 carries for 733 yards and five touchdowns in 2023), and he averaged 13.2 PPR points per game last year. He also did well as a receiver with 36 catches for 368 yards and four touchdowns on 43 targets. Kingsbury and running backs coach Anthony Lynn should be beneficial for Robinson, and Daniels' ability to escape the pocket should open up more rushing lanes. If Ekeler were to miss time then Robinson has top-15 upside. But even in tandem with Ekeler we should see Robinson have a big year.

The Cowboys might not be done adding to their backfield, but if we get to Week 1 and the competition for touches is between Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn then I'm excited for Dowdle to have a big year. He should be the best running back for the Cowboys in 2024, and he might emerge as a weekly starter for Fantasy managers. Dowdle only had three games last season with double digits in touches, but he scored at least 12.2 PPR points in each outing. He's having a strong training camp, and Elliott might be washed up at 29, especially with how he looked running the ball the past two seasons in Dallas and New England. Elliott's ADP is 109.8, but I'd rather draft Dowdle, especially at his cost with an ADP of 130.4. As long as the Cowboys don't bring in anyone else for competition, I'm looking forward to seeing what Dowdle can do in Dallas this year.

Jayden Reed (ADP of 82.0) gets drafted first of the Packers receivers, but I like Watson the best, especially at his cost (88.8). I would draft Watson as early as Round 6. He has the most upside of the quartet of Watson, Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, but Watson has struggled with injuries. Last year, he missed eight games due to repeated hamstring injuries, but the Packers are optimistic that Watson figured out the root cause of those problems and then addressed the muscular imbalance/asymmetry with his legs. Before Watson's final stint on the injury report last year, he had 12 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 16 targets in two outings against Detroit and Kansas City, and he scored at least 20.4 PPR points in each game. He may never become an elite Fantasy option because of all the weapons in Green Bay (don't forget about Josh Jacobs and Luke Musgrave/Tyler Kroft), but he could become a No. 2 receiver if he can stay on the field. I'm hopeful his hamstring woes are behind him and this is the season that Watson finally breaks out in his third year in the NFL.

Smith-Njigba is one of my favorite No. 4 receivers to target at his cost with an ADP of 106.9. He has the chance to be a sophom*ore star after a relatively quiet rookie season in 2023 with 63 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns on 93 targets. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's system should benefit Smith-Njigba if he remains the slot receiver for Seattle, and hopefully we see Tyler Lockett fade into more of a secondary role behind Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf. Last year, Smith-Njigba had five games with at least seven targets, and he scored at least 12.1 PPR points in four of them. New coach Mike Maconald said Smith-Njigba will be a "massive piece" of the Seahawks offense, adding "I think we got a really cool plan for him." The great thing about Smith-Njigba is you can draft him to be on your bench, but if things click early in the year then you have a potential top-30 Fantasy receiver this season.

I'm hopeful that Williams can make a big leap in Year 3 because the first two seasons of his career have been disappointing. His rookie season in 2022 was slowed by his recovery from a torn ACL, and he played in only six games. Then 2023 started with his four-game suspension for gambling. But his role should expand in 2024, and Josh Reynolds (Denver) is now gone, opening up a starting spot (and 64 targets) opposite Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions already have plenty of weapons with St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, but Williams adds a speed element that could help Goff and the offense be more explosive. He's having a great training camp by all reports, and I love Williams at his current ADP (117.). He has the upside to be a top-30 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and I would draft him as early as Round 8.

The Bills have to replace 241 targets with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis gone. Buffalo added two significant pieces in Coleman and Curtis Samuel to join Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid and James Cook, and Coleman has the most upside of the receivers. The rookie from Florida State was selected in Round 2 of the NFL Draft, and he had 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023. He's a big target at 6-foot-4, and he's reportedly making plenty of plays with Josh Allen in training camp. We might not see the best of Coleman right away, but he should start to make an impact as the season goes on. It's why you should also invest in Shakir (131.4) and Samuel (133.1) based on their cost. But I also love the value for Coleman (105.4), and if he hits he could be the third-best rookie receiver this season behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. Coleman ended up in a great spot with Allen and the Bills, and he should emerge as a quality No. 3 Fantasy receiver as the year goes on.