Five Bold Fantasy Football Predictions That Absolutely Will Come True
If you read my piece about the importance of selecting the draft order for your fantasy football league, you know that I LOVE fantasy football.
I've played since I was a teenager, back in the days when you had to score your matchups by hand using newspaper box scores.
Although I'm not a typical "fantasy football expert," I did finish in 10th place in a 14-team big-money league last year, so you know I know what I'm talking about.
That's enough preamble. Time to get to the predictions…
Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson will be the top scorer in fantasy football in 2024.
Yes, I am absolutely taking Bijan Robinson if I have the #1 pick in my fantasy football league, no question. Robinson was electric last season despite being held back by terrible coaching and quarterback play.
Both of those issues have been fixed, and Robinson is not a rookie anymore.
Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson will finish as the top scorer in fantasy football in 2024.
(Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports)
He's the unquestioned #1 back in Atlanta, and the move from Desmond Ridder/Marcus Mariota to Kirk Cousins is massive for Robinson's value, since Cousins is an immobile quarterback.
That means more throws to Robinson as an outlet and more fantasy points. Robinson is the best running back available this season.
Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin will finish as a Top 10 receiver in fantasy football.
McLaurin is currently going around WR34 and that's just too far down the board. He's one of the most undervalued receivers in football, garnering at least 120 targets in each of the past four seasons.
The problem for McLaurin has always been an inability to score touchdowns, which had a lot to do with the Commanders' terrible offense.
They got a massive upgrade at quarterback with Jayden Daniels and having Kliff Kingsbury take over at offensive coordinator should open up even more passing.
Plus, the team traded Jahan Dotson, showing that they have confidence in the receivers on the roster. There's very little competition for targets for McLaurin.
Fantasy football players are undervaluing Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
(Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)
He's had at least 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons, and here's the list of quarterbacks who helped him reach those numbers: Taylor Heinicke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Garrett Gilbert (seriously), Carson Wentz and Sam Howell.
Daniels doesn't even have to be great for McLaurin to shine, he just has to be better than those five. I think he will be.
Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid will challenge for the title of top-scoring tight end.
I'm not ready to go fully out-on-a-limb and predict Kincaid to outscore Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta, but I think it's going to be close. Meaning, there's no way I'm taking Kelce or LaPorta in the second or third round when I can wait and grab Kincaid in the fifth or sixth round.
There's no real competition for targets in Buffalo, as both of Josh Allen's top two targets from last season (Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis) are gone. That leaves 241 targets up for grabs.
Tight end is a tough position to break through as a rookie because of the blocking responsibilities, so I'm expecting a huge leap for Kincaid in Year 2. Buffalo loved Kincaid and traded up to get him in the 2023 NFL Draft.
I can see a future where Allen and Kincaid develop a Mahomes-Kelce relationship. Why can't that start this year?
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray will finish as a Top 3 quarterback in fantasy football this season.
Quarterback is another position where I'm willing to wait and grab a player with high upside after all the usual suspects go in the earlier rounds. Right now, Murray is roughly a seventh or eighth round pick (depending on league size).
People have forgotten just how great Murray was at fantasy football just a couple of years ago. Is he a great real-life quarterback? No, not really. But he can put up numbers.
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is due for a massive bounce-back season that should payoff for fantasy football players in 2024.
(Rob Schumacher/Arizona Republic/USA Today Network)
Plus, it's clear he had a massive beef with the previous coaching staff, and he is moving into his second season under the new regime.
The team has worked to rebuild its offensive line, both through the draft and free agency, and picked Marvin Harrison, Jr. in the first round of this year's draft.
Dual-threat quarterbacks are very important to fantasy football scoring (particularly in four-point passing TD leagues), and Murray checks all the boxes.
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp will outscore teammate Puka Nacua.
What a difference a year can make! Just two years removed from winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, Kupp was a lock for a Top 5 pick in fantasy football drafts last year (prior to his injury).
But Kupp battled injuries all season and Nacua stepped in and posted a monster season.
However, it's ridiculous to think that Nacua is just now "the guy" in Los Angeles, when Kupp and Stafford have a well-established connection that isn't just going away.
Right now, Nakua is a borderline first round pick according to ADP (average draft position), while Kupp goes in the third or fourth round.
To me, Kupp in the third or fourth round is a far better value than Nacua in the first or second, and I think Kupp will even outscore Nakua this season.
That's it for now!
Good luck everyone in your fantasy football drafts this season. I hope every OutKick reader wins their league this season.