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9 Players Trending Up & Down (2024 Fantasy Football)

9 Players Trending Up & Down (2024 Fantasy Football)

With the NFL Scouting Combine underway, the fantasy offseason continues to roll on, and today, we are looking at players who are trending up and trending down.

Each offseason, certain players emerge as the darlings of the fantasy world. Their previous season’s performances propelled them upward in the rankings and into the spotlight of fantasy relevance. Conversely, others find themselves on the downturn, with their once-promising outlooks fading as they struggle to meet expectations. For some others, age and injuries are putting their fantasy value on a downward trend.

The following list includes a few players from my top offseason offense to buy into, as well as a surprise QB that I think you should stay away from.

9 Players Trending Up & Down (2024 Fantasy Football)

Trending Up

Jordan Love (QB – GB)

There will be a couple of Packers on this list, but I think Jordan Love is the best bet to live up to the hype. He finished second in the NFL with 32 touchdown passes and only threw one interception in his last eight games. Beginning in Week 11, he had an 18:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, leading Green Bay to the playoffs. From there, his 272 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Wild Card game helped the Packers blow by the heavily favored Cowboys.

Love looks like he is the next great Green Bay quarterback, and in fantasy, he might have more appeal than his predecessors because of the rushing upside. Love will be my top quarterback target in redraft leagues this year.

Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

Chase Brown reminds me a bit of Tony Pollard from a year ago at this time. Brown was mostly a footnote in the box score for the Bengals through the first 10 games of this season, and he was a DNP from Week 8 through Week 11.

However, over his last six games, he amassed 322 total yards, proving himself to be a capable pass-catcher in the process. Cincinnati could be moving on from Joe Mixon in 2024, which would make Brown the presumptive starter heading into the offseason. While the Bengals would almost certainly bring in another running back, Brown has put himself in position to be among the top risers in fantasy after being a popular sleeper rookie pick in dynasty leagues last year.

James Cook (RB – BUF)

The Bills’ commitment to James Cook as their top running back coincided with them making a run to the Divisional Round. I would expect Cook to start 2024 the way he left off. That means a floor of 15 touches per game with room for significantly more.

Cook had over 1,500 total yards last season, but there is room for growth in his fantasy profile, as he finished with just six touchdowns. His helium stems from the idea that Buffalo gives him high-leverage touches inside the 10-yard line, and he bumps his touchdown number. If that happens, he is a top-five running back for fantasy.

Najee Harris (RB – PIT)

Najee Harris has been somewhat underrated in fantasy circles, and it mostly stems from him being a first-round pick in 2021. The fact is, he’s rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, and he has yet to miss a game. He isn’t flashy, and he might not even be the best running back on his own team.

Still, with Arthur Smith coming in to be Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, Harris will be fed often. The Steelers also have to find a way to hide Kenny Pickett as much as possible, so they will be leaning on Harris (and Jaylen Warren) quite a bit in 2024. His durability and projected workload have him trending in the right direction.

Dontayvion Wicks (WR – GB)

I could probably list every Green Bay receiver in this article, but I am putting Dontayvion Wicks here because he is in the same bucket as Brown. After making minimal impact early in the season, Wicks came on late and was one of Green Bay’s top receivers down the stretch. He finished the year with 39 catches for 581 yards, catching three touchdowns in his final two regular-season games.

Wicks will have plenty of competition for targets, with Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs both emerging as well. Still, I am in on any receiver tied to Love, and Wicks will be significantly discounted compared to his teammates.

Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL)

Here we go again, getting excited about Kyle Pitts. After Pitts recorded just the second 1000-yard season ever for a rookie tight end, expectations were absurdly high. Then Pitts posted just 368 yards during an injury-shortened 2022, and he underwhelmed again last year as the coaching staff struggled to utilize their best players effectively. It didn’t help that Atlanta has had some horrendous quarterback play the last two seasons, too.

Now, however, Smith is gone, and the Falcons appear poised to do whatever is necessary to upgrade at the quarterback position. They also brought in Zac Robinson to run the offense, which should be a massive upgrade from the stubborn Smith. Pitts still has elite athletic ability, and a few tweaks in the Falcons scheme and personnel will do wonders for him heading into next season.

2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide

Trending Down

Brock Purdy (QB – SF)

Fair or not, Brock Purdy’s stock will slip heading into next year because he couldn’t elevate the 49ers offense when they needed him most. The perception of Purdy is that San Francisco won despite of him in the playoffs, which will sour managers heading into 2024 fantasy drafts. This is despite the fact that he was fourth in the NFL in passing yards and he tossed 31 touchdowns last year. If Purdy’s stock falls far enough, he will make for a nice buy-low, as the 49ers will still have a loaded offense for him to work with.

J.K. Dobbins (RB – FA)

Sadly, it looks like J.K. Dobbins will never reach his potential as an NFL running back. He is now coming off of a second season-ending leg injury. In 2021, it was an ACL tear in preseason, and last year, he tore his Achilles in Week 1.

The Ravens are likely to move on from him in the offseason. While he should still find his way onto a roster, I would be shocked if it were as more than a backup or committee running back. It’s a shame because Dobbins looked like he had all the makings of a fantasy stud coming out of Ohio State, but knee and lower leg injuries are the death knell for most running backs.

Darren Waller (TE – NYG)

I will admit that I loved Darren Waller heading into 2023, but after yet another disappointing season where he missed multiple games due to injury, the time has come to downgrade him. Since his 2020 season, where he finished as the TE2 and had 107 catches, Waller has not managed to catch over 55 passes and has missed 18 games. He will turn 32 at the start of next season, and if all that wasn’t enough, Daniel Jones will be his quarterback. Sadly, Waller’s days as a top fantasy tight end are well behind him at this point.

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Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.

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