Fantasy Soccer – Altering of the guard at TE and eight different insights from the 2024 NFL season

As we consider the 2024 fantasy football season, we're asking our ESPN Fantasy writers to answer a few questions.

At the end of each season, it's important to identify trends and learn from the experiences you've had as a fantasy manager. Nine of our writers – Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates – are here to help in this endeavor.

What is your biggest takeaway from the 2024 fantasy season?

Dopp: We officially had a changing of the guard at tight end

Get used to that face on top of your tight end draft board. Trey McBride scored nearly 250 fantasy points in 2024 despite only scoring two touchdowns. Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire

Gone are the days when Travis Kelce lived comfortably at the top of that position. Young players like Trey McBride and Brock Bowers significantly outperformed him in 2024. While Kelce had six weekly finishes in the top three at the position this season, he also had ten finishes outside the top 12. The talent is still there, but the consistency has stalled and likely will next season won't get better when Kelce turns 36. In his place, Bowers just put together the best rookie tight end season we've ever seen in fantasy football, and McBride's third-year rise to 111 receptions and 1,146 receiving yards has caught the attention of fantasy managers.

Loza: Don't be obsessive about age, especially at the running back position

Editor's Tips

2 relatives

Some of the most productive producers this season have been proven veterans. In fact, seven of the top 15 fantasy RBs this year in terms of points per game were over 25, and four of them were over 27 (which is traditionally the age at which primary ball carriers begin to decline). Here is the list of 25+ players ranked by total fantasy points in 2024: Saquon Barkley (27), Derrick Henry (30), Alvin Kamara (29), Josh Jacobs (26), Joe Mixon (28), James Conner (29) and David Montgomery (27). These rushers – five of whom also finished in the top 15 in total touches – proved that volume (not age) is still crucial.

Karabell: Treat heavily drafted rookie QBs as potentially fantasy relevant

This is especially true for QBs who add value to the football, and we should expect everyone to start at some point in Year 1. Washington's Jayden Daniels wasn't a top-10 QB in most preseason drafts, and he was fantastic. Few people thought about Denver's Bo Nix or New England's Drake Maye on draft day. They were important. Chicago's Caleb Williams had his moments. Even Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr. started at the end, approaching the 25-point mark in Week 18.

Clay: Prioritize one of the Big 5 quarterbacks in the 2025 draft

The consistent performance of elite options like Lamar Jackson has made it more difficult to wait as a quarterback in fantasy drafts. Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

There is great parity among quarterbacks, but there are a handful that will make a difference and are worth prioritizing. Lamar Jackson (25.3 PPG), Josh Allen (22.3), Joe Burrow (21.9), Jalen Hurts (21.0) and Daniels (20.9) form a clear “Big 5” at the position for 2025 “ranking list. The sixth spot is wide open and you could make a case for at least a dozen players. We'll see how ADP performs, but prioritizing one of these five signalers will likely be one of my key strategies for 2025.

Bowen: Coaching and offensive systems are important at the quarterback position

Baker Mayfield (21.5 PPG), Jared Goff (19.1), and Sam Darnold (18.1) probably weren't on your draft board in 10-team leagues in August. I understand it. However, all three finished this season as top-10 QBs. For this reason, we need to take a closer look at playcallers and offensive systems in our draft preparation. Mayfield, Goff and Darnold operate in QB-friendly systems that cater to their characteristics as throwers – game flow, defined concepts, shooting plays. So if you're recruiting a quarterback late or even looking for a QB2 to slot on the bench, it's important to consider how the offensive system can maximize its capabilities.

Moody: Be more open to old faces in new places

This season has shown us many examples of free agents who have performed for the teams that signed them. Running backs like Barkley, Henry and Jacobs have all been successful in their roles. Aaron Jones, JK Dobbins and Tony Pollard were also influential. And don't overlook non-RBs like Darnold, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Mooney. They all proved to be great assets this season.

Cockcroft: Don't waste time looking for kickers and D/STs in the preseason

After finishing 17th among kickers in fantasy points in 2023, Chris Boswell broke the record for fantasy points by a kicker this season. Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire

If the mindset used to be, “Wait until the end to pick your kicker and defense,” let’s change it to not even bothering to scrutinize it. If your league even allows you to leave both spots open during the draft and all you need to do is sign a starter by Week 1, then do so. The two best kickers drafted this season (Harrison Butker, Justin Tucker), were a disaster on average, and while we did see a record for fantasy points at the position, it came from a kicker from Pittsburgh (Chris Boswell) … and he ended up there despite only scoring seven times all season one Top 10 weekly points scored at this position (tied for sixth place among kickers). On defense, the top two draft picks (Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys) were picked outside the top 15 and the top two scoring players (Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings) were selected 20th and 23rd. You can – and absolutely should – take a streaming approach to both spots, but even if you're considering either option, you shouldn't view either of them as set-it-and-forget-it options and be prepared to use them Quickly go through streaks, byes and determine matchup possibilities.

Bell: Don’t allow general “rules” to replace case-by-case analysis

It may seem obvious, but we have numerous fantasy mantras that guide our decision-making (myself included – we are all guilty of this to some degree) that may not be universally applicable. What particularly struck me this season was the refrain, “There are too many mouths to feed to maintain elite fantasy value.” Some teams defy this rule and generate enough offensive power to make multiple players valuable in fantasy. Case in point: The Detroit Lions, who have two running backs (Gibbs, Montgomery) and multiple pass catchers (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and, at times, Sam LaPorta) who fit the bill. There aren't many clubs that can reach this level – at least not consistently – but it's important for fantasy managers not to miss unique opportunities in the draft process because of a so-called rule.

Yates: The golden era of wide receivers is here

While Ja'Marr Chase claimed the three-receiving crown, he's not the only one at the top of the wide receiver mountain. Going into next season, you could make a case for one of the following players being a top-five wideout: Chase, Justin Jefferson, Puka Nacua, St. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Malik Nabers, Nico Collins, AJ Brown, Brian Thomas Jr. and even a few others. The position has emerging talent, established veterans who can still play great football, and players who are already in their prime. What a time!