Something happened in Philadelphia in the 2nd half of the 2023 season. They had a melt down of epic proportions. After beating the Buffalo Bills in week 12, what looked to be the setting of more wins to come, and a path to the #1 seed in the NFC, they went on to lose 5 out of their final 6 games and got blown out of their divisional playoff game.
I think after some time to heal and get right, the Eagles will bounce back in 2024, and win the NFC East, and these fantasy stars will be a big reason why.
Philadelphia Eagles
L-R WR DaVonta Smith, QB Jalen Hurts, WR A.J. Brown.
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Most successful teams are led by an elite QB. Some may not feel Jalen Hurts is an elite QB, but he has been one of the best fantasy QBs the past couple of years. Whether Hurts is elite or not can be debated, but his fantasy numbers cannot.
In 2022, Hurts led all players in fantasy points per game. his 3,701 yards passing and 22 TDs, to go along with 760 yards rushing and 13 TDs, even having missed two games, got him there.
In 2023, he was able to play in all 17 games, compiling 3,858 yards passing and 23 TDs, with 605 yards rushing and 15 TDs, ranking him 2nd in both fantasy points per game, and total fantasy points. I see Hurts being a top 3 fantasy QB in 2024, as well.
Hurts was dealing with some injuries at the end of 2023, which was part of the reason of the Eagles demise. But now healthy, I think Hurts will have a bounce back season in 2024, and these two WRs are going to help him get there.
WR A.J. Brown fell off a bit in the second half of 2023 as well. I’m not sure if he was dealing with something, or if it was because Hurts wasn’t playing his best, or exactly what. He still managed to haul in a career high 106 passes, for 1,456 yards and 7 TDs, ranking 8th among WRs in total fantasy points. Brown only had one game after week 8 of 100+ yards receiving, so most of his damage was done in the first half of the season. I think he too will bounce back in 2024, and be a top 10 fantasy WR.
WR DaVonta Smith also had 1,000+ yards receiving and also scored 7 TDs. Smith is the Eagles WR2, and would make a fine WR2 on your fantasy team as well. In 2023 he ranked 22nd among WRs in total fantasy points, and I suspect he’ll be right around there again in 2024.
TE Dallas Goedert is Philadelphia’s low end fantasy scorer, probably because the rest of the team is taking all the point opportunities. Goedert’s big body and reliable hands can serve as Hurt’s safety blanket, when the play is busted. His biggest issue in fantasy is he can’t seem to stay on the field for an entire season, and he has too many teammates taking his touches.
The addition of RB Saquon Barkley is the biggest reason I believe the Eagles will be able to bounce back into Super Bowl contention. If, and I know that’s kind of big if, I knew Barkley could stay healthy all season, he’s in my top 5 ranking for running backs on the field and in fantasy. He’s fast, elusive, and has great vision. He’s also a pretty good receiver out of the backfield, which is what you want, when looking for fantasy RBs. He may not be the first RB off the board, but he wont last long.
Dallas Cowboys
L-R TE Jake Ferguson, QB Dak Prescott, WR Cee Dee Lamb
Like the Eagles, the Cowboys are loaded with talent. In fact, I have their QB and WR1 as my top fantasy combo in the NFL. Dallas, however isn’t loaded with fantasy stars, other than this duo.
QB Dak Prescott’s 4,516 yards passing and 36 TDs put him in the MVP race, and ranked him 3rd among QBs in fantasy. As long as he has #88 to throw to, I assume he’ll have a similar season in 2024.
WR Cee Dee Lamb (#88) was the best fantasy WR in 2023. He had 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 TDs and the highest number of total fantasy points among WRs. I don’t see any reason why Lamb wont start 2024 right where he left off in 2023. Lamb is a top 5 fantasy pick.
TE Jake Ferguson made a huge leap from 19 receptions in 2022 to 71 receptions in 2023. He finished the 2023 season ranked 8th among TEs in total fantasy points. I see a continual improvement in his game and a possible top 5 ranking among fantasy TEs in 2024.
WR Brandin Cooks is a big part of the Cowboy’s offense, but not much of a fantasy option. There are plenty of WRs in the league that are better options.
I believe the same goes with the returning to the team RB, Ezekiel Elliot. Someone will surely take a flyer on Elliot, but Elliot’s best days are far behind him. I would wait until much later rounds to take a risk on drafting him.
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Washington Commanders
QB Jayden Daniels at the 2024 NFL draft.
I believe the Commanders will be a much improved team, but not quite good enough yet to compete for a division title in 2024.
Washington used the #2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select who they believe to be the QB of the future for the organization, in Jayden Daniels. I believe Daniels has a bright future in the NFL, but rookie seasons are often filled with learning curves, and are rarely great fantasy options. Daniels certainly could be an exception, but he’s too risky of a fantasy pick for me, unless he’s available in later rounds.
A best friend to a quarterback can often be a good WR, and Terry McLaurin is just that. When I watch McLaurin play, I think, this guy is really good. He just hasn’t had an opportunity in his career yet to play with a high quality QB, or even an average QB, so his fantasy value is much lower than his actual talent. Maybe that all changes in 2024 with Daniels now under center. As far as a fantasy draft goes though, McLaurin remains a late round pick for me.
One of the most intriguing players in the NFL this year to me is RB Austin Ekeler. A good run game can also really help out a young QB like Daniels, but will Washington’s newly acquired Ekeler be good in 2024, though? He suffered a high ankle sprain in week 1 of 2023, and never seemed to get back into the same form that made him a consensus round 1 fantasy pick in 2021 & 2022.
Ekeler joins returning RB Brian Robinson Jr., who was able to produce over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 9 total TDs in the 15 games he played in. There’s a good chance this RB tandem helps the Commanders win some games, but hurts each other’s fantasy value.
New York Giants
Jayden Daniels’ teammate in college, WR Malik Nabers at the 2024 NFL draft.
Unfortunately for the #6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, WR Malik Nabers, he was drafted into possibly the worst offense in the NFL.
QB Daniel Jones had finally started to show some flashes of decent QB play in 2022, especially in fantasy, with his scrambling ability. However, he was only able to play in 6 games in 2023 due to injury, and reports are in 2024, he hasn’t looked good in camp.
The Giants acquired RB Devin Singletary, who has never rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season. He is as decent pass catching back, but his lack of size keeps him from being a reliable every down back, diminishing his fantasy value. I think there are plenty of other RBs I’d be interested in drafting before Singletary.
Thanks for checking out my article on the NFC East! I hope you found it interesting and helpful!As always, I’m always interested in your thoughts and opinions for and against. Please feel free to leave any comments below.
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