This may be the weakest division in the NFL, with probably the fewest fantasy stars. Tampa Bay won the division in 2023 at 9-8, and then had a huge playoff win against the Philadelphia Eagles. Tampa could line up to win the division again in 2024, but I think Atlanta has made the acquisitions necessary to move past them and win the division. So who are the fantasy stars who will make that happen?
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Atlanta Falcons
WR Drake London celebrating with RB Bijan Robinson.
Atlanta’s big acquisition this past off season was QB Kirk Cousins. The Falcon’s finished the 2023 season at 7-10 with less than par quarterback play. The addition of Cousins should be a huge boost for both the team, and the fantasy value for the skill players around him. Cousins himself is a low end fantasy starter, mostly because he is a pocket passer, but he will greatly exceed the level of quarterback play the Falcon’s have grown accustom to.
WR Drake London was Atlanta’s #1 draft pick in 2022, 8th overall. London came with big expectations, but due to lack of quality quarterback play, he hasn’t put up those big numbers yet that he’s probably capable of putting up. I’m expecting London’s best season yet, with Cousins behind center.
Another pass catcher who should benefit from the addition of Cousins is TE Kyle Pitts. Pitts was Atlanta’s #1 draft pick in 2021, 4th overall. Pitts also had big expectations, and also has not lived up to those expectations due to poor play from his quarterback. 2024 may very well be Pitts’ big break out season also.
They always say, a good run game opens up the passing game. Well a good passing game also opens up the run game. So RB Bijan Robinson might also be a beneficiary of the arrival of Cousins. Aside from just coming up short of 1,000 yards rushing his rookie season of 2023, Robinson also had 58 receptions for 487 yards, which was the 4th most among RBs. Robinson should be a top 10 fantasy RB in 2024.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR Mike Evans (13) takes a bow, while QB Baker Mayfield (6) and RB Rachaad White look on.
QB Baker Mayfield seems to have finally found a home in Tampa Bay, where he had a career year in 2023. The Bucs were happy enough with his performance that they decided to sign him to a 3-year extension.
In 2023, Mayfield threw for 4,000+ yards for the 1st time in his career. He also had 28 TDs, which is also a career high. These stats led to a career high in fantasy points for Mayfield. How does that compare to other QBs in fantasy? Not great. He was ranked 10th in total fantasy points, and 19th in fantasy points per game, So Mayfield is probably just a backup QB at best. But similarly to many QBs we’ve covered so far, the question is, how will he affect the fantasy points scored by the cast around him?
The seemingly ageless wonder, WR Mike Evans, doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Evans has topped 1,000+ yards receiving in all 10 of his NFL seasons. In 2023, his 79 receptions were good for 1,255 yards and a league leading 13 receiving TDs. He ranked 4th in total fantasy points and 8th in fantasy points per game, among WRs in non-ppr leagues. I think Evans can be a top 10 WR in fantasy still in 2024, but I would lean closer to 10th, than 1st.
Evans and WR Chris Godwin have played opposite of each other since 2017, and have been one of the better WR duos in the NFL over that span.
Godwin has topped 1,000+ receiving yards in 4 of his previous 5 seasons. He actually had more receptions than Evans in 2023 (83), but his lack of TDs make him a less viable fantasy WR. Godwin is worth a draft pick, just in the later rounds.
The guy I’m actually really high on for the Bucs is RB Rachaad White. White finished the 2023 season with the 4th most yards from scrimmage, with 1,539, and also had 9 total TDs, ranking him 8th in total fantasy points among RBs. White is a big part of the Buc’s passing game as well as the run game, so he’s almost sure to get a high volume of touches. I think White is a late 1st round pick.
New Orleans Saints
RB Alvin Kamara (41), WR Chris Olave (12) and QB Derek Carr (4) will be the Saints focal points on offense in 2024.
The Saints defense may keep them in some football games, but fantasy wise, there’s little to be desired.
They released all pro WR Michael Thomas, after 7 years with the Saints. Thomas started his career like a Hall of Fame receiver, including an all time season record of 149 receptions in 2019. He just hasn’t been able to stay on the field ever since, so his release was imminent.
They seem to have replaced him with the brothers of all pro receivers, who, unfortunately for the Saints, are not all pro themselves. (Samson Nacu, brother of Puka, and Equanimeous St. Brown, brother of Amon-Ra) Neither seem to have any fantasy value at this time.
QB Derek Carr was acquired by the Saints in 2023, after 9 seasons with the Raiders. Carr is a decent QB on the field, but has little fantasy value.
It looks like Carr’s #1 target will now be WR Chris Olave, who will enter his 3rd season in the NFL, all being with the Saints. Olave topped 1,000+ yards receiving in both of his previous 2 seasons. In 2023, he was ranked mid twenties in both total fantasy points, and fantasy points per game. I’d imagine that goes up a bit, as he’ll get more targets being WR1 for the Saints.
RB Alvin Kamara has been a fantasy stud since his rookie season of 2017. If your league is PPR, Kamara is your guy. He missed 4 games in 2023, so his total fantasy points were down. He was only 14th in fantasy points per game, in non-PPR leagues. Kamara might be starting to slow down a bit. He has never rushed for over 1,000 yards, but has also never had less than 1,000 yards from scrimmage. I would wait for the 2nd round before drafting Kamara anymore.
Carolina Panthers
QB Bryce Young (9) in the middle of the huddle with RB Miles Sanders (6) and WR Adam Thielen (19) to the right.
Unfortunately for Panther fans, this is going to be another long year. Carolina went 2-15 in 2023, and I don’t see it getting much better in 2024.
The Panthers had the #1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and selected QB Bryce Young. This may prove to be a huge mistake for this organization for years to come. Young struggled mightily in 2023, so it’s yet to be seen if he’s even going to be a starting QB in the NFL for long. Unless he makes a huge leap in 2024, he has no fantasy value.
Veteran WR Adam Thielen had a resurgence year in 2023, with 103 receptions for 1,014 yards, but only had an average of 7.5 fantasy points per game. Despite Thielen’s 100+ receptions and 1,000+ yards, he has lost a step, and I’ll pass on him altogether at this point in his career .
The Panthers acquired WR Diontae Johnson, who should take targets away from Thielen, which is another reason why I’ll pass on him. Johnson has similar numbers to Thielen, but is younger and will probably get more targets than Thielen. Johnson is a low end bench guy, especially with an unproven QB.
RB Miles Sanders had some good days in Philadelphia, but was of no fantasy value in 2023 as a Panther. Probably more of the same in 2024.
It looks like RB Chuba Hubbard has taken the lead role in the Panthers backfield, but is a lower end RB. He’ll have minimum opportunities to score, as the Panthers wont be in position to score often.
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I hope you enjoyed my article on the NFC South, and found it to be informative. I always enjoy hearing your opinions where you agree or disagree. Feel free to comment below! Be sure to look for my next article covering the NFC East.