10 Fantasy Football Questions Entering NFL Preseason

OK, still not sure why anyone would pay to witness it first-hand, but …

Here’s your first prediction for the 2024 NFL season: The exhibition games will have meaning. 

Seriously, they will. At least from a fantasy perspective.

Among the hundreds of here-today, gone-tomorrow hopefuls, NFL teams will have to take one thing seriously this summer: Kickoffs. 

New rules will produce kickoff-return touchdowns this season. Real, scripted touchdowns. And as a result, drafting a defense/special teams in fantasy takes on a whole new significance.

We have no idea which teams will take greatest advantage of this new form of entertainment, which will embarrass themselves trying, and which will continue to treat kickoffs as a waste of time. 

But soon we will. 

That’s because teams will need to practice this new gimmick as often as possible, prompting kickoffs, of all things, to jump to the head of the line on the short list of Biggest Reasons to Watch a Preseason Game.

Fantasy owners looking for an edge are encouraged to tune in. Determining which team is most likely to lead the league in kickoff-return TD’s ranks right up there with the most important training-camp questions whose answers can win and lose fantasy titles.

Here are nine others:

What’s up with the disgruntled wide receivers?

Are you risking the second pick in the fantasy draft on CeeDee Lamb? A second-rounder on Brandon Aiyuk? Last year, fantasy owners let Jonathan Taylor, making similar threats but at a different position, slip to the middle rounds. Big mistake. By season’s end, he was rushing for 188 yards on Fantasy Championship Weekend. Suggestion: Don’t cross Lamb and Aiyuk off draft lists just yet.

Who is Cam Jurgens?

How much will the Eagles miss Jason Kelce? Was the all-pro center the reason no team tush-pushed better last year, vaulting Jalen Hurts up the fantasy rankings? Or can Jurgens step in and be the replacement spark plug that keeps the engine purring? On fourth-and-1 in the Eagles’ preseason opener, judge for yourself.

Does Caleb Williams look ready?

Today's fantasy quarterback tends to be more of a middle-round game manager, picked to complement an All-Star collection of wideouts and flex options. 

Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Jared Goff and C.J. Stroud all came cheaply and excelled in this role last year. The highly skilled Williams could be that guy this season … if new coordinator Shane Waldron unleashes him to be his next Russell Wilson.

Is Aaron Rodgers healthy?

Before the first commercial break of the 2023 season, the Jets went from an intriguing offense to a punting machine. It could happen again if Rodgers joins a long line of 40-somethings that were never the same after an Achilles blow-out. 

The high-rent fantasy futures of Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson ride on the Jets’ ability to keep Tyrod Taylor off the field.

What’s the eye-test say about Derrick Henry and Ezekiel Elliott?

Rest assured, the Ravens and Cowboys will have productive running games. They always do. The question is: Will they be fantasy-friendly? If Henry and Elliott can turn back the clock to their workhorse-like days, they’d be an asset to any fantasy lineup.

Any clue what’s going on with the Dolphins and Chargers?

 These offenses have little in common, except uncertainty at running back. That’s not to be confused with a lack of fantasy promise at the position. If he can stay healthy, DeVon Achane could be a Fantasy MVP candidate on the Dolphins’ track team. And on the other coast, you know Jim Harbaugh is going to pound the rock. But will he commit to Kimani Vidal from Day 1?

Can Jonathan Brooks be this year’s Bijan Robinson?

The answer was yes when University of Texas fans asked that very question a year ago. 

A similar green light this fall could position him to be a fantasy difference-maker in the middle rounds. Don’t look now, but the Panthers actually have offensive weapons this year.

Can Keon Coleman be this year’s Keenan Allen?

We should have anticipated big things from Allen last season, being that his quarterback was one of the best, Justin Herbert. Coleman is attached to an even better one, Josh Allen, on a team that lost its top two wideouts from a year ago. Sending the first pass of the preseason the rookie’s way could be the “buy” sign we need.

Is there any separation between Green Bay and Houston?

Starting with Love and Stroud, the Packers and Texans should be pure gold in the passing game this season. But fantasy favors quality over quantity. So here’s hoping the preseason helps us figure out: Who’s the blue-chipper among Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell? Help!