My Yahoo Fantasy Football Draft Grade & Recap (2024)

2024 Rank: 14 - 2023 Rank: 14

The Eagles didn't mind letting D'Andre Swift walk in free agency once it was clear Barkley would finally hit the open market, and now Philadelphia has taken a strong running game and made it stronger yet. Barkley walks into the most favorable playing circ*mstances of his NFL career, which has been slowed both by injuries and various difficulties of playing in the Giants offense. Even after the retirement of center Jason Kelce, the Eagles offensive line should be a big upgrade over what Barkley had in New York, with the four returning starters in Philadelphia including standout OTs Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. Barkley's three-year, $37.75 million contract is one befitting a workhorse running back, so his per-game usage should exceed Swift's from 2023 -- 229 carries and 49 targets in 16 games. The downside in Philadelphia is that QB Jalen Hurts takes a lot of the goal-line carries and turns potential check-down passes into scrambles, but it's possible that scales back some this season (under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore), which would then allow Barkley to score more easy fantasy points than Swift did last year.

2024 Rank: 12 - 2023 Rank: 12

Henry is 30 years old with over 2,000 carries in the NFL -- two thresholds you don't like to see for a running back. It's reasonable and even conventional to fear that Henry's rare athletic abilities might fall off a cliff soon, and there's no shortage of ugly decline cases among running backs. Henry might prove an exception, because as a 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back with incredible anchor he rarely takes the worst of any hit. The nondescript tackles and falls also take a toll, but will they affect Henry at the same rate that they would a mortal running back? If not, Henry should thrive in a Baltimore offense that already forces defenses to make difficult choices defending the run. With that said, even a strong season from Henry would likely entail one major shortcoming, as he's never been a high-volume target and will now play with a QB that's never thrown many passes to running backs. His TD projection, on the other hand, is among the league's best, as he scored at least 10 times each of the past six seasons and now joins an offense in which Gus Edwards had 13 TDs on 198 carries last year. With Edwards gone to the Chargers and 2023 rookie standout Keaton Mitchell recovering from a late-season ACL tear, Henry doesn't have much competition for carries from his fellow running backs, but sharing an offense with QB Lamar Jackson likely precludes leading the league in carries for a fifth time.

2024 Rank: 49 - 2023 Rank: 49

Diggs had at least 103 catches, 1,183 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in each of his four seasons in Buffalo, but a mixture of off-field tension and scheme-fit concerns inspired the Bills to trade him to Houston this spring. He now finds himself competing for targets with fellow wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, forming a Big 3 that might make it difficult for any one player to earn a dominant target share. Diggs is unlikely to match his Buffalo volume (154-166 targets each year) but could nonetheless rebound strong from a poor finish to 2023. He was actually on pace for his best season yet through two months last year, before his production fell off a cliff when the Bills switched offensive coordinators. Each of Diggs' five 100-yard games for the season came within the first six weeks, and he scored just one TD after Joe Brady's promotion to offensive coordinator. Diggs will be on a new team for his age-30/31 season and may have just started his decline phase, but he'll at least have the familiar benefit of a top quarterback, catching passes from 2023 rookie sensation C.J. Stroud.

2024 Rank: 50 - 2023 Rank: 50

Over the past three seasons, Andrew ranks in the top three among tight ends for receiving yards (2,752), targets (327), receiving touchdowns (20) and red-zone targets (54), despite missing seven games due to a leg/ankle injury in 2023. There are more mouths to feed in Baltimore thanks to the addition of RB Derrick Henry and rapid development of WR Zay Flowers, but Andrews should continue to be Lamar Jackson's first look often, especially in the red zone. And while backup tight end Isaiah Likely filled in admirably when Andrews got hurt last season, Likely figures to get snaps in multi-TE formations more so than cutting into Andrews' playing time. Andrews has surpassed 852 yards only once in six NFL seasons, making his 1,361-yard campaign in 2021 look like an anomaly, but he's still one of the safest options at tight end, entering his age-29 campaign with a chance to make it six years in a row with at least 50 yards per game and five TDs.

2024 Rank: 36 - 2023 Rank: 36

Waddle topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons and is well positioned to do so again this year. He had 140 targets but only a 6.8 aDOT and 9.8 yards per catch as a rookie, before settling in the past two years with higher efficiency, less overall volume and a deeper average target depth. Waddle even led the league with 18.1 yards per catch in 2022, finishing with a 75-1,356-8 line on 117 targets (11.6 YPT) in Tyreek Hill and Mike McDaniel's first season in Miami. Waddle missed three games last year and saw his efficiency decline from league-leading to merely excellent (9.8 YPT), with the result being 342 fewer yards and four fewer TDs in three fewer games (a 72-1,014-4 line on 104 targets across 14 appearances). He still finished Top 5 in yards per route, with 2.88 actually being slightly more than in 2022 (2.64 YPRR). Waddle is one of the fastest players in the league and has the talent to be a No. 1 receiver, but he may have to settle for No. 2 volume again because he's still sharing an offense with Hill, De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert.

2024 Rank: 93 - 2023 Rank: 93

The No. 1 pick in this year's draft, Williams was quickly named the starter as the Bears began a new era after trading away QB Justin Fields. At 6-1, 215, Williams has a rocket arm and can accurately connect to all parts of the field or keep plays alive with his mobility and throw on the run with velocity. If there's a criticism, it's that Williams invites trouble by sometimes holding the ball too long or scrambling around to try to make a big play. That approach may be ill-advised at times, but in fantasy terms it only figures to supplement his value. The Bears made sure to surround Williams with plenty of talent, which typically hasn't been the case for No. 1 overall picks. After trading for WR Keenan Allen and signing TE Gerald Everett, the Bears continued upgrading their pass-catching corps with the addition of ninth overall pick Rome Odunze, who ran a 4.45 40 at 6-3, 212. The Bears also return their top pass catchers from last year, WR DJ Moore and TE Cole Kmet, and they upgraded in the backfield with dual-threat D'Andre Swift. New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron didn't exactly light it up in Seattle the last few years, but he has everything he needs to scheme success for Williams.

2024 Rank: 78 - 2023 Rank: 78

Not much went right for the Chargers last year, but Allen was good as ever while seeing more volume than ever before -- well on his way to numerous career highs before a heel injury kept him out Weeks 15-18. He had new personal bests for yards per game (95.6) and PPR scoring average (21.5), with Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill being the only players to score more PPR points per game. Allen's 11.5 targets per game were both a personal high and league-high, with the Chargers unable to run the ball and devoid of other receiving talent after Mike Williams suffered an ACL tear Week 3. After serving as the far-and-away top option for a veteran quarterback last year, Allen finds himself in a much different situation for his age-32 season, sharing an offense with rookie QB Caleb Williams and talented wide receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. As a result, Allen seems unlikely to match his target volume from last year (150) even if he plays all 17 games instead of only 13.

2024 Rank: 175 - 2023 Rank: 175

Tucker is the gold standard for NFL kickers, with his 90.2 career FG percentage being the best in league history He's never finished worse than ninth at the position in fantasy scoring, and he tied for third last season in what was a relative down year by his lofty standards. Tucker made just one of his five kicks from 50-plus yards in 2023, after going 15-for-20 over the previous two seasons. It might've been the start of his decline -- or maybe an irrelevant, small-sample blip -- but either way he remained accurate on short and mid-range kicks en route to another strong fantasy season. Few kickers, if any, offer a similar combination of leg strength, accuracy and favorable team context.

2024 Rank: 199 - 2023 Rank: 199

The Dolphins had plenty of star power on defense last year for veteran coordinator Vic Fangio, but things didn't go as planned and the team ultimately relied on its high-powered offense. Star CB Jalen Ramsey missed the first seven games due to a meniscus tear, and top edge rushers Jaelen Phillips (Achilles) and Bradley Chubb (ACL) suffered season-ending injuries in the second half of the year. CB Xavien Howard also struggled with injuries and has since been replaced by Kendall Fuller opposite Ramsey. The Dolphins lost DT Christian Wilkins, LB Jerome Baker, and S Brandon Jones in the offseason, but they added veteran linebackers Anthony Walker and Jordyn Brooks, former Bills safety Jordan Poyer, DL Calais Campbell and rookie edge rusher Chop Robinson (21st overall). First-time defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, hired away from the Ravens, has a solid group to work with even if Chubb might not be available early in the season.

2024 Rank: 122 - 2023 Rank: 122

Chubb went down Week 2 last season with ACL, MCL and meniscus tears in his left knee, starting a lengthy rehab process that included a follow-up surgery Nov. 14. He faces a challenge to be ready for the early part of the 2024 season, but it's worth mentioning that he already overcame an injury of similar severity in 2015 when he played at Georgia. The bad news there is that the first injury was also a tear of his left knee, and while Chubb came back the next season he wasn't quite as dominant as in his other college campaigns. Between Chubb's first, second and fourth years at Georgia he averaged 6.8 yards per carry. In his third season, the one after the knee injury, he averaged 5.0 YPC. He might be able to avoid a similar decline if the rehab process isn't rushed this summer/fall, but that would also mean holding him out and/or restricting his workloads early in the season. Jerome Ford may get another chance to lead Cleveland's backfield, at least temporarily, with D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong providing competent depth. If you're drafting Chubb in fantasy it should probably be as a bench stash to eventually help out in November and December, not with any expectation of starting early in the season.

2024 Rank: 111 - 2023 Rank: 111

Tagovailoa led the league with 4,629 passing yards last year and threw for 29 touchdowns, both career highs, playing a full season for the first time after previously struggling with injuries. He was one of the league's most efficient quarterbacks, with 8.3 yards per attempt ranking second after he led the NFL with 8.9 YPA the previous year. Although he had a modest number of pass attempts (32.9 per game, 16th in the league), his accuracy (76.8 on-target percentage, 3rd) and frequent downfield targets (35 percent of attempts went beyond 10 yards, 4th) allowed for the impressive efficiency. He was the league's most accurate QB on attempts beyond 20 yards and threw 10 touchdowns on downfield passes, which also led the league. Deep opportunities should be abundant again this season in an offense with speed demon wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Tight-end acquisition Jonnu Smith adds another weapon, and the backfield remains dangerous with Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. It's a good situation for efficiency, but Tagovailoa still doesn't have a high fantasy ceiling, as he rarely runs and isn't likely to finish among the league leaders in pass attempts under coach Mike McDaniel.

2024 Rank: 241 - 2023 Rank: 241

Hopkins had the best season of a lengthy career in 2023, converting 33 of 36 field-goal attempts for the Browns, including each of eight tries from 50-plus yards. The quantity of longer kicks may have been a bigger surprise than his excellent accuracy, as Hopkins was known for short-range consistency more so than leg strength throughout his six and a half seasons in Washington. He then spent parts of two seasons with the Chargers before landing in Cleveland, where he finished second among kickers in fantasy points per game last season (but then missed the final two games and the playoffs with a hamstring injury). The Browns re-signed Cade York during the offseason, potentially giving Hopkins some strong-legged competition if he slips up during training camp or the preseason.

2024 Rank: 146 - 2023 Rank: 146

Hill was a fantasy goldmine in 2020 and 2021, when he started nine games at quarterback while maintaining TE eligibility in some fantasy formats. He's unlikely to get another such opportunity, but Hill continues to generate most of his fantasy value from under center, running for 976 yards and 11 TDs over the past two seasons as a wildcat QB. After three straight years with 13 of fewer targets, Hill took far more TE snaps last season and responded with career highs for catches (33), receiving yards (291) and targets (40). More pass-catching opportunities could surface early in the 2024 campaign with tight end Juwan Johnson uncertain for Week 1 after summer foot surgery, but the 34-year-old's fantasy value may ultimately remain tied to his rushing production under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

2024 Rank: 247 - 2023 Rank: 247

Lou Anarumo enters his sixth year as Cincinnati's defensive coordinator, following a challenging 2023 season in which the Bengals defense regressed significantly: they ranked 31st in yardage, 21st in points allowed and 18th in fantasy scoring. The struggles in the secondary were exacerbated by S Jessie Bates' departure to Atlanta and CB Chidobe Awuzie's rocky return from an ACL tear, but the biggest problem was the run defense plummeting to 26th in yards allowed and 31st in yards per carry (a stark decline from top-10 rankings the previous year with a similar front-seven lineup). The Bengals' secondary is poised for improvement this season after signing safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone, which allows 2022 first-round pick Dax Hill to shift back to cornerback, his natural position. With reliable slot corner Mike Hilton and promising young starters Cameron Taylor-Britt and Jordan Battle, the main question for Cincinnati's secondary is who will secure the final starting cornerback spot between Hill and DJ Turner. The Bengals boast a strong pass rush from Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard and B.J. Hill, which means there's legitimate hope for a defensive turnaround and a return to fantasy value.

2024 Rank: 105 - 2023 Rank: 105

Hopkins joined the Titans on a two-year contract last offseason and immediately jumped in with a huge target share in a run-heavy offense. He was never the fastest wideout and perhaps had lost a half step since his prime, but Hopkins mostly looked like his old self during his age-31 campaign, easily leading a subpar passing attack in targets (137), catches (75), yards (1,057) and touchdowns (seven). After thriving as a possession receiver in Arizona, he surprisingly saw a league-high 39 targets 20-plus yards downfield, in part because rookie QB Will Levis had a league-high 10.8 aDOT. Hopkins had TD catches of 61, 47 and 16 yards in Levis' first start, and while the rookie threw only four more touchdowns the rest of the season, three of those went to Hopkins (giving him six of eight overall). The Titans passing game has a chance to be much improved with Levis entering his second season under new coach Brian Callahan, but some of the improvements -- namely signing Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd -- hint at Hopkins seeing reductions in his massive target share (28.7 percent) and air-yard share (43.4 percent) from 2023. It is possible better efficiency and/or more overall team passing volume could make up for those losses, but there's no guarantee given Hopkins' age.