Fantasy football leagues across the world aren’t going to be won or lost in 2024 by doing the same old thing you’ve always done when it comes to NFL teams.

If you follow the rules and do everything based on the same information everyone else has… your season is over before it even began.

Want your fantasy team to rise above the rest? Then it’s time to start thinking outside of the box. It’s time to start thinking about mixing things up a little bit. It’s time to be bold.

Here are five BOLD fantasy predictions (and one BOLD bonus prediction) for the 2024 season that will lift your team to the top.

1 Stay Far Away From the Falcons — All the Falcons

Atlanta’s messy offseason threatens to bleed into 2024 regular season

You know what’s not good? Inserting uncertainty into a situation where things already were on shaky ground. That’s what the Atlanta Falcons and first-year coach Raheem Morris managed to do in the offseason by drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall after signing free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason.

Something is totally off in Atlanta. Stay away from Cousins, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson… this team is the anti-rizz. They’re the fantasy version of the bubonic plague. They’re the fantasy version of a terrible Tinder date.

Stay far, far away from anything Falcon-related in 2024.

2 Travis Kelce’s 1,000-Yard Receiving Seasons are Over

Kelce ended streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2023

Eras Tour mainstay, future Pro Football Hall of Famer, and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce showed what it means to be a true team player when he made the decision not to play in the Chiefs’ regular-season finale in 2023 and ended his streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.

It paid off when Kelce was virtually unstoppable in the run to the Chiefs’ second consecutive Super Bowl.

As Kelce enters his 13th NFL season, fantasy owners should know that seasons of 1,000 receiving yards are probably a thing of the past for Kelce as the Chiefs try to make history by winning a third straight Super Bowl. With more weapons on offense like first-round pick Xavier Worthy and second-year receiver Rashee Rice, they’ll hopefully have to rely on him less during the regular season. At least they hope.

Also, Kelce turns 35 years old in October. Father time waits for no man.

3 Derrick Henry’s 1,000-Yard Rushing Seasons Are Over

Henry’s role is not clear enough for fantasy owners to feel confident about RB1 status

For all the people thinking the Baltimore Ravens now have an unstoppable running attack with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in the same backfield… you might be right. But we don’t think so.

Don’t look at Jackson as a quarterback in this case — think of him as a featured running back who needs a certain amount of carries to be effective. And when those carries go down, his overall effectiveness is going to go down.

Henry rushed for 1,167 yards in 2023 with the Tennessee Titans — the fifth time in his career he’s rushed for over 1,000 yards, including a 2,000-yard rushing season in 2020, when he was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Don’t expect Henry to top the 1,000-yard mark again.

4 Don’t Look For Another Puka Nacua in 2024

Fantasy owners will be falling over themselves to find the next star rookie WR

For fantasy owners looking for a player like Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua in this year’s draft — that player probably doesn’t exist. A fifth-round pick who sets the NFL rookie receiving yards record and is named NFL All-Pro? No way.

Try to temper your expectations and think more along the lines of who might have a chance to get between 700-1,000 receiving yards and 5-10 touchdowns … someone like Los Angeles Chargers rookie Brenden Rice.

It’s not flashy, but it will help your bottom line. New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley and Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey are other enticing rookie options.

5 Commanders Will Have the Most Improved Defense in 2024

Washington’s defense goes from being a “stay away” to a “maybe” play in fantasy

There was no team in the NFL who played defense worse than the Commanders in 2023. We feel confident that won’t be the case in 2024 and, more than that, it won’t even be close to being the case.

The Commanders added a pair of elite linebackers in free agency with Bobby Wagner Jr. and Frankie Luvu and already have a solid defensive line with Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Clelin Ferrell and Dorance Armstrong. They’re weak at cornerback, but that could turn around as well.

Defenses are usually pretty fluid pieces on a fantasy roster — meaning no one is ever really super attached to what they’ve got. The Commanders should elevate to “play them in a pinch” status this season.

6 BONUS: Dalton Kincaid Ascends to Join NFL’s Elite Tight Ends

Kincaid is Buffalo’s most reliable returning pass-catcher after Diggs trade

PFF has Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid ranked as the seventh-best tight end option in the NFL. We respectfully disagree.

Without familiarity with a new group of wide receivers, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen is going to rely on Kincaid early and often. Kincaid set Buffalo’s receptions record for both tight ends and rookies with 73 catches last year for 673 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns — numbers that will almost certainly go up.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise. All salary info via Spotrac.

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