The Fantasy Footballers’ My Guys for 2024

The day has finally arrived – it’s My Guys time!! Welcome into a decade of My Guys, with 90 names chosen, representing every NFL team except one – the Atlanta Falcons. Maybe next year, friends.  Andy, Mike, and Jason discuss their picks and why they believe their guys are due for incredible seasons and could be a massive value for drafters in fantasy this year.

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Andy’s My Guys

Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans

Andy starts us off with someone we all could have guessed for him – Calvin Ridley. SHOCKING. This is Andy’s Mike Evans pick from last year, and we all know how that ended up. Ridley is currently going in the seventh round, and Andy is getting him wherever he can. He signed the largest free agent contract given to a WR from a new team since 2016, and his opportunities look to increase with DeAndre Hopkins getting injured.

QB Will Levis had the highest depth of target last season, boding well for Ridley in a similar way that Baker did for Mike Evans last year. Jacksonville didn’t know how to utilize Ridley, and the Titans will be allowing Levis to chuck the ball and use Ridley in a way that he can shine. Ridley had the second most red zone targets in 2023, and Andy is encouraging everyone to jump on the hype train. At the very least, you are getting a WR3, but you might be getting someone with top-12 potential.

Big value.

Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants

Malik Nabers is NOT an affordable family car. It was a tough decision for Andy on Nabers because the question with this player is the draft price and the situation in New York. There are over 200 vacated targets in New York this season, and all of the Ballers are projecting Nabers to hit 25% or more target share. Over the last decade, 12 rookie WRs hit at least a 23% target share, and most of those players were on teams that did not make it to the playoffs. 

You have a shot at a true alpha with Nabers, and if you play on ESPN, it is straight-up theft as he is going in the middle of the fifth round, a full round behind Alvin Kamara, Rachaad White, and Josh Jacobs. If you take Nabers, you know he will not end up where you drafted him.

Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders

Tank Bigsby. Just kidding. Andy closes out his My Guys with Jayden Daniels, Washington’s rookie QB. There is so much that makes Daniels unique, including the price. The price on Daniels right now is the price of Anthony Richardson of last season, in the 10th round, and he will run.

Daniels has 43% of his team’s rushing yards in college, which is the third highest for a first-round QB. He also posted the highest scramble rate of any college QB in the last season over the last decade, and QB scrambles equal fantasy points. He lands Kliff Kingsbury as his coach, who got Kyler Murray to QB7 as a rookie. You should be actively targeting this player going into your drafts, saying you will build an amazing roster, and then take Jayden Daniels for QB.

Jason’s My Guys

De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

Jason surprises no one with De’Von Achane. This is a risky pick, but Jason ain’t no coward. True, there are concerns if you pull the trigger on Achane – he is listed as the co-starter and has the potential to get injured, but the upside is obscene, and we play fantasy football to win. Jason is not concerned about the usage; on first downs last year, the Dolphins had two RBs on the field 48% of the time, which was number one in the NFL and the most since FBs were a regular thing.

Achane led NFL RBs in yards per touch last season with 7.7 and averaged over 15 opportunities per game alongside Raheem Mostert. Along with the long runs that Achane will give fantasy managers, he is also a pass-catcher – he was targeted on 24% of his routes last year. The biggest year for RB breakouts is year two, and Jason is ready for Achane’s coming-out party.

Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

If you are too nervous to draft Achane, Jason suggests you check out Isiah Pacheco. Pacheco has had solid workload and efficiency numbers all year in 2023, with 18.1 opportunities a game and seventh among all RBs in red zone touches. 

The Chiefs’ offense and Patrick Mahomes should bounce back this season, and the team loves an RB in a pass-catching role. Pacheco had 49 targets last year, and he led qualified RBs in terms of catch rate. This team has made it clear that Pacheco is their guy, having him take over in the playoffs, and he should be a genuine bell cow in a phenomenal offense.

Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans

Tank Dell had the same amount of top-12 fantasy performances in 11 games played as Davante Adams or Brandon Aiyuk had in the entire season. Injury was the only thing that brought him down, and before that, he was the WR10 in fantasy points per game. There might be concern about Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs out on the field with Dell, but in games with Collins on the field last year, Dell had the higher target share, air yards share, and fantasy points per game average.

Dell had a nice big play in the first preseason game that gave people comfort after experiencing that freak injury last season. Thanks, Dameon Pierce.

Mike’s My Guys

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Mike opens up with Kyler Murray, and this is not a homer pick. Kyler just turned 27 years old, and we have all forgotten just how good Murray is when healthy. When Kyler returned last season, the 1-8 Arizona Cardinals became a top-10 offense. Mix in the Cardinals’ propensity to go for two-point conversions and on fourth down, and you have a delightfully fantasy-friendly situation.

This year Kyler is surrounded by talent with Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, and more, and because he runs, you have a fantastic built-in floor. The opportunity cost is fantastic – you could grab him in the seventh round and load up on RBs and WRs in the early rounds. Kyler Murray might just be Kyler Murray.

Jaylen Waddle, WR Miami Dolphins

There is clear name fatigue with Jaylen Waddle, the WR2 behind Tyreek Hill. Mike reminds us how good Waddle has actually been over his short career after setting the NFL record for rookie receptions in 2021. Thanks Puka.

2023 was rough for Waddle with the constant injuries that kept him out of games, but he is set up to bounce back in a high-flying Miami offense. His 3.09 YPRR versus zone is the fifth-best among all WRs over the last five years. We have seen Waddle and Hill have success together, so drafters shouldn’t be afraid. Take advantage this year, when Waddle is being drafted as the WR23.

James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills

Outside the top three guys as RB, you want someone who has opportunities and is efficient, and James Cook checks those boxes. He was first in yards before contact among all RBs and had the third most yards from scrimmage in the NFL, behind only CMC and Breece Hall. He finished as the RB12 despite only two rushing TDs.

There was a significant shift in Buffalo when Joe Brady replaced Ken Dorsey as the OC and the identity of this team became running the football. They won doing it, so why wouldn’t they stick with what worked this year? The Bills have vacated 284 targets, and although we hope for Khalil Shakir or Keon Coleman to make a splash, Cook could absorb a large quantity of those vacated targets. His low amount of rushing TDs last season is an anomaly, and Mike believes this will change this season.