Fantasy Football 2024: League-Winning Breakout Picks

(Athlete: Jordan Love Source: kslsports.com Photograph by Jason Miller/Getty Images, Date: August 10th, 2024)

Before the fantasy football season, many fantasy managers are eager to learn about potential players that can boost their teams to the playoffs with a breakout season.

For example, Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love broke out in 2023, exceeding expectations and leading the Packers to the playoffs, cementing himself as the franchise QB.

Similarly, Rams RB Kyren Williams won many leagues despite starting as a backup after finishing as a top-five RB.

QB Breakout Pick

(Athlete: Anthony Richardson Source: colts.com Photograph by JJ Stankevitz, Date: May 25th, 2023)

Heading into his rookie year, Colts QB Anthony Richardson drew comparisons to Lamar Jackson and young Cam Newton, possessing an elite scrambling ability. Unfortunately, he had a season-ending injury in week 5.

However, Richardson had played exceptionally until he got injured, rushing for four touchdowns and flashing his arm talent in the passing game. Although Richardson may not maintain his pace of rushing touchdowns, he still will rack up many points using his rushing ability.

Intriguingly, Richardson averaged 0.45 fantasy points per snap, the most among all QBs, 0.1 points ahead of second-place Josh Allen. His stats are confined to a limited sample size, but Richardson has considerable upside because of his stellar performance in 2023.

Richardson’s ADP at around 52 does make him a top-seven option at QB but he will be a great option if he falls below his usual price.

RB Breakout Candidate

(Athlete: Gus Edwards Source: sportskeeda.com Photograph by Habib Timileyin, Date: January 20th, 2024)

Coming off a noteworthy campaign in 2023, Gus Edwards finished as the RB16, rushing for 810 yards. However, many regard him as a lower-tier option because he is aging.

After signing a two-year deal with the Chargers, Edwards will become the lead running back under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. During their tenure in San Franciso, the coaching pair ranked in the top eight in rushing yards four years in a row.

Therefore, Edwards will receive more opportunities to score fantasy points since the Chargers will run the ball consistently.

Edwards also has averaged more career yards per carry (4.86) than Christian McCaffrey and a higher rate of 10-yard rushes (11.6 percent) than Derrick Henry, reinforcing his top-notch ability as a running back.

Edward’s ADP of around 116 and RB ranking at 36 severely undervalue him because he is a lead running back with the potential to get 250-plus carries in 2024, making him the perfect breakout candidate for fantasy players to bet on.

Likewise, Edward’s Score+, a unique metric generated by SportAI algorithms that projects future fantasy performance relative to other players using advanced metrics, is 60.10, ranking him 30th among all running backs, well above his current ranking.

WR Breakout Prospect

(Athlete: George Pickens Source: behindthesteelcurtain.com Photograph by Jeff Hartman, Date: November 27th, 2022)

In 2023, George Pickens led all qualified receivers in yards per reception (18.1) but caught only 63 passes and scored five touchdowns. Nevertheless, it is hard to expect more since the Steelers’ QB room posted the NFL’s third-lowest touchdown rate and third-fewest completions.

Excitingly, Pickens is poised for the WR1 role in 2024 because of the departure of Diontae Johnson. The QB room has also dramatically improved with the additions of Rusell Wilson, who had the fourth-highest fantasy points per target for any QB in 2023, and Justin Fields.

With more experience, Pickens will look to break out in 2024 because he will certainly have more targets and catches along with a few more touchdowns, which could even make him finish as a top-tier WR.

Likewise, Pickens’s Score+ is 64.22, ranking him 27th among all wide receivers, slightly above his current ranking of 28th.

Pickens’s ADP of 58 seriously undervalues him since he will be a lead wide receiver who will receive more chances to make big plays, causing him to be a premier value pick for any fantasy manager.

TE Breakout Contender

(Athlete: Dalton Kincaid Source: si.com Photograph by Bryan Bennett/GettyImages Date: Julu 28th, 2024)

During his rookie campaign, Dalton Kincaid performed well despite having another solid TE on the depth chart in Dawson Knox. He finished as the TE11, with over 150 fantasy points.

Although half of those points were accumulated while Knox was injured, Kincaid scored 52.5 points from Week 17 to the Divisional round when Knox was active, proving he can perform well even with another solid TE alongside him.

If he had that same pace over a full season, he would have scored 223 points, making him the TE3 overall and a superb breakout candidate for the 2024 season. Kincaid also has the chance for more targets and to be Josh Allen’s number-one option because Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis left.

Overall, Kincaid’s ADP of 51 and TE ranking of 5 underestimate his potential production and ability to become the TE1 overall with the help of Josh Allen.

2024 Fantasy Football Breakout Summary

The 2024 Fantasy Football season will provide many surprises for managers as they see players around the league break out into superstars. Therefore, many breakout picks can help a fantasy player’s team blossom into a league contender.

Anthony Richardson is the QB breakout prospect because of his world-class rushing ability and elite arm that are posed to thrive in 2024 with a full season.

Gus Edwards is the Top RB Breakout because of his lead running back role on the Chargers and some of his advanced metrics that are better than top-tier running backs like Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry. Edwards also outperforms his ranking in SportAI’s Score+ statistic.

George Pickens is the WR Breakout Contender because of the Steelers’ improved QB room and his ability to maximize the yards of each reception. Pickens also succeeds Diontae Johnson for the WR1 role, suggesting he will see more targets in 2024.

Finally, Dalton Kincaid is the Top TE Breakout because of the departure of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, opening the way for Kincaid to be Josh Allen’s top target. Kincaid has also proven he can perform even with tough tight-end competition.

(SportAI Inc TM)

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Scared of Drafting a Bust? Read here

SportAI’s Drop the Mic

“If I’m in there, [Justin Herbert] will be protected.”-Gus Edwards

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