Antonio Pierce was a standout linebacker for the Giants before transitioning into coaching. Despite being on the defensive side throughout his playing and coaching career, the Raiders had significantly better offensive success once he took over as the interim head coach last season. The Raiders averaged 22.9 points and went 5-4 over their final nine games compared to averaging 15.8 points and going 3-5 over their first eight games with Josh McDaniels as head coach. Pierce lost the interim tag this offseason and the Raiders return a lot of the same offensive pieces, including Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers at wide receiver with Pierce as head coach.
Meyers had 807 yards, the second-most over his five-year career, while posting a career-high eight touchdowns in his third straight season with at least 800 receiving yards. Can Fantasy football players expect Meyers to provide late value in 2024 Fantasy football drafts and emerge as a potential 2024 Fantasy football sleeper? Before crafting your 2024 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2024 Fantasy football rankings and 2024 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs would carry significantly more value than expected during his rookie season. The result: Gibbs rushed for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns while also catching 52 passes for 316 yards and a score. Gibbs was coming off the board in the middle of the fourth round on average but finished as a top-10 running back in CBS Sports PPR leagues.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020 and nailing Jonathan Taylor's monstrous season in 2021. Additionally, it's called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you're always getting the best Fantasy football advice.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2024, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Fantasy football breakouts
One of the 2024 Fantasy football breakouts the model is predicting: Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. In three seasons at Georgia, Bowers was a three-time All-American who caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed 19 times for 193 yards and five more scores.
He's an elite athlete who uses his physical abilities to create after the catch. Now he'll combine with Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Zamir White to give veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew an incredibly capable group of receivers. Bowers has the clear potential to make an immediate impact and that's why the model ranks him as a top-12 tight end for 2024.
Another breakout that SportsLine's Fantasy football rankings 2024 have identified: Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey. He was the second pick in the second round (No. 34 overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft and will need to be an immediate impact player for the revamped Chargers offense with an entirely new coaching staff. Jim Harbaugh returns to the NFL for the first time since 2014 and is expected to provide a boost to the entire Chargers organization.
McConkey played three seasons at Georgia and, when healthy, showcased his skillset on one of the most talented rosters in college football. McConkey had 478 receiving yards over nine games and the 6-foot receiver was considered one of the top route runners in the 2024 NFL Draft with great vision and acceleration. The Chargers lost Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and the elite pass-catching running back Austin Ekeler this offseason, opening up a ton of targets for a newcomer like McConkey. See which other Fantasy football breakouts 2024 to pick here.
How to find proven 2024 Fantasy football football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising running back you aren't even thinking about being taken in the middle rounds of 2024 Fantasy football drafts. This running back is listed as a shocking top-10 option ahead of superstars like Jonathan Taylor and Joe Mixon. You can only see who it is, and the 2024 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2024 Fantasy Football breakouts should you target? And which RB shocks the NFL with a top-10 performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2024 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Jahmyr Gibbs' breakout season, and find out.