Last year, it took Rice a few weeks, but he eventually showed that he could carve up zone defenses and became a go-to receiver for Mahomes during their Super Bowl run. The Chiefs added a ton of speed with Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy on the outside, but Rice is still their best bet over the middle to attack zones (which is what most teams prefer to play against the Chiefs anyway). Rice’s off-the-field issues don’t look to have him missing any games as of yet, making him an outstanding sixth-round value.
In 2022, Kelce had 110 catches for 1338 yards and 12 TDs. In 2023, he had 93 catches for 984 yards and 5 TDs. In 2024, I am predicting a 10% drop off in receptions and receiving yards but an uptick in TDs. That might still give him solid value in standard leagues, but I don’t think he’s worth a third-round pick in PPR formats.
I had Hondo Carpenter (the Raiders beat writer for SI.com) on my SiriusXM show the other week, and he told me not to sleep on Meyers. Meyers is a significant part of their offense and is a reliable route runner with sure hands. Fantasy managers might think of him as the WR who only had 2 TDs in his first three seasons, but he’s had 14 TDs in the past two years, which debunks the myth that he cannot catch TD passes.
When I asked Hondo about Bowers, he mentioned how much the team likes last year’s second-round pick Michael Mayer. He said to expect a lot of 12 personnel and to see Bowers moving around a lot to create mismatches. Here’s my main issue with Bowers: The Raiders are going to run 60% of the time, and then they need to feed Adams and Meyers. Will there be enough targets for him as a rookie on this offense? I’m not sure I want to spend a 9th round pick to find out.
Samaje Perine is likely going to be cut, and Audric Estime is more of a first and second-down RB than a third-down receiving back. This should allow McLaughlin to be the obvious passing down back and find usage in the two-minute drill. Moreover, the Broncos are going to be playing in garbage time for at least 30-40% of their games, which should be perfect for more touches. All this leads me to believe that McLaughlin will be well worth a Round 13 pick with the upside for more.
With the Broncos not having a true WR2, opposing defenses are likely going to double-team Sutton as much as possible. Because my draft plan has me taking my WRs much earlier than this, I would also prefer to use my Round 9 selection on my QB/TE rather than a receiver on a bad offense with a rookie QB.
J.K. Dobbins is coming off a major surgery that no other RB has ever really recovered from fully. Gus Edwards is effective but slowing down and not a threat in the passing game. Sixth-round rookie Vidal was a terrific runner at Troy and was also a punishing blocker in pass protection. It might take Vidal a few games to crack the lineup, but when he does, he might Wally Pipp Gus Edwards and not look back.
Jim Harbaugh barely let J.J. McCarthy pass on his National Championship-winning team and then hired run-first OC Greg Roman for the Chargers. All the tea leaves point to Herbert dropping back no more than 35 times a game. I would be shocked if he throws for more than 300+ passing yards in more than two or three games this season.
