RADIO
It's never too early to start thinking about fantasy football, and it's never too early to also think about which players could potentially break out this upcoming season. Last year, we saw several young players take their game to the next level, including Jordan Love, Kyren Williams, Nico Collins, and Trey McBride.
All four of those players also became unexpected fantasy stars. Love, Williams, and McBride all finished inside the top seven at their respective positions in fantasy, while Collins finished as the WR12 in PPR formats. As we look ahead to the 2024 season, several more players will break out.
Those breakout players will surely turn into big stars for fantasy managers this season. So, which young players will break out in 2024? Let's dive in and look at a potential all-breakout fantasy team.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is likely everyone's pick to break out at the position this year. After all, it's hard to argue against it. Richardson showed a ton of promise in a small sample size last season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery after Week 5. The 6-foot-4 quarterback threw for 577 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 136 yards and four touchdowns across four games.
The biggest knock on Richardson entering the year will be if he can stay healthy. The 22-year-old only played in four games (two full games) in 2023 after suffering a concussion in Week 2 and then injuring his shoulder in Week 5. But in the two games that the young quarterback did start and finish, he averaged 25.8 fantasy points. He even scored 17.7 fantasy points in only 18 snaps in Week 2 behind a two-rushing touchdown performance.
The expectations surrounding Anthony Richardson are massive this coming season as he returns from the shoulder injury. With the potential to be electrifying, his training camp will be fascinating…
My report @nflnetwork #fortheshoe pic.twitter.com/fNbZQB8qUR
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) June 21, 2024
With Richardson now fully past that shoulder injury, he is surely on his way to a breakout campaign in 2024. He has solid weapons in the receiving game (Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and rookie Adonai Mitchell), and his legs will give him a huge boost in fantasy. All signs point to the second-year quarterback taking that next step in 2024.
RB Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders
Since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White hasn't gotten many opportunities to show his potential. White sat behind Josh Jacobs for almost two full years before drawing the first start of his career in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. With Jacobs nursing a quad injury, Las Vegas went to its young running back, who ran for 69 yards and one touchdown in that game.
Then, White totaled over 100 yards from scrimmage in three straight contests after that to close out the season. During that four-game stretch in which the 24-year-old was the Raiders starting running back, he totaled 84 carries for 397 yards and one touchdown. He also averaged 15.2 PPR fantasy points per game, making him a nice RB2 option for most fantasy managers down the stretch.
Zamir White in the 4 games Josh Jacobs missed at the end of 2023:
• 24.3 opportunities/game
• 114.3 yards/game
• hit Antonio Pierce’s “magic number” of 20+ touches in each outingCurrently going in the 11th round of @UnderdogFantasy best ball drafts (RB37)
If Jacobs leaves… https://t.co/72HkeiiaOW
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) February 26, 2024
Now, with Jacobs leaving in free agency, White has the chance and potential to break out in his third NFL season. He showed a lot of great things as a starter during the final four games, and the Raiders only added Alexander Mattison in free agency this offseason. So, look for Las Vegas to lean heavily on the 24-year-old in the running game, which could lead to a big season for the former fourth-round pick.
RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Another running back who could break out in 2024 is Tyjae Spears. The Titans selected Spears in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he showed some great things in Year 1. The former Tulane star rushed for 453 yards and two touchdowns while also catching 52 passes for 385 yards and one touchdown. His 838 yards from scrimmage were the fourth-most by a rookie running back last season -- only trailing Bijan Robinson's 1,463 yards, Jahmyr Gibbs' 1,261 yards, and De'Von Achane's 997 yards.
Spears, though, finds himself going almost 100 picks later than all three of those backs currently in drafts. Of course, the 23-year-old is not on the same level as those players in fantasy or in the NFL. But after a surprising rookie campaign, he deserves more love entering Year 2. With an ADP of 111.6 on Sleeper, he might be one of the most underrated options in drafts currently.
Even with Derrick Henry running the show on offense last year, Spears still found himself with plenty of chances in the running and passing game. He played over 50% of the Titans' offensive snaps in 12 of 17 games in 2023. Henry is now gone, and the team replaced him with Tony Pollard, who struggled on the ground last year. So, there's a real opportunity for the young back to build on his rookie season and total somewhere between 1,000 to 1,200 yards from scrimmage in 2024.
WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Some could say that Green Bay Packers wideout Jayden Reed broke out as a rookie after totaling 64 catches for 793 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. He also averaged a whopping 13.6 PPR fantasy points per game while finishing as the WR25 in PPR formats. However, the best is still to come from Reed, and he should take off completely in his second year in the NFL.
As a result, look for Reed to post even better numbers in 2024. He has a quarterback in Love -- who broke out himself in 2023 -- and their connection should only grow in Year 2 together. Some might be worried about the Packers' wide receiver room, considering Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks should all be involved as well. But the former Michigan State product showed his potential when on the field last year.
That's why the Packers surely won't shy away from him in 2024, making him a true breakout candidate. Last year, Reed only played over 70% of Green Bay's snaps in two of 16 games. So, look for him to see more snaps on offense this season, which should lead to more production. He is the team's WR1 heading into the year, despite some thinking it's still Watson.
WR Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
A big reason why Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London has yet to break out is because of quarterback play. After being drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, London has had quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke throwing him passes. Still, the young playmaker totaled 141 catches for 1,771 yards and six touchdowns in those two seasons combined.
His best campaign came last year when he caught 69 passes for 905 yards and two touchdowns. Now, though, expect London to put up career numbers with Kirk Cousins under center. Cousins has thrown for over 4,000 yards in seven of the last nine years while averaging 358.3 completions per season during that span. With the 22-year-old locked in as the Falcons' WR1, a breakout campaign is surely in store.
"Remember Brandon Marshall would have 110 catches in that uber-possession type of role? I think that's what Drake London will bring to the table for the Falcons."@PFF_Steve explains why Drake London is one of his difference makers in 2024 🗣️
WATCH📺: https://t.co/H2dyLjvrUW pic.twitter.com/YWC7WgQ1A9
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) June 20, 2024
London should emerge as Cousins' favorite target in the passing game and should easily pass the 1,000-yard receiving mark in his third year. The talent has always been there for the former USC star, but quarterback play was his biggest downfall. With the right quarterback in Cousins now in Atlanta, look for the young wideout to put up big numbers in 2024.
TE Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
After the Buffalo Bills lost both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, the team will need a pass catcher to step up for quarterback Josh Allen this year. That player could be tight end Dalton Kincaid -- whom the team selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Kincaid showed some signs of breaking out in his rookie season, especially when Dawson Knox was inactive. From Week 8 to Week 12, the young tight end totaled 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns. During that span, the 24-year-old averaged 13.8 PPR fantasy points while averaging a snap share of 75.6%. However, once Knox returned in Week 14, the rookie averaged just 7.4 PPR fantasy points with an average snap share of 55.8% over the final five weeks of the season.
With the Bills needing plenty of pass-catching help, though, Kincaid should be more involved on offense in Year 2. That's why he should definitely break out this season. He could become Allen's go-to option in the passing game after Buffalo only added Curtis Samuel (free agency) and Keon Coleman (draft) this offseason. As a result, fantasy managers should bank on him becoming a consistent option in the passing game in 2024.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Win More With RotoBaller
Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:More Fantasy Football Analysis
