-2024 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2024 Draft Kit
Rangy and athletic, Luke Musgrave has the tools to become one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the league. A second-round draft pick out of Oregon State, Musgrave produced modest rookie-year numbers: 34 catches for 352 yards and one touchdown. But Musgrave missed six games with a lacerated kidney and was averaging a respectable 7.3 PPR fantasy points per game before he got hurt. Musgrave gets to play with QB Jordan Love, a rising star. One concern, however, is that the Packers spent a third-round draft pick on another tight end last year, Tucker Kraft, who also had some impressive flashes as a rookie. Musgrave profiles as a midrange TE2 for 2024 fantasy drafts, but he could come on fast.
Sam LaPorta was a revelation as a rookie, catching 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns to finish as the overall TE1. What can LaPorta do for an encore in Year 2? It might be hard for Sammy Ballgame to improve upon or even equal his 2023 touchdown total, but it's reasonable to think he could improve upon his average of 52.3 receiving yards per game and his 7.4 yards per target. LaPorta's age-22 season was a triumph, and he could be one of the top tight ends in the league -- and in fantasy football -- for years to come. Based on the splash he made at such a tender age, there's a strong case to be made that LaPorta should be the first TE selected in 2024 fantasy drafts.
Kraft was seen with a sling on his arm/shoulder at OTAs on Tuesday. He will be sidelined through at least the beginning of training camp.
The first tight end selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, Dalton Kincaid had an uneven but promising rookie year, finishing with 73 catches for 673 yards and two touchdowns, good for a TE11 finish in PPR scoring. Kincaid was especially productive over a five-game midseason stretch when fellow Bills TE Dawson Knox was out with a wrist injury. With Knox on the shelf, Kincaid averaged 7.4 targets, 6.2 catches and 56.2 receiving yards per game. He also scored both of his touchdowns over that span. In games that Knox played, Kincaid averaged 4.9 targets, 3.8 catches and 35.6 receiving yards per game. Kincaid has considerable talent and plays with one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Josh Allen. The Bills traded away WR Stefon Diggs and let WR Gabe Davis walk in free agency. They added WR Keon Coleman in the second round of the draft, but with Buffalo having so many vacated targets, Kincaid is poised to play an enhanced role in the Bills' passing game, making him one of the more desirable tight ends for fantasy.
Washington should be the No. 2 tight end for the Steelers this season behind Pat Freiermuth, but Washington is more of a blocker than a receiver. Washington is not worth drafting in the majority of leagues. In 2023 as a rookie, Washington caught just seven of 10 targets for 61 yards, but his role could expand under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. If Washington starts out the season playing well then add him off the waiver wire, but first let him prove himself early in the year.
Michael Mayer had a somewhat disappointing rookie season for the Raiders, with 27 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. He seemed like a candidate for a second-year breakout, but then the Raiders spent their first-round draft pick on mega-talented University of Georgia TE Brock Bowers, seemingly kneecapping Mayer's 2024 fantasy value. Mayer was wildly productive in college, with more than 800 receiving yards in his final two seasons at Notre Dame. Mayer averaged only 2.9 targets a game in 2023, and it's hard to imagine his weekly target counts significantly increasing when he has to share targets with Bowers and superstar WR Davante Adams.
Schoonmaker will open the season behind Jake Ferguson on the depth chart in redraft, which means he can be left on the waiver wire in all redraft leagues. The former second round pick is worth holding in Dynasty because his skillset in this offense could produce starter results just like Ferguson, Dalton Schultz and Jason Witten before him. We'd even be excited to add Schoonmaker in redraft if he ends up in the TE1 role at some point this season.
"For me, it really was the asymmetry between the legs," Watson explained. "It comes from a lot of things. Obviously, the issues I've had in the past with hamstrings, not fully recovering from those strength-wise. I've been attacking the strength side of it, trying to get that symmetry back and it's been huge for me. I feel really, really good. I gotta continue grinding at it." Watson states he had a 20 percent difference in muscle mass between his right and left legs, but it's now between 8-10 percent. His goal is six percent. Watson was a full participant in OTAs, and getting him through a healthy offseason would be a big first step. He's the most explosive weapon in a deep Green Bay wideout room. Watson has averaged 15 yards per catch over his first two seasons.
Shorter is in line to compete for depth slotting behind fellow wide receivers Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel in training camp, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports. The Bills took Shorter in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he never saw game action after being placed on injured reserve ahead of the regular season on account of a hamstring injury. Though Shorter was designated to return from IR in December and resumed practicing with the team, he wasn't activated before his 21-day evaluation window closed. Now presumably past his hamstring injury, the 6-foot-4 wideout will vie with Chase Claypool, Mack Hollins, KJ Hamler, Andy Isabella and Quintez Cephus for a reserve role.