San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey missed 23 total games in 2020 and 2021 due to ankle, shoulder, thigh and hamstring injuries, finishing as Fantasy football busts in each of those seasons. He was held out of the preseason this year due to a calf strain, but he was the top-scoring Fantasy football running back last year. McCaffrey's backup, Elijah Mitchell, has already been placed on the season-ending injured reserve (hamstring), taking away a potential insurance policy for McCaffrey's Fantasy owners. Third-year running back Jordan Mason is now the primary backup, and he is going undrafted in most 2024 Fantasy football drafts.
Mason averaged 5.15 yards per carry on 40 attempts last season, but he will likely be available on the waiver wire if McCaffrey gets hurt. Are there any backups like Mason who you should be targeting as deep 2024 Fantasy football sleepers? As you finalize your 2024 Fantasy football draft prep, be sure to check out the 2024 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle would fail to live up to his Fantasy football ADP. Waddle's 2023 Fantasy football ADP was 34.86 overall and he was the 11th receiver off the board on average. He'd go on to notch a 1,000-yard season but only had 72 receptions with four touchdowns and he'd finish as the No. 34 Fantasy football wide receiver 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 2024 Fantasy football PPR rankings and 2024 Fantasy football standard 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 busts
One of the 2024 Fantasy football busts the model is predicting: Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf. He posted a top-10 Fantasy WR finish during his rookie season, but he has not cracked the top 10 in three seasons since then. Metcalf was the WR16 last season, catching 66 passes for 1,114 yards and eight touchdowns.
He has plenty of competition for targets in Seattle's offense, including veteran Tyler Lockett and second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Many experts believe Smith-Njigba will take a step forward this season following a somewhat disappointing rookie campaign, which means Metcalf could see his target share reduced. SportsLine's model has Metcalf ranked outside the top 20 at his position, but he is the 14th wide receiver drafted in average Fantasy leagues.
Another bust that SportsLine's Fantasy football rankings 2024 have identified: Lions running back David Montgomery. He finished as the RB15 in Fantasy last season, going over 1,000 rushing yards while scoring 13 touchdowns. His volume was limited down the stretch though, as he averaged 15 touches and 75.7 total yards after his return in Week 10.
Jahmyr Gibbs had 945 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in the same offense, averaging 5.2 yards per carry (compared to 4.6 from Montgomery). Gibbs also had nearly three times as many receiving yards, and he could take an even larger chunk of touches away from Mongomery this season. SportsLine's model has Montgomery ranked behind running backs like Rhamondre Stevenson, Najee Harris and Aaron Jones, who are all available later in average Fantasy drafts.See which other Fantasy football busts 2024 to avoid here.
How to find proven 2024 Fantasy football rankings
SportsLine is also low on a wide receiver who is being drafted as a top-15 player at his position. The model ranks him outside its top 20 wide receivers for 2024 and expects him to see major regression.You can only see who it is, and the 2024 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2024 Fantasy Football busts should you avoid, and which receiver will fail to live up to expectations? Visit SportsLine now to get 2024 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that told you to avoid Jaylen Waddle in 2023, and find out.
