HC Green's 5 must-have fantasy football picks

With the preseason over, it’s time to look at five players we’d like to see on our fantasy football rosters for 2024. For clarity, these are not premium picks or studs per se. Rather, they’re players who could be available after those top-tier guys come off the board that we feel could deliver significant value.

QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

A narrative has formed around Prescott. It’s built on the premise that he doesn’t perform in big spots, and that he’s not worth a massive extension from Dallas. Whether that’s accurate or not, the attitude from fantasy owners should be encapsulated in two words: who cares? He puts up numbers. Prescott finished third in passing yards (4,516) and led the NFL in TD passes (36) a year ago. He even ran for 242 yards and a couple of scores. That’s top-five fantasy production in any scoring system.

Those are the facts. The intangibles for 2024 are every bit as enticing. He plays in an offense that likes to throw the ball, on a team that arguably has the NFL’s worst running back room. He has an elite WR1 and some nice complementary pieces, like wide receiver Brandin Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson. And then there’s the money. Prescott is set to be a free agent after the season. Another effort like what we saw last year likely makes him the highest paid player in the NFL. He’s been hovering around QB10 in rankings and drafts. He’s better than that.

RB Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs

Once San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey is off the board, it becomes a mix of young backs on the rise and older ones in new situations who should go in the next handful of picks. One name that doesn’t get mentioned enough is Pacheco. On one level, it’s understandable. His numbers from 2023 don’t jump off the page — 1,179 total yards and nine TDs — and the Chiefs sunk a lot of resources into upgrading their passing game during the offseason.

While that’s true, don’t overlook what they didn’t do, and that’s bring in new RBs. For years, KC used a mix-and-match backfield under head coach Andy Reid. Not last year. Pacheco was the guy, logging 249 touches in 14 games (a 17-game pace of 302), while RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 87 with 33 of them coming during the three games Pacheco missed. Expect the Rutgers product to be the bell cow again in 2024. Pacheco is young, fast, he’s physical, he’s a three-down back, and he plays in one of the league’s most dangerous, creative offenses. He could absolutely push into that RB2-RB5 range.

WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants

It might seem strange to champion a rookie wideout on a team that’s produced exactly one 1,000-yard receiver in the past seven years, but there’s a lot to like about Nabers in terms of talent and opportunity this year. Let’s start with the former. Nabers is an explosive athlete with the speed and leaping ability to make contested catches on downfield throws. He also possesses the versatility to line up all over the formation — so, if the Giants struggle to give QB Daniel Jones time, they can slide Nabers into the slot and let him make things happen after the catch.

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In terms of opportunity, when the G-Men failed to find a trading partner to move up and draft a quarterback they pivoted to Plan B, which ostensibly is to put the ball in Jones’ hands and see if he can lead a franchise. Don’t expect the ultra-safe version we saw of Jones in 2022 when he threw just 15 TDs in an offense built around now-departed RB Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles). This year’s offense is likely to be revolve around Nabers, their best offensive player. He could see a ton of looks.

WR Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

While fully acknowledging fantasy football is a “what have you done for me lately” business, let’s not forget we’re just two years removed from Kupp catching 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was pretty much the consensus WR1 in 2022 drafts and WR2-WR4 a year ago. Now, he’s closer to WR20. Again, there’s some justification. He’s 31, missed 13 games combined the last two seasons, and WR Puka Nacua caught 105 balls as a rookie.

Don’t be too quick to write the veteran off. Despite struggling with injuries throughout 2023, he still put up four 100-yard efforts and posted an 84-1,044-7 pace. Head coach Sean McVay said that Kupp is back at full health, and we know he has the complete trust of QB Matthew Stafford. Plus, Nacua’s rise should divert some defensive attention from Kupp. Obviously, remaining healthy is paramount, but if Kupp can stay on the field, we know his ceiling rivals that of any receiver. That’s all you can ask for from someone being selected as a borderline WR2/WR3.

TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

A much-celebrated draft pick in 2021, Pitts has been saddled with subpar quarterback play since the day he entered the NFL, a mix of has-beens (see Ryan, Matt) and never-weres (see Mariota, Marcus, and Ridder, Desmond). That all changed this offseason when the Falcons signed QB Kirk Cousins. Although the veteran is coming off a torn Achilles, he was playing some of the best football of his career last year — over a 17-game season, Cousins’ totals projected to 4,953 yards and 38 TDs, both of which would’ve led the NFL.

After watching Cousins work with Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson (113-997-6 in 18 games), it’s easy to envision a world where Pitts becomes a high-volume target. The 6-foot-6, 246-pounder’s lack of impact in the red zone (six TDs in 149 career grabs) borders on the mystifying, so don’t be surprised if that changes with a legitimate QB1 pulling the trigger. All the signs are there for a breakout season at a position with very few sure things.