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Champions are made in the offseason, and although we are months away from the start of the new season, let's take a moment to highlight some promising 2023 campaigns that have the potential to be even better in 2024. Keep in mind that most of these players have already flashed during the 2023 season. Below we're going to look at five players that could be ELITE fantasy assets in 2024.
De’von Achane
RB, Miami Dolphins
De’von Achane looks like he was shot out of a cannon every time he runs the football. Achane was drafted in the 3rd round by the Miami Dolphins in the 2023 NFL draft. The Dolphins already had Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr, so it was hard to see where the opportunities would come from for Achane.
Achane is undersized for the NFL, but his vision, explosiveness, and top-end speed are breathtaking. It feels like Achane can take it to the house every time he gets to the second level. At first glance, you would probably assume the infamous 70-point Dolphins win over Denver was the main cause for Achane’s absurd numbers, but it was certainly more than that. Achane finished the year averaging 7.8 yards per carry, which is unheard of, especially in today’s NFL.
As a matter of fact, that is the most YPC in a season since 2010 (minimum 100 carries). Being undersized, Achane will probably never be a true bell-cow running back. The good news is that Achane's talent has taught us he really doesn’t need a massive workload to be effective.
There are ONLY 2 RB’s who finished Top-10 in BOTH PFF Rushing Grade AND PFF Receiving Grade.
Christian McCaffrey.
AND…
De’Von Achane. pic.twitter.com/krty8CHZaM
Breece Hall
RB, New York Jets
Before tearing his ACL in 2022, Breece Hall was well on his way to being one of the biggest steals in the NFL draft. In 7 games, Hall had 80 carries, 463 yards, and five total touchdowns. That was more than enough to keep people excited for his return in 2023. The first year of recovery after an ACL tear tends to be a down year for players. There are exceptions, of course, and Breece Hall is one of them.
Losing your starting quarterback in the first game of the year is something most teams won't going to recover from, so the Jets really became an afterthought. However, in his first year back, Hall would take 223 carries and turn it into 994 yards and five touchdowns. The every-down homerun threat showed us some of his explosiveness in the running game and provided us with a flash of his versatility in the passing game.
Through the air, Hall was able to reel in 76 catches and score four times. With Aaron Rodgers's return, teams will have a harder time keying in on Hall, which should allow him to take advantage and have a huge year.
Zay Flowers
WR, Baltimore Ravens
Zay Flowers is one of those receivers; when you watch him, you don’t want to blink. The shifty rookie showed us flashes of something special while catching passes from MVP-hopeful Lamar Jackson. Coming out of Boston College, Flowers was praised for his excellent route-running ability and crisp footwork.
Flowers's ability to change direction so smoothly and effortlessly is exactly what you look for in a player. Flowers opportunity to make an impact came when star tight end Mark Andrews went down with an ankle injury. Flowers finished the year with 77 catches, 858 yards, and five touchdowns, adding one touchdown on the ground.
As the Ravens continue to make a deep push into the playoffs in pursuit of the ultimate title, Flowers will only continue to gain experience while playing at a high level. Next year, look for Flowers to be more of a 1B to Mark Andrews 1A.
131 seconds of Zay Flowers making plays pic.twitter.com/JnfQwxhGdj
Jayden Reed
WR, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love is the real deal. As the Packers are working on reloading, they were able to get a few receivers that turned heads throughout the year. Jayden Reed is a special talent. The key attribute Reed brings aside from his route running, agility, and instinct in the open field is that the Packers love to use him in the running game, especially around the goal line.
Aside from Reed's 76 catches, 793 yards, and eight touchdowns through the air, he was also able to take his 11 carries and turn them into 119 yards and 2 TDs. Matt LaFleur will continue to scheme ways to get the ball in Reed’s hands, as good things happen when he does.
Tyjae Spears
RB, Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry is departing; enter Tyjae Spears. Spears turned heads in the preseason with a nothing-short-of-spectacular showing. Spears led all running backs in yards after contact at 4.7 and averaged 5.3 yards per carry. Now, of course, Spears was never going to win the starting job over Henry without an injury, but with the Titans looking to rebuild and Henry already giving farewell speeches, Spears finds himself in a backfield where he has no serious threat to touches.
During the 2023 season, Spears continued showing us the flashes he showed us in the preseason and solidified himself as a useful component of the Tennessee offense, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Next year could be the year we see Spears really take his game to the next level. In 2023, Spears was able to reel in 42 catches and turn that into 385 yards. The Titans will be facing negative game scripts next year, which should allow Spears to continue his efficiency through the air.
