It's that time of the year to reflect on the hours and hours of research, debating, excitement, and frustration from the 2024 fantasy football season. Hindsight is 20/20 for much of fantasy football and many of these awards' winners. Note that players can only win one award here.
Here are my picks for several fantasy football awards:
Fantasy MVP | Fantasy Playoffs MVP | Rookie of the Year | Bust of the Year | Breakout Player of the Year
Fantasy Football MVP
The Fantasy Football MVP honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit elite production and consistency throughout the 2023-24 season.
Winner: Ja'Marr Chase (WR)
Those who took the gamble on Chase in the preseason (amidst his contract dilemma and holdout) were greatly rewarded with a historic season.
After betting on himself and playing without the contract extension he desired, Chase became just the second WR in history to win the "Triple Crown" of leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs. And he did that quite handily, finishing with 117 catches (12 more than 2nd), 1708 receiving yards (over 150 more than 2nd), and 17 receiving TDs (4 more than 2nd).
The consistency was rather solid as well, featuring all but one game with 11+ fantasy points, but that didn't limit the upside with Chase tallying THREE games of 40+ points, including a 55-point performance in Week 10.
He's due for a contract extension soon and while it seems almost certain he gets that with Cincinnati, the question remains what the potential departure of WR Tee Higgins may do to Chase's production. In 2024, Chase relatively struggled with Higgins out of the lineup on a per-game basis, seeing a 12% drop in yards (11% drop in yards/rec), 26% fewer TDs, and over a 13% drop in fantasy points with his counterpart inactive.
Even without Higgins (and the "struggles" associated with the additional defensive attention), Chase was an elite WR1 at over 21 PPG (compared to 24.7 PPG with Higgins) while no other WR hit the 20 PPG threshold.
Looking forward to 2025, Chase will almost certainly be a consensus top-2 fantasy draft pick and the top WR off the board in drafts with the only question being whether the person with the 1st overall pick prefers building their team around a star WR or a star RB (Barkley).
Runner-Up: Saquon Barkley (RB)
It's hard to believe there was any question about how safe of an RB Saquon Barkley would be in Philadelphia for fantasy, but that was the reality of the preseason. Nobody knew if Barkley would get much redzone work with Jalen Hurts' "tush push" role. Well, Jalen Hurts poached ELEVEN one-yard rushing TDs in 2024 and Barkley was still far and away the best RB in fantasy football.
That came as a result of a historic season for Barkley, who hit the 2,000-yard mark on the ground while tallying a total of 378 touches for 2,283 yards and 15 TDs.
He led the RB position in fantasy, posting 355.3 points (second to Gibbs' 362.9 with an additional game) and 22.2 PPG, even despite seeing career lows in targets and receptions (excluding his 2020 season that lasted just 2 games) plus sitting out the final game of the season.
Like Chase, it seems Barkley will be a consensus top-3 pick in fantasy drafts in 2025, and while it's very likely he sees some regression (simply due to a historic number of 50+ yard runs), Barkley should be viewed as a definitive top-2 RB and arguable top overall player for fantasy next season.
Fantasy Playoffs MVP
The Fantasy Playoffs MVP honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit elite production during the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17) and lead their fantasy owners to a championship.
Winner: Brian Thomas Jr. (WR)
No Trevor Lawrence? No problem for Brian Thomas!
The rookie WR ranked as the WR9 through the first 14 weeks of the season but saved his best for last this year, tallying his 3 best games of the season in the fantasy playoffs as he helped guide teams to fantasy championships.
Thomas was a top-10 WR each of the three weeks of the fantasy playoffs, featuring 23+ points in each game, and on top of that he opened up the fantasy playoffs with 28+ points and a top-4 finish each of the first two weeks.
Brian Thomas' 26 catches and 346 yards led all WRs while his 37 targets and 4 TDs were 2nd among all players during the playoffs. His 84.6 fantasy points (28.2 PPG) were far and away the most for any non-QB, ranking a very close 3rd to only Jayden Daniels (89.8 points) and Lamar Jackson (86.0 points) in overall playoff scoring.
There are very few WRs with a brighter outlook in 2025 and beyond than Thomas, who had an exceptional rookie season and should get Trevor Lawrence (who battled through multiple injuries all throughout 2024) back. One would anticipate Thomas to be valued as a top-10 fantasy WR heading into 2025 and be selected within the first 2 rounds of fantasy drafts next year.
Runner-Up: Tee Higgins (WR)
It was far from an ideal start to the 2024 season for Higgins, facing multiple multi-week absences through the first 10 weeks, causing him to finish as a top-25 weekly WR just twice in that stretch.
It was all uphill from there for Higgins as the Bengals made their late-season push for a playoff spot and the pending free agent may have played himself into an even bigger contract with his end-of-season performance.
That included a monster fantasy playoffs, featuring the 2nd-most fantasy points among WRs to only Brian Thomas, 20+ points in all three games, a top-15 finish in all three weeks, and a 40-point performance in the championship week that near-singlehandedly won fantasy championships.
We'll have to see what 2025 will have in store for Higgins as the Bengals' WR is set to hit free agency and will likely command upwards of $30 million annually on his next contract. With Joe Burrow already under contract on a big deal, Ja'Marr Chase likely commanding around $40 million annually on his extension this offseason, and the Bengals' facing major holes elsewhere on the roster (offensive line, defense), it remains unclear if retaining a second highly-paid WR would be in the team's interest. That could be good or bad for Higgins' future prospects, ultimately depending on where the WR is playing (and what his QB situation looks like) in 2025.
Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit excellent production and consistency in their first season in the NFL.
Winner: Brock Bowers (TE)
You name the rookie receiving record and Brock Bowers likely set it in his historic rookie season.
Bowers set the following rookie records in 2024:
Most catches by any player (112)
Most targets by a TE (153)
Most receiving yards by a TE (1,194)
Most fantasy points by a TE (262.7)
On top of his historic numbers relative to rookies, Bowers led all TEs in targets, catches, receiving yards, and fantasy points, establishing himself as a reliable, elite TE1 for fantasy even despite his relative lack of experience. That came even despite the revolving door of mediocrity within the Raiders' QB room, featuring Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, and Desmond Ridder each starting at least one game.
One should expect Bowers to be drafted highly in 2025, comparable to Sam LaPorta's 3rd round ADP in 2024, though the situation may be a bit different. With the Raiders likely selecting a rookie QB highly in the 2025 NFL Draft and the rather realistic probability of the Raiders bringing in an upgrade at WR1 from Jakobi Meyers (in lieu of the mid-season departure of Davante Adams), Bowers' volume may not be replicated next season, but the efficiency should greatly improve.
There's little question that he should be a top-3 TE selected next year in fantasy drafts and likely should be treated as the top overall TE in dynasty formats, even with the uncertainty at QB for Vegas.
Runner-Up: Jayden Daniels (QB)
Brock Bowers may be the Rookie of the Year for fantasy (in large part due to the gap between he and the rest of the TE position), but Jayden Daniels will almost certainly be the Rookie of the Year in reality.
Daniels started off red-hot and never looked back, kicking off his rookie season with a 28-point statement performance in Week 1, the first of TWELVE 20+ point performances and SEVEN top-5 finishes on the season.
He had a comfortable 3,568 yards and 25 TDs to 9 INTs via the air, but was perhaps the most prolific QB on the ground in 2024, tallying 891 rushing yards and 6 TDs. Those 891 yards on the ground were the most in NFL history for a rookie QB and stood behind just Lamar Jackson's 915.
Ending the season as the QB5 in points and the QB3 in Sig PPG (behind only Jackson and Allen), Daniels will likely be the top QB of that "second tier" in 2025 fantasy drafts, going behind the likes of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and possibly Joe Burrow (depending on the location of Tee Higgins). The sky is the limit for Daniels, who may be a true WR2 away from becoming a second coming of Lamar Jackson.
Bust of the Year
The Bust of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player who exhibited poor production for their respective ADP. Players are not eligible for this due to off-field issues (suspensions, injuries, holdouts, etc.) and can only be named a bust due to performance-related production.
Winner: Travis Etienne (RB)
You may not remember it, but Travis Etienne was actually being drafted just behind Kyren Williams and was actually drafted (on ADP) ahead of the likes of Derrick Henry and De'Von Achane, going as a mid-2nd rounder as the RB8 off the board.
It initially looked like he was going to be at least decent in 2024, posting 12+ points in each of his first three games - a mark he hit eleven times in 2023. Then the wheels fell off, hitting that mark just twice the rest of the season and never eclipsing the 13+ point mark after the second game.
Etienne's massive decline came as a direct result of volume, going from 19.1 touches per game (7th among RBs) to a mere 12.6 touches per game (34th among RBs) in large part due to the expanded involvement of RB Tank Bigsby.
It was the massive decline in volume, the career-lows in efficiency in both the rushing and receiving games (3.7 YPC, 6.5 YPR), and then the opportunity cost of passing on other RBs/WRs that paid off in major ways (i.e. Henry) that made Etienne my 'Bust of the Year'.
Nobody knows what to expect for Etienne beyond 2024 seeing as there will be a coaching change in Jacksonville, Tank Bigsby could retain his pronounced role, and even the fact that there had been consistent trade rumors surrounding Etienne throughout the season. We could easily see a resurgence to top-15 production from Etienne with Lawrence back at QB and a revamped offense (especially if Ben Johnson becomes the Jaguars' HC), but perhaps just as likely, Etienne could be the RB2 with little fantasy relevancy or even be somewhere else completely.
Runner-Up: Sam LaPorta (TE)
Drafting someone among the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Isiah Pacheco, or Chris Olave in the opening round or two may have completely derailed your fantasy season, but those were injuries - Sam LaPorta didn't have the excuse of missed time for being severely underwhelming in 2024.
After one of the most prolific rookie seasons for a TE in history, leading all TEs in 2023 in TDs and fantasy points, LaPorta was a consensus top-3 pick among the TE position heading into 2024, being drafted as the TE2 on ADP in the mid-to-late 3rd round.
The indicators of potential regression were there heading into this season, stemming primarily from the high TD numbers in his rookie season, featuring over 25% of his production in 2023 coming via TDs. What wasn't expected was that in addition to a massive shift within the Lions' offense that saw LaPorta go from a 19.8% target share to a mere 15.1% target share. Combine those two factors and you see a TE go from the top overall TE in 2023 to the TE8 in fantasy in 2024. It was really apparent on a per-game basis as LaPorta went from one of the most secure weekly TEs in 2023 with a top-10 finish in 11 games to one of the least secure weekly TEs in 2024, hitting that same threshold in just half his games, including a top-5 finish just twice this year (vs 8 times in 2023).
That level of production for someone who was expected to be at the top of the position or, at a minimum finish within the top 5, was severely underwhelming given the fact it cost the draft price of a quality RB2 or WR2 to get LaPorta.
It's very unclear what 2025 and beyond will hold for LaPorta with the number of mouths to feed in Detroit (i.e. St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, etc.) remaining consistent, but OC Ben Johnson potentially moving on to a head coaching gig elsewhere. Any change to the offensive coordinator and play-caller for the top offense in the league will likely force LaPorta to lean more toward his underwhelming 2024 production than his elite 2023 production.
Breakout Player of the Year
The Breakout Player of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit a tremendous jump in his production from the previous season.
Winner: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR)
2023 featured a rather underwhelming rookie season for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, finishing as the WR48 on the season with just one game with 15+ points or a top-20 finish after being picked in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.
His sophomore season was a completely different story, taking off to (and exceeding) his pre-NFL Draft expectations. 2024 saw JSN jump to the WR9 on the season with over 1,100 yards and 6 TDs while ranking inside the top 10 in both catches and receiving yards.
His massive breakout came as a product of volume, going from a 16.2% target share to a 23.3% target share in 2024. It showed on a per-game basis, tallying 10+ points in 12 games while finishing as a top-10 WR in a quarter of his games, a feat he failed to accomplish at any point in his rookie season.
Having definitively surpassed Tyler Lockett within the Seahawks' WR room, JSN's future fantasy production will depend on whether he remains the lead WR in terms of volume in Seattle (ahead of DK Metcalf) as well as the sustainability of the Seahawks' QB play with Geno Smith at 34 years old. If Smith can maintain his play, or if the Seahawks are able to find a timely, quality replacement following Smith's impending drop-off, JSN should be capable of maintaining top-15 production beyond 2024.
Runner-Up: Chase Brown (RB)
Prior to the season, the expectation was the Bengals' backfield would be a true 1A-1B split with neither Brown or Zack Moss providing much in terms of overall production or week-to-week stability. We had flashes of potential from Zack Moss early on, but it was Chase Brown that went nuclear this year, shattering his 2023 totals as a rookie.
Once taking upon a significant workload in Week 4, drawing 13+ touches in each game from that point on, Brown was the RB6 in fantasy behind only Barkley, Gibbs, Bijan, Jacobs, and Derrick Henry. It wasn't just the overall production that took off, it was Brown's weekly consistency too. From that point in the season on, Brown tallied 13+ points and a top-24 weekly finish in 11 of 13 games.
Brown finished 2024 as a top-10 fantasy RB with over 1,300 total yards and 8 TDs, shattering his 2023 totals with over triple the carries, targets, catches, TDs, and yards that he saw in his rookie season.
It's hard to envision the Bengals going back to a 1A-1B split with Brown and Moss in 2025 after Brown's breakout, leaving the 2024 breakout as a likely top-15 fantasy option for next year heading into the offseason, barring the Bengals investing in a complementary back early in the NFL Draft while cutting Zack Moss (which would save the team $3.5M in cap space).
Waiver Wire Pickup of the Year
The Waiver Wire Player of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit high-end production after being a waiver wire pickup. Only players who had an ADP outside the typical 12-team PPR draft or were featured in our top weekly waiver wire pickups are eligible.
Winner: Bucky Irving (RB)
It's not very often you find top-15 RBs off of the waiver wire, much less a rookie RB with that type of production coming from the waiver wire, but that was the case with Bucky Irving.
Expectations weren't necessarily sky-high for Irving heading into the fantasy football season, being drafted in the 4th round of the NFL Draft and sitting behind Rachaad White, who was 2nd in the NFL in touches and was a top-5 fantasy RB in 2023, on the depth chart. But then, just days before the kickoff of the 2024 season, there were rumors of Rachaad White's workload potentially being dependent on his ability to notably improve upon a mediocre 3.6 YPC from last season.
Rachaad White struggled early on, failing to hit 3.0 YPC in any of his first three games of the season. That's when Bucky Irving got his opportunity and ran with it.
From that point on, he received 10+ touches in each game (except a Week 14 game that saw him exit due to injury) and was the RB8 in scoring the rest of the season. This came as a result of hitting 13+ points in 10 of his final 11 healthy games, including 15+ points in 9 of those.
He certainly won't be the early-season waiver wire target in 2025 that he was this year, likely going in the 3rd-5th round range in next year's drafts as an RB2 given the likelihood he takes even larger of a snap share away from Rachaad White with another offseason of development.
Runner-Up: Jonnu Smith (TE)
For as horrible as the Dolphins' offense was in 2024, somehow Jonnu Smith ended up not only being a bright spot, but a league-changing player for fantasy, coming off the waiver wire mid-season and never looking back.
He was a modest TE20 on the season heading into the Dolphins' Week 5 bye - about what you'd expect from Smith - but then took off, posting 10+ points in 10 of his final 12 games, including EIGHT straight games to end the season with 11+ points and a top-15 finish. No other TE was more productive after the Dolphins' bye than Smith, leading the position in fantasy points and ranking 3rd to only McBride and Bowers in PPG.
In a position that offered limited production and even less consistency, Jonnu Smith was a rare asset that fantasy owners both and without the price tag of a top TE, being picked up off waivers right around Week 8 or 9.
Jonnu Smith ended the season as the TE4 in fantasy points and the TE5 in PPG, serving as a league-winner in many scenarios. It's yet to be seen what his 2025 prospects will look like, especially with rumblings that WR Tyreek Hill may want a trade out of Miami. His workload may look the same if that happens, and while it's unlikely he will replicate his 8 TDs from this season, Jonnu could easily end up being one of those "value" options in the middle-to-later rounds of drafts next season.
Comeback Player of the Year
The Comeback Player of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit resiliency and production amidst returning from a previous season of poor production, injury, and/or suspension.
Winner: Joe Burrow (QB)
My oh my was that an exciting season from Burrow and the Bengals. A terrible defense and an elite offense is a very rare combination, but when it does show itself, you get a masterpiece for fantasy like Joe Burrow's 2024.
Burrow led the league in both passing yards (4,918) and passing TDs (43) purely off volume alone, finishing far and away with the most passing attempts (652) and completions (460). Adding another 201 yards and 2 TDs via the ground, Burrow ended the season as the QB3 in points and PPG, behind only Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen's historic seasons.
It was quite the step forward from a 2023 season that was one to forget, plagued by a calf strain entering into the season and ending with a wrist injury in Week 11 while throwing for 2,309 yards and 15 TDs to 6 INTs.
It was a historic comeback season for Burrow and while his efficiency says his play will likely carry over into 2025, there are a lot of question marks about whether his actual production will be replicatable next year. He was T-20th all-time in passing attempts in a single season - of the 20 other QBs with as many or more attempts, only 7 maintained or improved their fantasy production the following season. Throw in the likelihood the Bengals' defense takes a step forward (closer to what we had seen with them in recent years) plus the seemingly 50/50 possibility that Tee Higgins signs elsewhere in free agency and it looks like the numbers game won't align for a repeat of his 2024 production.
Now, that's not to say he'll struggle or even finish outside the top-3, but if we see another season where you have multiple players go for historic seasons (i.e. Jackson, Allen) as well as multiple other 4,500+ yard, 35+ TD QBs (Mayfield, Goff), it's pretty unlikely Burrow finishes where he does relative to the position. His 2025 valuation, not so much among the QBs (as he'll likely be the QB4 or QB5 off the board), but in terms of draft round will be a tricky thing to pin down until we get a feel for how the offseason shakes out.
Runner-Up: Josh Jacobs (RB)
Over the last five seasons, Jacobs has been up-and-down on alternating seasons, finishing as the RB8 in 2020, then the RB12 in 2021, then the RB3 in 2022, and then RB28 in 2023. That has been generally very good (outside the rough 2023 season) and the trend continued in 2024 with his first season in the Packers' organization.
Heading into the season, we knew Jacobs would be the 1 in Green Bay, but nobody had full confidence in his workload given LaFleur's history of always splitting the work among RBs. Two long-term injuries to Marshawn Lloyd and AJ Dillon later and it was the undisputed Josh Jacobs show in Green Bay for the whole season.
Tallying over 1,600 total yards and 16 TDs (including his first career receiving TD) on 337 touches left him comfortably as the RB6 on the season, behind only Gibbs, Barkley, Bijan, Henry, and Achane - all elite company. And it wasn't just the overall numbers that were solid - he posted 11+ points in 16/17 games while hitting 20+ points in half of them. He was as safe and solid as they came at the RB position this season.
After the rough 2023 season, 2024 was a breath of fresh (and crisp Green Bay) air for Jacobs and his fantasy owners alike. 2025 will likely see him taken as a top-10 fantasy RB on draft day and the expectation should be he returns value on that investment, but it should be worth keeping an eye on the Packers' offseason plans in terms of an RB2, whether that be getting 2024 3rd round pick Marshawn Lloyd fully involved or investing elsewhere in an RB2 (either via the draft or free agency), given it is a solid possibility that LaFleur goes back to his 1A/1B approach that he's used for years now that he has options at the position and isn't forced into feeding Jacobs out of necessity.
Draft Bargain of the Year
The Bargain of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit an elite return in production upon excellent draft-day value. Only players that had an ADP within the typical 12-team PPR draft board are eligible.
Winner: Courtland Sutton (WR)
No player in fantasy gave you as much 'bang for your buck' as Broncos' WR Courtland Sutton did this season.
It took a bit for rookie QB Bo Nix to get going in the NFL, but once he did, Sutton was among the best WRs in fantasy. Through the first five weeks, the rookie was still getting his footing and it reflected with Sutton, failing to eclipse 70 yards or finish as a top-25 WR in any of the first five games, posting single-digit performances in 3/5 weeks.
Then it turned around and Bo Nix looked like the Rookie of the Year candidate that we knew him to be for the remainder of the season. From that point on, Sutton posted 10+ points in all but one game and ranked as the WR10 in fantasy for the remainder of the season.
Ending the season as the WR15 with over 1,000 yards and 8 TDs is nothing to scoff at, especially considering he was being drafted in the TENTH ROUND on ADP as the WR47 off the board. Those like me who rolled the dice on Sutton as WR depth with the hopes of getting points simply from volume in what was anticipated to be a terrible offense were blown away by what we got for our pick. The value of having a WR as productive (and consistent) as he from the late rounds couldn't be understated, taking decent teams to championship caliber or even covering up for an injury or two (i.e. my picks of Rashee Rice and Chris Godwin) earlier on.
Sutton has always been one of those players that falls under the radar a bit on draft day because he's playing within a huge market and he doesn't have the 'sexy' playing style of a Tyreek Hill, Tee Higgins, or Jameson Williams, but he always produces. He won't be the 10th-round, WR4/5 type of pick he was in 2024 going into next season, but it's fair to assume he'll be drafted as a fringe WR2/WR3 and at that price, he should be an intriguing option with Bo Nix having another offseason of development.
Runner-Up: Terry McLaurin (WR)
A very comparable player to Courtland Sutton above, McLaurin had always been a 'good but not great' type of player who never really received the opportunity to explode as a fantasy option due to QB play. Like Sutton, a rookie QB ended up being a blessing in disguise, taking McLaurin to new heights from a very appealing price tag on draft day.
Being drafted as the WR31 on ADP at the tail-end of the 6th/early-7th round (6.12), the expectation was that McLaurin would be an okay FLEX option that would be hit-or-miss as he had been in the past, but now with the hope that a rookie QB in Jayden Daniels with a fantastic collegiate deep ball could help him take that next step.
It got off to an ugly start with the Commanders' offense looking solid with Daniels under center, but McLaurin wasn't really a factor, going for just 8 catches and 39 total yards through the first two games, posting single-digit performances in both.
Then Daniels and the Commanders' passing offense took off. Daniels went on a historic rookie season and McLaurin was a huge beneficiary, going for eight consecutive 13+ point games and hitting that 13+ point threshold in 13 of his final 15 games en route to finishing as the WR7 on the season. It wasn't so much a differentiation from his typical seasons in most regards, finishing right in line with each of the last four seasons when it came to catches and yards, actually finishing with the lowest number of targets since his rookie season, but the TD department is where Daniels changed everything. Prior to 2024, McLaurin had averaged 5 TDs per season - in 2024, he was second to only Ja'Marr Chase with 13 receiving TDs.
For as amazing of a season as it was for McLaurin (and believe me, I reaped the benefits as someone who drafted him often), I'm not sure if it's sustainable in 2025. He was the only top-12 WR with under 130 targets (he had 117) and with so much of his production coming from big plays and TDs (29.1% TD Dependency, the highest of any WR inside the top-40 in scoring), it appears that barring a major uptick in volume (which seems unlikely given Washington's likelihood to upgrade their WR2), regression is likely.
He'll likely end up being drafted as either a top-12 or top-15 WR in 2025 fantasy drafts off of his massive season and the expectation that "the only way to go is up for Daniels in Year 2," and I fear that may be a mistake to fall in line with. For as fantastic of a 2024 season as he had, especially at such a bargain on draft day, and for as good of a WR as he is, I think that the volatility that McLaurin's production brings to 2025 may end up making his upcoming draft price a bit overvalued.
'Mr. Reliable' Player of the Year
The 'Mr. Reliable' Player of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit elite consistency and production of the highest level.
Winner: Lamar Jackson (QB)
Lamar's 2019 season was the best ever for a fantasy football QB and while his 2024 season didn't quite match that level, it sure did come extremely close, featuring career-bests in completion percentage, passing yards, total yards, and TDs while throwing the fewest INTs in his career as a starter.
His 430.4 fantasy points and 25.3 PPG led all players in 2024 while his point total was the most in his career and his incredible PPG mark was second to only his unanimous MVP season. While his point totals were off the chart, his incredible consistency is what made him arguably one of the most valuable assets in fantasy football this season.
Jackson was the only fantasy player to tally 15+ points in every game this season. He managed that while also finishing as a top-12 QB all but one week this season (the most ever), leaving him with a historically strong 0.237 Consistency Rating - the lowest of any player in 2024.
After his incredible 2024 season, Jackson will almost undoubtedly end up being either the first or second QB off the board in 2025 fantasy drafts, going somewhere in the first four rounds. If he's able to maintain even comparable efficiency numbers via the air, Jackson would have a very realistic shot at matching or exceeding his 2024 production given the fact that he saw the fewest rushing attempts per game in his career this past season.
Runner-Up: David Montgomery (RB)
Monty was the definition of consistency and reliability at the RB position this season, not just for the Detroit Lions but also for fantasy football.
You knew what you were getting each and every game out of Montgomery - somewhere between 12 and 16 points with the occasional game above that but very rarely below that. Montgomery posted 12+ points and a top-24 finish in all but two games in 2024 (one of which he left due to injury). In those two games, he failed to finish as a top-24 back on the week, he posted 8.0 points (RB33) and departed early vs the Bills with 7.5 points. Even in his "bad" games, he was serviceable, finishing as the most consistent RB in fantasy (0.292 CR) this season.
The driving force behind his production was his prominent role as the Lions' short-yardage/primary goal-line back, resulting in 12 TDs on the year, which included at least one TD in all but three games prior to his Week 15 MCL injury.
His prospects for 2025 may not look quite as rosy as he recovers from an MCL tear and could cede work to star RB Jahmyr Gibbs, but even with a potentially reduced role from 2024, Montgomery appears an established RB2 or very high-end FLEX option in fantasy lineups for the foreseeable future.
'What Could Have Been' Player of the Year
The 'What Could Have Been' Player of the Year honor is awarded to the top fantasy player to exhibit elite production, but have their season cut short due to injury or suspension, hence leaving his season a "what could have been".
Winner: Chris Godwin (WR)
2024 was a big "what if" for Chris Godwin, who was on pace to match his terrific 2019 season where he finished as the WR2 in fantasy prior to a season-ending dislocated ankle.
Through the first seven weeks, Godwin led all players in targets (62) and receptions (50) while ranking second to only Ja'Marr Chase in receiving yards, receiving TDs, and fantasy points among WRs. He was looking like his usual safe, consistent self through the first two months of the season, hitting 6+ targets, 5+ catches, and 11+ fantasy points in each of the first seven weeks in the highly-productive Buccaneers' passing offense.
Then it all ended. With under a minute left and with the Buccaneers down multiple TDs with 0 timeouts left against the Ravens on MNF, Head Coach Todd Bowles opted to keep his starters in with the hopes of a once-in-a-generation type of comeback after having already lost WR Mike Evans to a long-term hamstring injury earlier in the game. It backfired with Godwin being tackled by an apparent hip-drop tackle in garbage time, resulting in the end of the WR's season after 7 games.
Despite playing just 7 games, Godwin remained inside the top-24 fantasy WRs until Week 13. It remains a toss-up if we'll see Godwin in a Buccaneers' uniform again as he is a pending free agent this offseason, leaving some uncertainty as to where he will be in 2025, what his role will look like, and truly how comfortable his situation will be from a fantasy perspective. If he were to return to Tampa Bay, one would anticipate Godwin being drafted among the top 15 WRs in 2025 fantasy drafts, even despite the injury.
Runner-Up: Rashee Rice (WR)
Rice was an earlier version of Chris Godwin, having picked up right where he left off from the late-season tear that saw him as a top-12 WR over the final month of the season in 2023, opening up 2024 with a bang.
Through the first three weeks of the 2024 season, Rice was the go-to target in Kansas City, hitting 17+ points in each game while amassing substantial volume with 24 catches, 29 targets, and an absurd 34.1% target share, second to only Malik Nabers' torrid start to the season. It had even gotten to the point where everyone was asking "Is this the end of Travis Kelce?" because Rice had consumed so much of the volume.
On the opening drive of Week 4, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception, Rice was chasing down the defender, and as Rice was making the tackle (and forcing a fumble), Mahomes dove head-first into Rice's planted knee. Even though the injury wasn't as devastating as initially anticipated (avoiding any damage to the ACL or meniscus), Rice's season ended with surgery on his knee to repair his LCL and hamstring.
For what likely would've been the steal of fantasy football drafts, sliding to the 6th round due to suspension concerns (which had been put off at the last second), it was a huge blow to fantasy owners.
Now we don't fully know when we'll see Rice back for a full season, seeing as it appears more likely than not that Rice will be suspended to start the 2025 season due to an April 2024 arrest for a car crash he was involved in. The question now becomes how long will he be out in 2025 and what is the price worth paying to draft an elite fantasy WR that will be missing some time next year.