We’re approaching the 2024 season. Every year, a few players seize on the right opportunity and surprise for fantasy players. The value comes from trying to predict who it will end up being this time of year and stashing them. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at some 2024 sleeper candidates at each of the key fantasy positions: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. Hopefully, these are players you can acquire at a value that will propel you to fantasy glory.
We all have players that we want to believe in when they’re drafted and players we’re prone to look past. When it came to Will Levis—who was taken in the Second Round by the Tennessee Titans in 2023—I wasn’t sold he was the answer for the Titans. When he got his chance to start for the team post-bye week, he looked solid. He flashed at times in a short stint as a starter before his season came to an end.
Now, going into year two, Levis has a shot to prove he’s a franchise quarterback. The team appears committed to him and to building around him. Could that be a benefit for your fantasy team? Let’s weigh the evidence.
The Case for Will Levis
Levis was a Second-Round pick, but some thought he might go higher. Still, the Titans seemed to like him as the quarterback of the future. Veteran Ryan Tannehill started the season, but by Week 8, Levis was in command. Levis started solidly from Week 8 to Week 14 before getting knocked out with an injury. During that stretch, he impressed at times, going QB17 over those games. Now, heading into his second season, there’s little question it’s his team.
The Titans have also worked to build a good team around him. The team saw veteran workhorse back Derrick Henry depart for the Ravens but replaced him with Tony Pollard, a solid runner and gifted receiver who pairs nicely with second-year back Tyjae Spears.
The Titans still have DeAndre Hopkins and former First-Round pick Treylon Burks, along with steady tight end Chig Okonkwo. But this off-season, the team worked to beef up the pass-catching weapons. The Titans splashed out for a big contract for former Falcon and Jaguars Calvin Ridley, later adding veteran Tyler Boyd. That gives him a plethora of options. Since Levis took 28 sacks in nine starts in 2023, the team also spent a First-Round pick on tackle J.C. Latham, improving that group.
But the biggest boon for Levis is the hiring of Head Coach Brian Callahan. He comes from the Cincinnati Bengals, where he served as Offensive Coordinator for the past five seasons. There, Callahan worked with another young quarterback, Joe Burrow. Burrow started ten games as a rookie, showing flash at times before getting hurt. In his second season, he exploded. He threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns, completing 70 percent of his passes. Burrow was regarded as a better prospect coming out, but could Callahan help Levis take a sizeable year two leap?
The Case Against Will Levis
The case against him might just be his play. He started nine games, completing just 58.1 percent of his passes for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions. Granted, it was a different scheme and sometimes lacked weapons. But those stats aren’t eye-popping. Nor is his 3-6 record as a starter in 2023. The same thing happens when you break down that QB17 stretch from Week 8 to Week 14. Levis had a 26-point game in Week 8 and added a 17-point game in Week 14, but in between, he didn’t have more than 12 points. In fact, he scored in single digits three times. That’s not ideal in fantasy, especially at the quarterback position.
In fact, if you take away his first start against the Falcons, in eight starts, Levis threw for 1,570 yards and four touchdowns, going 2-6. He also didn’t add much as a rusher, accounting for just 57 yards on 25 carries. By contrast, Ryan Tannehill, in eight starts, went 3-5, completing more than 64 percent of his passes for 1,616 yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions. That wasn’t good enough for the Titans or for fantasy players. The danger is that despite Levis’s incredible debut, he’ll struggle to produce despite a more robust system and better weapons.
The Bottom Line
Do you believe in Levis? That’s the question you have to ask yourself heading into 2024. His ADP is QB23, meaning most people are banking on him being at least a QB2. That doesn’t create a lot of value unless you think he takes a Burrow-like leap. Burrow was QB8 in his second year in 2021 under Callahan. If Levis took a leap into the QB1 range, he’d be an incredible value—especially where many got him in rookie drafts in 2023.
But that feels like a big IF. I like what the Titans have done this off-season, including the Callahan hire and surrounding that offense with weapons. However, I’m less sold on Levis as the long-term answer. If I can get Levis for the right price and have him as my QB3, I’m interested to see if he can break out. If I’m depending on him week-to-week, I’m hopeful, but there is some risk.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
