We’re rapidly moving toward the start of the 2024 NFL Season. We’ve seen two-thirds of the pre-season frame, and we’re less than ten days from final roster cuts. During the last month, players’ value has fluctuated. In the next two installments, I’ll look at the stock of players that has risen and fallen during Training Camp and the pre-season. Today, it’s two players per position whose stock has taken a hit. Let’s dive in!
Quarterbacks
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
About: The Giants bet on Jones again in 2024 after a woeful 2023 campaign. Part of it was driven by economics—as it would be costly to part ways—and part by opportunity. If you watched the off-season version of Hard Knocks, you know Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen looked hard at other quarterback options. They even tried to make a run up in the draft. Instead, they stayed put, rolled the dice on Jones, and took Malik Nabers to bolster his weapons.
Jones played well with Daboll in 2022, earning a large extension. But the pressure is on him in 2024 to prove worthy. His outing on Saturday, where he threw two interceptions, including a pick-six, wasn’t inspiring. If you’re holding him in dynasty, I’d look for a deal you can live with and, at a bare minimum, some backup plan.
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
About: I’m lumping them together because the Steelers are stuck with them. Wilson and Fields came to the Steelers in need of a fresh start. Neither has distinguished themselves in Pittsburgh so far. The team has started. Wilson is the starter, but he’s been injured in camp and didn’t look sharp on Saturday. Fields has had some moments in camp but fumbled two snaps in the Steelers’ pre-season opener and couldn’t provide much lift on Saturday.
Neither looks great for the Steelers or fantasy and with both on a one-year deal, there’s little long-term security. The sell window might have passed, but if someone still believes it, it’s time to move on.
Running Backs
Isaiah Spiller, Los Angeles Chargers
About: The Chargers brought in a run-first regime this off-season and parted ways with the top two backs from 2023, Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley. The team added Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, then drafted Kimani Vidal, but the room still feels wide open.
Spiller is a former fourth-round pick who seemed to have a chance to impress this off-season. He hasn’t done it. In two games, he has seven carries for 12 yards. Spiller does have five receptions for 34 yards, which is a positive, but he’s been outplayed by Vidal. The Chargers have also held Edwards and Dobbins out, suggesting their roster spot is secure. Spiller doesn’t seem to have much of a path to touches for the Chargers and feels like a droppable player in Dynasty.
Samaje Perine, Denver Broncos
About: Sometimes, in the NFL, it’s a numbers game. The Broncos returned Javonte Williams, Perine, and Jaleel McLaughlin, adding rookies Audric Estime and Blake Watson. It’s a team that kept only three backs in 2023 and likely will do the same to start 2024. Perine entered the first pre-season game early, a good sign, but didn’t see much action. He did pop his lone target into the air for an interception.
Meanwhile, a young Broncos team used all its young backs, with them finding various degrees of success. Perine is in the last year of his deal, and releasing him won’t cost much. I suspect the Broncos will lean toward their young players, leaving Perine a veteran looking for a job and not worth holding on to your roster.
Wide Receivers
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Free Agent
About: JuJu signed with the Patriots last off-season following a year where he led the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs from the wide receiver position. He struggled in his first year with the Patriots, catching just 29 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown. And that came despite being on a team desperate for receiver production.
The Patriots are still desperate for receiver production and decided JuJu wasn’t the answer. He was released while they focused on younger players. That leaves him a veteran coming off his worst career year looking for work. JuJu might latch on to an NFL team, but he certainly shouldn’t be clogging up your Dynasty roster.
Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants
About: The Giants are another team in need of playmakers. That was part of the reason the team drafted Hyatt in 2023. But they didn’t get much bang for their buck. He had just 40 receptions for 373 yards as a rookie. The question was if he would step up in his sophomore year.
Granted, the team has struggled at quarterback—which I documented above. And yet, other receivers have done well enough. Hyatt has just one reception for zero yards on three targets in two pre-season games. It’s time to be realistic about his chances of returning value, which aren’t great. If you have him on a Taxi Squad and want to leave him there in case, I get it. But I’d rather roster Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton at this point, so if I need the space, I won’t hesitate to cut Hyatt loose.
Tight Ends
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
About: I liked the selection of Mayer in the 2023 draft, but we didn’t see much in year one. Then, in April, the Raiders took Brock Bowers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Bowers is more likely an explosive playmaker at the same position on an offense that is not likely to be among the league’s best. The pre-season would be a chance for Mayer to showcase his ability, but he has just four receptions for 23 yards in two games. Even the team’s projected TE3, Harrison Bryant, has fared better, at least catching a touchdown in his three receptions Saturday night. For Dynasty, it’s hard to see how Mayer gets enough volume to provide a good return on investment.
Colts’ Tight Ends
About: You might call this cheating, but I’m lumping this group together. The Colts have a lot of tight end options. Seven players are on the roster, and all have contributed this pre-season. But no one has distinguished themselves. The Colts scored 30 points in their pre-season opener, and five different TEs caught a pass. In Week 2, two tight ends caught passes, but none of them were one of the projected top four on the roster. For the NFL, the Colts have an embarrassment of riches at tight end. For fantasy, it’s a nightmare. I’m staying away.
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.
