The NFL preseason games are done. That means that roster cutdowns need to happen by 4 PM ET on Tuesday, August 27th. From that moment on, every team will have the 53 men they plan to go to battle with. 

And the next item on the NFL schedule is the kickoff of the 2024 NFL season between the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens on Thursday September 5th. We’ve waited patiently all offseason, so what’s one more week? To help hold us over during this final period, let’s take a look at some of the biggest question marks going into the 2024 season. 

These are the NFL questions that will make or break our fantasy football seasons. In the early rounds of drafts, certainty is our friend. You want the locked-in WR1 or every-down back. Later on in drafts, we can create a lot of leverage by leaning into uncertainty. C.J. Stroud was going off the board as the QB28 this time of year and, when he blew up, so did weapons of his like Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

So, let’s take a moment to look at the biggest question marks for all 32 NFL teams. 

 

 

 

Arizona Cardinals - Trey Benson, RB

Obviously, everyone wants to know what Marvin Harrison will look like. But he’ll get every opportunity given that he was picked fourth overall. Despite being the second RB drafted, we don’t know what the opportunity for Trey Benson will look like. Will he simply be the backup to James Conner, or will he carve out a role? If he does get a role, will it be a fantasy relevant one?

Atlanta Falcons - Kirk Cousins, QB

Most of the key pieces are in place – Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson are all poised for a big year. That’s IF Kirk Cousins comes back looking like Kirk Cousins. When Matthew Stafford left the Lions for the Rams, he didn’t skip a beat. Russell Wilson, on the other hand, struggled mightily after leaving the Seahawks for the Broncos. Cousins has the added curveball of coming off a torn Achilles tendon. 

Baltimore Ravens - Isaiah Likely, TE

There have been rumblings this offseason that Isaiah Likely did enough last year to earn more work. The problem? He was operating in Mark Andrews’ role. Neither player is much of an inline blocker. So, the snaps for Likely would either need to come at the expense of a wide receiver or Andrews himself. Andrews did have tightrope surgery on a high ankle injury last year, but he was able to return to the playoffs briefly. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

Buffalo Bills - Keon Coleman, WR

It really all starts with Coleman. They made the 6’3”, 215-pound former basketball player a priority pick in the early second round for the 2024 NFL draft. He’s the only one with the size to be a true split end which could give him massive upside with Stefon Diggs gone. If he starts slow or busts completely, however, that opens the door for guys like Curtis Samuel or Khalil Shakir to step up. Samuel is already dealing with a toe injury which might force the issue.

Carolina Panthers - Jonathon Brooks, RB

The Panthers have a first-round rookie of their own in Xavier Legette but, with Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen there, the pressure to produce right away isn’t as glaring. The bigger questions surround Brooks, the first RB drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. If he starts the season on the PUP list, he’s guaranteed to miss at least four games. If he doesn’t, that means we could see him fairly early, making him an intriguing pick for fantasy. 

Chicago Bears - Rome Odunze, WR

Obviously, Caleb Williams is a question mark to some degree, but he’s the starter and he does have plenty of weapons. He’s actually being drafted in the QB1 range anyway, so it’s not quite the C.J. Stroud situation here. The bigger place to create (or lose) value is with Rome Odunze. 

He’s incredibly talented and they took him at 9 overall, but they also have DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Not to mention, Shane Waldron loves his tight ends, so Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis will all see snaps. Can Odunze carve out a fantasy relevant role in those conditions? Or will he be stuck as the third fiddle like Jaxon Smith-Njigba was last year? 

Cincinnati Bengals - Zack Moss, RB

We were a little worried about the wrist for Joe Burrow. But he’s reportedly looked healthy. The Ja'Marr Chase holdout would have been up there but him returning to practice was a good sign. The biggest remaining question boils down to the split between new RB Zack Moss and incumbent Chase Brown. Moss looks to be the starter and early-down back, but Brown could operate in space and on passing downs. We’ll have to see.

 

 

 

Cleveland Browns - Nick Chubb, RB

There will probably be questions following Deshaun Watson for the rest of his time in the public spotlight. But they were quietly winning games and he was putting up around 18 fantasy points per game last year with a hurt shoulder, so don’t be surprised if he’s still a decent QB. With Nick Chubb being left on the PUP list, he’s now set to miss the first four games minimum. So, the question isn’t even just when he will be back, but also how he will look coming off a major injury.

Dallas Cowboys - Brandin Cooks, WR

Back in February/March, the Cowboys were a top candidate in the rumor mill to add both a wide receiver or a running back in free agency or the draft. Then they didn’t do either, all while parting ways with Michael Gallup. 

The RB split between Zeke Elliott and Rico Dowdle is a question of its own, but the WR2 chair for a pass-happy offense is equally intriguing. Can Cooks remain healthy and hold onto it? Or will someone like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks or rookie Ryan Flournoy emerge?

Denver Broncos - Greg Dulcich, TE

There are a LOT of questions here. Rookie QB Bo Nix will start. The running back room could be a big committee or Javonte Williams could be the lead back. But the most interesting point of leverage might actually be Greg Dulcich.

Every top 12 PPR tight end last year was a top two target on their team. With Jerry Jeudy gone, there is room after Courtland Sutton. If Greg Dulcich can stay healthy and operate in a “Jimmy Graham-lite” type role, he could surprise a lot of people. Wide receiver Tim Patrick was just released today so that's one hurdle. The next, and biggest, hurdle is staying healthy…

Detroit Lions - Jameson Williams, WR

We know the RB split between David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. We know Amon-Ra St. Brown is the target hog. We know Sam LaPorta is a stud tight end. The last question is whether Jameson Williams is ready to step up as a true threat on the outside. They traded UP to take him in the first round two years ago. And Josh Reynolds is gone. The path is there, so he just needs to step up. 

Green Bay Packers - Dontayvion Wicks, WR

This has been one of the most divisive players this offseason. The advanced metrics are good. The film is good. The question is about playing time. Last year, he was the WR4 behind Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs. Through most of the offseason, that has seemed to remain the case. 

There is big upside if he gets a bigger role. But it would need to come at the expense of those starters. And that’s before we even mention the two tight end sets they want to run with Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave. Maybe they will all just rotate, and it will be a nightmare for fantasy football. 

Houston Texans - Tank Dell, WR

Tank Dell burst onto the scene last year when C.J. Stroud had his breakout rookie season. His explosiveness led to a few HUGE games of 114, 145 and 149 yards, even if he did have a couple of duds in between. His season ended with a broken leg after he got caught in a pile blocking on a goal-line carry. And that’s part of the question. 

Now that they have Stefon Diggs with Nico Collins, does Dell now because the odd man out, especially for those jumbo two-WR sets? They just paid the big split end Nico Collins a ton of money and I can’t imagine them asking star diva WR Stefon Diggs to sit. 

Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Richardson, QB

We know Anthony Richardson is an insane athlete. But can he deliver the football to his teammates? In joint practices, Bengals defensive backs asked that question out loud. And then he looked a little rough in the final preseason game, throwing a pick six. His rushing ability should offer a good floor for fantasy but that only lasts so long, as Justin Fields has already found out. 

Jacksonville Jaguars - Brian Thomas, WR

Brian Thomas has a lot on his shoulders here. The Jaguars failed to retain Calvin Ridley when the rival Tennessee Titans offered him a monster deal. The Jaguars solution was to turn around and draft a new split end in the first round. We saw Justin Jefferson thrive in a similar situation when replacing Stefon Diggs. But we also saw Treylon Burks faceplant trying to replace AJ Brown. Hence why the Titans needed to pay up for Calvin Ridley…

 

 

 

Kansas City Chiefs - Rashee Rice, WR

The questions surrounding Rashee Rice are two fold. First off, with the addition of Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft and Hollywood Brown in free agency, we don't know if he will lead the wide receivers in targets again. We also don't know if he will get suspended after multiple off-field incidents this offseason. Travis Kelce will be one of the focal points of the offense so it will be hard to have multiple fantasy relevant WRs here. And it starts with Rice. 

Las Vegas Raiders - Brock Bowers, TE

Brock Bowers is arguably the best pass-catching tight end prospect of all time. He won the John Mackey Award for the best tight end in college football TWICE. Gardner Minshew is the starting QB so there is at least a decent floor to the quality of targets, even if the ceiling isn’t crazy high. Davante Adams will be the top target almost certainly, so it’s Bowers vs. Jakobi Meyers to be the second target. Bowers could take the league by storm, or he could be eased in as a rookie.

Los Angeles Chargers - Justin Herbert, QB

It all starts with Justin Herbert. There COULD be some fantasy-relevant gems in a brand new offense with a lot of uncertainty. But we’ve never really seen Herbert thrive without Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler or Gerald Everett. Now they are all gone.

Will his foot be healthy enough? Will Greg Roman let him throw enough? Is anyone there actually good at catching the football? So many questions surrounding Justin Herbert. This is where we find out if he’s a star or not.

Los Angeles Rams - Blake Corum, RB

A lot of attention is being paid to the battle between Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Whittington. Or the Colby Parkinson vs. Davis Allen. But the prize there is what? Third target at best behind Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua? I’m more interested in whether rookie Blake Corum can carve out a role in this backfield with Kyren Williams. That will not only determine whether Corum is useful but also whether Kyren Williams was worth his high fantasy ADP. 

Miami Dolphins - Jonnu Smith, TE

Believe it or not, Jonnu Smith could be the key to unlocking this offense. When you compare this offense to San Francisco, they had the two star WRs in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. They have the good RB room. They have the fullback in Alec Ingold. They have the premiere left take in Terron Armstead.

That’s their version of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk and Trent Williams. What they needed was a two-way tight end that could block AND rip off chunk plays like George Kittle. Can Jonnu Smith fill that role?

Minnesota Vikings - Sam Darnold, QB

This is another one where all the questions lead back to the quarterback. T.J. Hockenson is coming off injury and he’ll be battling with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison for targets. Can he be fantasy relevant? Well, that all depends on the quarterback. Can Sam Darnold provide the volume for Jordan Addison and/or T.J. Hockenson? Will the quality of the targets be good enough for Justin Jefferson and his first round ADP? We’ll find out.

New England Patriots - Drake Maye, QB

I don’t think some folks understand the reality of Drake Maye. This is a guy who is absolutely willing to run. He ran the ball 184 times in a college season. He led the team in rushing yards that year. If he gets the job and is willing to run the ball 5-6 times a game, his floor is pretty close to backend QB1. That’s how important rushing is in fantasy football. That’s exactly the kind of dart throw we want to make with a last round pick. 

New Orleans Saints - Rashid Shaheed, WR

We’re so excited about Rashid Shaheed, we actually did a full write-up on his upside already. But there are still questions to be had. The new offense can highly consolidate the snaps among the top two WRs on the team because of the fullback usage. One will be Chris Olave. Can Shaheed claim a full-time role? Will this toe/foot issue hamper him into the season? Can Derek Carr support two fantasy-relevant assets? A lot of questions, but the upside is worth it for us. 

New York Giants - Malik Nabers, WR

Honestly, this entire offense is a question. You can pick any position – QB, WR, RB, TE, DST, K – and there are massive questions. But Malik Nabers is the only one being drafted relatively high in fantasy drafts. And for good reasons. He’s an incredible prospect that they used a top 10 pick on. Now someone just has to get him the ball. 

 

 

 

New York Jets - Aaron Rodgers, QB

What would this article be without the most mysterious man in football? We’ve been saying for two years now that a guy like Garrett Wilson would thrive if only he had a better QB. Now he likely gets one. 

Rodgers is a 41-year-old coming off an Achilles tear though, so it could be rough sledding. Not to mention, this guy is a complete wildcard, so nothing is really off the table in an election year. What happens with him trickles down to Wilson, Breece Hall, Mike Williams, Tyler Conklin – everyone. 

Philadelphia Eagles - Saquon Barkley, RB

This is just as much of a question for Jalen Hurts as it is with Saquon Barkley. Will Kellen Moore change up what they have been doing in terms of running back usage?

When Hurts has been healthy, they have thrown to the RB on a minimal basis and Hurts has used the “Tush Push” whenever it’s short yardage situations. That’s how he scored 15 rushing touchdowns last year. Does that continue even without Jason Kelce? Or do they lean into Saquon Barkley after paying him a boat load of money?

Pittsburgh Steelers - Russell Wilson, QB

I’ll admit it: I LIKE taking Russell Wilson late in fantasy drafts. He was the QB14 last year despite missing two games. Now he joins a team that won 10 games. And Mike Tomlin doesn’t seem like a “send in the backup QB to run wildcat” kind of guy.

But there are still so many questions about Wilson’s ability, how short his leash is or if there will be a rotation. If Wilson does have a bounce back year, he’ll be a value at his QB30+ ADP though. And so would a guy like Pat Freiermuth, as we wrote about here.

San Francisco 49ers - Brandon Aiyuk, WR

This one is too easy. Is Brandon Aiyuk going to play for the 49ers? If he ends his holdout (and perhaps just as important, if not more so, Trent Williams ends HIS holdout), it will be business as usual. If Aiyuk does not play, that opens the door for a guy like Ricky Pearsall and boosts the upside for George Kittle. We’re hoping this is settled soon.

Seattle Seahawks - Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR

We’ve seen this story before. Chris Godwin for his first two years was stuck behind Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson. In year three, DJax was gone and Chris Godwin was the WR2 in fantasy. Well, it’s still year two for JSN and both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are still there. The new OC Ryan Gubbs should use more three-WR sets, but does that mean JSN surpasses Lockett this year? Hard to say. But the upside is there. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Rachaad White, RB

Last year, Rachaad White was a solid fantasy option. But most of that was by brute force volume as his efficiency metrics weren’t particularly dazzling. That, along with the drafting of pass-catching back Bucky Irving, have folks a bit trepid on Rachaad White. If he’s the three-down workhorse again in 2024 though, he’ll be worth his ADP regardless of efficiency. 

Tennessee Titans - Tony Pollard, RB

Arguments could certainly be made that Will Levis is the biggest question mark. And I would not argue against those arguments. But the Tony Pollard vs. Tyjae Spears debate is equally intriguing to me. The classic mantra has been “take the cheaper of the two in ambiguous backfields”. 

But I’ve actually seen Spears go before Pollard and Pollard before Spears in different drafts. So, it’s a true toss-up here. Maybe they will both split down the middle and it won’t matter as much. But the upside is there if one back runs away with it. 

Washington Commanders - Jayden Daniels, QB

There are battles for starting tight end, running back splits and WR2 behind Terry McLaurin here. So, there are plenty of questions to be had. But the top one has to be Jayden Daniels, right? He was the second QB taken in the draft. And his mobile upside makes him an IMMEDIATE option in fantasy football given the floor and ceiling that rushing provides. The future of the Commanders franchise is in this guy’s hands right now.