2024 Fantasy Football Offseason Team Needs Revisited (AFC)

The last domino of the NFL offseason has fallen. Teams have gone through training camp and played their preseason games. The 2024 NFL season is officially here.

Fantasy drafts have been going on over the last few weeks with the NFL set to kick off Thursday. However, this is also an excellent time for reflection. There is a ton of content produced during the NFL offseason and we won’t know how most of it goes until the end of the 2024 season. However, back in January, FTN looked at the biggest needs for each AFC and NFC team. That is something we can evaluate.

Teams spend the entire offseason trying to optimize their rosters and fill the biggest gaps on their team in pursuit of a Super Bowl. Check out the AFC Needs Revisited below. Sunday, we’ll cover the NFC.

Offseason Team Needs Revisited: AFC

Baltimore Ravens

In January: Find stability at running back

Injuries to explosive backfield weapons like Keaton Mitchell (47 carries) and J.K. Dobbins (eight carries) forced Baltimore to funnel its rushing attack through average backs like Gus Edwards (198 carries for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns) and Justice Hill (84 carries). The team still gets elite rushing production from Lamar Jackson (148 carries for 821 yards and five touchdowns) but would greatly benefit from a running back who can provide a true complement to Jackson in the backfield.

Baltimore made a point to bolster their backfield in 2024, prioritizing veteran running back Derrick Henry in free agency. Sure, Henry will turn 30 during the 2024 season, but no running back in the NFL has been as durable as he has since 2018. The former Titan has played at least 15 games in five of the last six seasons.

Henry saw his workload in the backfield dip during 2023 with more carries going to rookie Tyjae Spears. The veteran has also seen his yards per carry decline from 5.4 in 2020 to 4.2 in 2023. However, he is still a high-volume running back who will be the perfect power complement to Jackson in the backfield. Since 2018, Henry has averaged 305.8 carries, 1,441.8 yards and 13.6 touchdowns per season. He isn’t as explosive as he has been, but he’s still better than anything Baltimore rolled out in their backfield last season.

Derrick Henry adds an interesting component to this backfield and provides exactly what the team needs: a consistent option to handle a full workload.

Grade: A

Buffalo Bills

In January: Upgrade the WR room

The hope going into the offseason was that Buffalo would continue to bolster the offense around Josh Allen to finally make the Super Bowl.

Fast forward eight months, and the Bills did address the wide receiver group. It’s just hard to say they upgraded the unit.

Gone are veteran receivers Stefon Diggs (160 targets) and Gabe Davis (81 targets). Those players accounted for 47% of the team’s targets, 44% of the receiving yards and 51% of the touchdown receptions. Even though Diggs has faded down the stretch over the last two seasons and Davis is inconsistent as best, they were still solid veterans that sustained the passing attack.

Buffalo is hoping a rookie (Keon Coleman) and Curtis Samuel will be able to not only replace their production but hopefully build upon it. Both players have looked good throughout the preseason, but replacing established veterans like Diggs and Davis is probably a tall order.

2024 will truly be a test of how far Josh Allen has come in his development as a quarterback. But it is hard to say that the moves made this offseason have done much to improve the team.

Grade: C

Cincinnati Bengals

In January: Replace or re-sign key free agents

The Bengals went into the offseason with an array of offensive contributors at numerous positions set to hit free agency. The team needed to figure out what to do with their starting right tackle (Jonah Williams), three wide receivers (Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Trenton Irwin) and three tight ends (Irv Smith Jr., Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample) set to hit the open market.

The Bengals couldn’t keep all of those pieces, especially with Ja’Marr Chase in need of a contract extension in the next two seasons.

Cincinnati retained Higgins on the franchise tag and was able to get Irwin, Sample and Hudson to return on cheap deals. They also used the draft to replace the starters they let walk (Boyd, Smith and Williams).

Cincinnati signed Trent Brown in free agency to compete for the right tackle spot and also drafted Amarius Mims in the first round of the draft. Mims has prototypical size and athleticism but played limited snaps at Georgia due to injuries. The Bengals also drafted Jermaine Burton in the third round of the NFL draft to compete with 2023 sixth-round pick Andrei Iosivas for the slot role and signed Mike Gesicki to replace Smith.

Cincinnati needed to try and maintain the offense in the middle of their Super Bowl window, especially since things will get tight once Ja’Marr Chase eventually signs a contract. The Bengals did their best to improve the offense within reason this offseason.

Grade: A

Cleveland Browns

In January: Figure out how to get Deshaun Watson going

The early returns on the Deshaun Watson trade have been extremely underwhelming for the Browns. Watson has played just 12 games over the last two years due to his suspension and injuries. He’s completed just 59.8% of his passes for 2,217 yards and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

That is far from an idea, but it has been palatable while Watson played out the final years of his rookie contract. However, starting in 2024 the extension he signed when he was traded kicks in. Watson’s cap hit jumps to $63 million for the next three seasons.

It is imperative, now more than ever, that Cleveland can get Watson going within their passing attack. It’s even more essential after Joe Flacco looked fantastic during his five starts with Cleveland to close the 2023 season.

The Browns have a strong offensive line (especially once Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin return from injury) and spent the offseason bolstering their receiving talent. Amari Cooper and David Njoku proved to be a solid 1-2 punch last season, but the team needed more options after Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman failed to make a big impact.

Moore will be back again in 2024 but will serve as the team’s third receiver after Cleveland traded for Jerry Jeudy during the offseason. Jeudy has been a disappointment through his first four NFL seasons (211 receptions for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns) but still is a former first-round pick. He may thrive with Amari Cooper drawing coverage.

Cleveland will likely pass the ball more with Nick Chubb starting the season on the PUP list, so it won’t take long to know if Watson is healthy and ready to help the passing offense ascend. The team did their best to give him some weapons to help him return to his early career form.

Grade: C+

Denver Broncos

In January: Improve the WR room

2023 was a wash for the Broncos in Sean Payton’s return to head coaching. The offense was always going to be molded to his vision over time. One area of the team that needed serious work was the receiver group.

The jury is still out on how well the receiver room will perform in 2024. The team traded away Jerry Jeudy after another underwhelming year. They did retain Courtland Sutton after he posted respectable receiving production (59 receptions for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns) in a generally weak passing attack.

Denver signed Josh Reynolds after a solid season as a rotational weapon in the Lions’ passing attack. Reynolds had his best season since 2020, catching 40 passes for 608 yards and five touchdowns. Reynolds fits the mold of bigger receivers that Payton likes and could very well have a career year working alongside Courtland Sutton. Denver will also hope that Marvin Mims Jr. can build on an underwhelming rookie season that saw him catch just 22 passes for 377 yards and a touchdown.

The only depth behind the group of Sutton, Mims and Reynolds are two Day 3 rookies (Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele). The Broncos lost a former first-round pick at wide receiver and replaced him with a journeyman and two late-round options.

It is hard to call that an “improvement,” but the group may fit Sean Payton’s offense better.

Grade: F

Houston Texans

In January: Bring in a game-changer at running back

The Texans lucked out at running back in 2023. Dameon Pierce was unable to replicate his strong rookie season, finishing with just 145 carries for 416 yards and two touchdowns in his second year. Luckily, the team got steady production from Devin Singletary (216 carries for 898 yards and four touchdowns) to provide a running complement to C.J. Stroud.

To help Stroud take it to the next level, the Texans needed to invest in a running back that could exploit defenses and strengthen the play-action offense.

The Texans tried to address that need by trading for Joe Mixon during the offseason. Mixon doesn’t necessarily qualify as a “game-changer,” but he should be a definite upgrade over what Houston got out of the position in 2023. Mixon played in all 17 games for the Bengals in 2023, racking up 257 carries for 1,034 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He also adds an element in the passing game after catching 52 passes (on 64 targets) for 376 yards and three touchdowns.

Mixon isn’t a game-changer in the context of the NFL, but he could be a game-changer for the Texans offense next season.

Grade: B+

Indianapolis Colts

In January: Find pass-catching weapons for Anthony Richardson

2023 was mostly a lost season for Anthony Richardson, but we did get a glimpse at his game-changing ability in fantasy. Richardson played in three of the first four games (he missed one with an injury) and averaged 23.0 points per game. Richardson was exceptional as a rusher (25 carries for 136 yards and four touchdowns), which offset his inconsistency as a passer (59.5 completion percentage) in his four healthy starts.

However, for Richardson to hit a true ceiling outcome, he needs to develop as a passer. To do that, the Colts needed to be active adding to his pass-catching weapons.

Michael Pittman Jr. functioned well as the team’s top receiver, catching 109 of 156 targets for 1,152 yards and four touchdowns. Despite the high volume, he finished as the WR15 in fantasy points per game (15.6). Josh Downs also looked good as a rookie (68 receptions for 771 yards and two touchdowns), but profiles more as a slot receiver.

Indianapolis attacked the wide receiver need during the draft, selecting Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell in the second round. Mitchell has excellent size (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) and shocked everyone with a 4.34 40-yard dash at the combine. He didn’t produce eye-popping stats during his college career at Georgia and Texas (93 receptions for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career) but did have a penchant for finding the end zone.

Mitchell will need to be good right away to elevate the passing attack, but he’s loaded with potential and has flashed throughout the preseason. He will need to be that good given the team’s questionable depth.

Grade: B

Jacksonville Jaguars

In January: Overhaul the offensive line

A good deal of Jacksonville’s offensive struggles came from the inability to block up front. As a team, Jacksonville allowed 25 sacks and 184 pressures. According to FTN’s StatsHub, Trevor Lawrence had the 11th shortest time to pressure among quarterbacks (2.3 seconds).

One of the biggest struggles came in the middle of the offensive line. Center Luke Fortner had a 44.3 PFF grade and finished second on the team in sacks surrendered (four) and first in pressures allowed (28). Jacksonville addressed that need in free agency, signing Mitch Morse after he was cut by the Buffalo Bills. Morse had a 74.0 pass-blocking grade, giving up just one sack and 26 pressures. The team also re-signed left guard Ezra Cleveland.

Those moves should help fortify the interior offensive line. If Jacksonville gets good development from right tackle Anton Harrison after a steady rookie season (53.0 PFF grade).

Lawrence should have more time to operate in the pocket, which is great news with Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis attacking opposing defenses vertically.

Grade: B

Kansas City Chiefs

In January: Receivers, receivers, receivers

The Chiefs utilized an efficient passing attack instead of a deep passing attack thanks to an undermanned receiver group in 2023. Rashee Rice was strong as a rookie (102 targets, 79 receptions, 938 yards and seven touchdowns), but the rest of the cast provided nothing.

No other receiver on the team had over 60 targets, 28 receptions or 500 receiving yards. It didn’t stop Kansas City from achieving a Super Bowl, but it was underwhelming in fantasy.

The great news for fantasy managers is that 2024 should be much different.

Kansas City added Marquise Brown in free agency after two lukewarm seasons with the Cardinals. Brown averaged 13 games played and 104 targets but produced an average receiving stat line of 59 receptions, 641.5 receiving yards and 3.5 touchdowns. He suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason, but shouldn’t miss much time.

Kansas City wasn’t done adding speed to the receiving corps, drafting Texas receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft. Worthy ran the fastest 40 in the history of the NFL combine (4.21 seconds), but was far more than a field stretcher in college. He had at least 60 receptions, 760 receiving yards and five touchdowns in college, but peaked in his final season (75 receptions for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns).

Both players will not only bolster the passing attack but open up underneath for Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. This could be a very different passing attack for Kansas City in both real life and fantasy next year.

Grade: A

Las Vegas Raiders

In January: Figure out the QB position long-term

Heading into the offseason, the quarterback class was believed to have three locked-in first-round players (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye) and two fringe first-rounders who were likely to be Day 2 picks (Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix). Las Vegas was not in a great position to get any of the top three options with the 13th overall pick, but many expected them to be a candidate to reach for the other two options.

Unfortunately, the draft had different plans.

All five quarterbacks went off the board in the first 10 picks of the draft, leaving Vegas with 2023 rookie Aidan O’Connell and free agent acquisition Gardner Minshew under center. Neither player fits the bill of a “long-term solution.”

Minshew ultimately won the job after a training camp competition, but neither player performed particularly well. Both players provided some fantasy relevance in 2023, with Minshew finishing as the as the QB33 in fantasy scoring (12.8 PPG) and O’Connell finishing as the QB35 (12.1 PPG). Both players had two weeks with 20-plus fantasy points.

Things could be rough in Las Vegas again in 2024 with two mediocre starters under center. Vegas will hope that they aren’t in the middle round of the draft once again so they can have another shot at improving the most important position on the field.

Grade: F

Los Angeles Chargers

In January: Add another wide receiver

Technically, the Chargers did add a highly drafted player to their wide receiver room after selecting Georgia’s Ladd McConkey in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. McConkey was a rotational receiver his first two seasons before seeing his role expand (and ultimately getting hurt) in 2023. He finished his collegiate career with 119 receptions for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons.

However, the keyword to highlight in the January goal is “add.”

The Chargers opted to let Mike Williams hit free agency after tearing his ACL in 2022, which wasn’t unexpected. However, the trade of veteran Keenan Allen to the Bears was somewhat surprising. Allen is coming off a highly productive season (108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns) functioning as the team’s unquestioned top receiver.

Many hoped the Chargers would address receiver in the first round with Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze on the board, but the team opted to fortify their offensive line instead. That leaves the Chargers heading into 2024 with a receiver group consisting of McConkey, DJ Chark, Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston.

That is far from the most talented group in the league, but it may not matter much in a run-focused offense helmed by Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman.

Grade: D

Miami Dolphins

In January: Add a third pass catcher

The Dolphins concentrated passing attack is great for fantasy. Both Tyreek Hill (119 receptions for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns) and Jaylen Waddle (72 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns) finished the season as top-24 wide receivers. No other player on the team had more than 35 receptions, 400 receiving yards or three scores.

For the past two seasons, Miami has started hot as a team before teams found ways late in the season to slow down their concentrated passing attack. Logically, it would make sense for the team to add another weapon to the passing attack to discourage teams from keying in on their two stud players.

Miami tried to bolster the group by adding Odell Beckham Jr. after an uneven season with the Ravens. Beckham played 14 games last season, catching 35 of 64 passes for 565 yards and a touchdown. He’s also starting the season on the PUP list. The team could also get contributions from 2024 sixth-round pick Malik Washington. Washington had 110 receptions for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns during his final college season at Virginia. That’s even more impressive given his diminutive stature (5-foot-9, 192 pounds).

Those additions (plus athletic tight end Jonnu Smith) are certainly upgrades from a receiving group that used Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Braxton Berrios in 2023. However, it is far from a needle-mover for fantasy (and opposing defenses).

Grade: C-

New England Patriots

In January: Hit on the right QB in the draft

This grade should be incomplete, but we will at least give the Patriots credit for taking a swing at the quarterback position despite being behind two other teams targeting signal callers in the first round.

New England chose to stand pat in the draft and select North Carolina’s Drake Maye with the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. It certainly wasn’t a hard choice considering Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels came off the board before him.

Maye was seen by many as a potential first overall pick after an excellent 2022 season (4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions). UNC graduated a lot of talent on offense after that season, which caused his production to dip slightly in his final year (3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns with nine interceptions). Maye is also a threat carrying the ball as well after racking up 302 carries for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns during his three college seasons.

The rookie showed flashes of his awesome potential during the preseason, especially in the final game when Jacoby Brissett went down with a shoulder injury. Maye came in and completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown while adding three carries for 17 yards.

The Patriots announced that Jacoby Brissett will begin 2024 as the starter, which is probably the best move. The offensive line is in shambles and the receiving group is still getting figured out. It shouldn’t be long until we see Maye take regular-season snaps, which will go a long way toward the team achieving their off-season goals.

Grade: B (but mostly incomplete)

New York Jets

In January: Add a secondary receiving weapon

The Jets’ 2023 season was sunk after four snaps and an Aaron Rodgers Achilles injury. However, the loss of Rodgers also showed just how fragile this team was to begin with.

Sure, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are special talents. But the rest of the team was littered with unproductive veterans and UDFA receivers. Even worse, the offensive line was awful, which also needed to be rectified.

The Jets poured their premium resources (free agent dollars and draft capital) into bolstering the trenches, which left them trying to piece together different wide receiver upgrades. The team signed Mike Williams in free agency, but he’s coming off an ACL tear (all indications are he’s good to go for Week 1) and is more of a boom or bust jump ball merchant.

The team also drafted Malachi Corley out of Western Kentucky in the third round. Corley was highly productive (259 receptions for 3,035 yards and 29 touchdowns in four seasons) and awesome at generating big plays after the catch in college, but he lacks top-end speed and will likely need time to acclimate to the talent jump from a mid-major school to the NFL.

The Jets collectively are a better team, but there still isn’t anybody in the passing attack to draw the top coverage away from Garrett Wilson on the outside. New York is just hoping Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy enough to make it work.

Grade: C

Pittsburgh Steelers

In January: Upgrade the quarterback position

The quarterback combination of Kenny Pickett (12 games played), Mitch Trubisky (five games played) and Mason Rudolph (four games played) generated 3,421 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023. That is fewer yards than 16 individual quarterbacks and tied for touchdowns with Joe Flacco (five games played).

Of course, the Steelers were too good to have a chance to add one of the top quarterbacks, which meant utilizing free agency and trades to upgrade the signal-caller.

The Steelers signed Russell Wilson (3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns with eight interceptions) and traded for Justin Fields (2,562 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions with 657 rushing yards and four additional scores). Each player has their considerable flaws (namely taking huge sacks), but both are better than anything Pittsburgh had on the roster last season.

Russell Wilson will begin the season as the starter and could have a solid season in Arthur Smith’s play-action-heavy offense. If he struggles, Fields won’t be far behind to attack defenses with his legs. The only outcome where the Steelers would have gotten a failing grade on this goal would be if Pickett was still under center in 2024.

Grade: B

Tennessee Titans

In January: Improve the OL

The Titans had the worst left tackle play in the NFL last season. The group of Andre Dillard, Jaelyn Duncan, Dillon Radunz and Nicholas Petit-Frere combined to allow 25 sacks, 92 pressures and averaged a 44.6 PFF grade. The team prioritizing a left tackle in a deep draft class was a lock from the minute the season ended.

The Titans didn’t get top left tackle Joe Alt but made a surprising choice by selecting Alabama’s JC Latham with the seventh overall pick of the draft. Tennessee bypassed Penn State’s Olu Fashanu with the idea that Latham, Alabama’s right tackle in 2023, has the size and athleticism to flip to the left side of the ball. It certainly doesn’t hurt that his position coach is one of the most legendary offensive line coaches in NFL history (Bill Callahan).

Tennessee would have gotten a strong grade for that alone, but they also upgraded the center position by signing free agent Lloyd Cushenberry III. Cushenberry is a young, ascending player who got better each season as the starter in Denver.

Sure, there is risk in moving Latham to left tackle after he didn’t play it in college. But, aside from that, this will be a much better group (especially as run blockers) in 2024 than it was in 2023.

Grade: A