💡 The Next Great Head Coach?

God bless Mike Macdonald for making ‘36’ young again…

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Buffalo Wild Wings:

A few weeks ago, the Seahawks surprisingly parted ways with long-time head coach Pete Carroll.

Yesterday, they ushered in a new era by hiring 36-year-old Mike Macdonald to a six-year deal. Macdonald now becomes the youngest head coach in the league (you had a nice run, Jerod).

Macdonald took over as defensive coordinator for Baltimore in 2022 and quickly established himself as one of the brightest minds in the game. You can listen to Pro Bowl DB Kyle Hamilton gush about his intelligence here:

“He’s super cerebral. Probably the smartest guy in the building. Don’t tell him I said that… Whatever is coming in his future, he deserves it.”

1 hour before news #Seahawks to hire Mike Macdonald as HC, Ravens Pro Bowl DB Kyle Hamilton told me what makes Macdonald special.

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe)
Jan 31, 2024

The Ravens defense posted elite numbers under him this season:

• 1st in PPG (16.5)

• 1st in sacks (60)

• 1st in takeaways (31)

• 6th in total yards per game (301.4)

It’s hard to paint this as anything other than a slam dunk for the Seahawks, who needed better direction on both sides of the ball.

From a fantasy perspective, I would have loved to see an offensive-minded head coach installed, but if Macdonald is as sharp as everyone suggests it will work itself out.

Macdonald will be tasked with finding a new OC (Shane Waldron is off to Chicago) and a new DC (Clint Hurtt is on his way to Philly), so hopefully, he can find a progressive coordinator to get the most out of one of the best pass-catching trios in the league.

Regardless, looks like Seattle is on its way to rebooting the Legion of Boom for another national tour.

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No one gets out ranks faster than Matthew Freedman, so it’s fitting that he already has a full set of 2024 ranks fresh out of the oven…

The Super Bowl is almost here, which means it’s time to start looking ahead to the 2024 NFL season. With that in mind, this week, I pumped out the initial version of my Top 150 (half-PRR scoring, always).

Here are some position-by-position notes.

👑 Quarterbacks

• Josh Allen (QB1) has scored 24.2 fantasy points per game in each of the past two seasons. He has a penthouse floor.

• CJ Stroud (QB5) and Jordan Love (QB6) are both attractive investment opportunities, given that they could be even better as second-year starters in 2024.

• Jayden Daniels (QB14) is the late-round QB I want. He impressed as a true freshman starter at Arizona State (9.4 AY/A), he dominated as a Heisman winner last year at LSU (13.6 AY/A), and he proved himself as a legitimate runner (1,134 yards, 10 TDs rushing in 2023).

💪 Running Backs

• Christian McCaffrey (RB1) will be 28 years old this season, but he led the league this past year with 2,023 yards and 21 TDs from scrimmage. It requires too much of a projection to put anyone else atop the RB rankings.

• De’Von Achane (RB7) has gotta be in the top 10. Absolute must. As wild as this sounds, he might be the guy with the best chance of putting up 2,500 scrimmage yards this year.

• David Montgomery (RB17) has 1,000-plus yards in each of his five seasons and had 15 TDs in his 16 full games last year (including playoffs). I could rank him only so low.

• I can’t decide if having OC Arthur Smith as the Steelers’ playcaller is good -- or bad -- for Najee Harris (RB23), Jaylen Warren (RB27), or both…or neither?

🌟 Wide Receivers

• Justin Jefferson (WR1), Tyreek Hill (WR2), and CeeDee Lamb (WR3) are a solid top three. As great as Hill and Lamb were last year, I think Jefferson still deserves the headlining spot.

• A.J. Brown (WR6) has back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons since joining the Eagles, and he could be even better this year with the addition of OC Kellen Moore.

• D.J. Moore (WR9) is quietly one of the league’s best receivers, and he might end up with the best passer of his career if the Bears take a QB with the No. 1 pick.

• Tee Higgins (WR22) and Jaylen Waddle (WR23) feel like bounceback WR2s with WR1 upside.

• On the one hand, I’m lower than the market on Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR39). On the other hand, I think my ranking is probably still too high.

• Quentin Johnston (WR68) and Treylon Burks (WR 69) are outside my Top 150, in case you are wondering. Tough look for #TeamBigWR.

🚀 Tight Ends

• Sam LaPorta (TE1) and Travis Kelce (TE2) both had 11.5 fantasy points per game last year. Given their current trajectories, I give LaPorta the edge, but I wouldn’t fault anyone for keeping Kelce at the top of the TE rankings.

• With Trey McBride (TE4), Dalton Kincaid (TE6), Jake Ferguson (TE8), and I guess even Kyle Pitts (TE9), the position has several upside candidates. This might finally be the year that TE is loaded.

• Brock Bowers (TE11) is either way too high or way too low in my rankings.

💰 We’re 10 days out from Super Bowl 58. Everything you need to bet on the big game.

📊 We have the top 150 rankings for 2024…AND Super Bowl rankings, all in one spot.

🐐 An absolutely wild Patrick Mahomes stat. Truly the GOAT.

🐙 Will we get an octopus sighting in the Super Bowl? Wait…a what?? Let us explain.

🤯 A measured take on Taylor Swift. From Colin Cowherd?!

👀 Geoff is up over 68 units in our Underdog Pick Tracker and just loaded in his first Super Bowl entry. Run, don’t walk.

🍺 A shirtless photo of Patrick Mahomes was posted. And he isn’t happy about it!

😆 The "take the points” crowd needs to hear this. Listen up and listen good.

📉 Early ADP trends for 2024 drafts. Late Round QB is back??

🗑️ The Jets were a mess this year. Bombshell report from The Athletic about the dysfunction.

The offseason doesn’t mean it’s time to tune out until the ‘24 season. It’s time to tune into the draft buzz! Prospect analysis will be your edge for knowing which rookie has the best shot to start off their NFL with a bang. Jonathan has you covered with the top options for fantasy in this year’s class.

There is still one game left to crown the Super Bowl champion, but our team at Fantasy Life has already been hard at work completing a 2024 fantasy mock draft as well as forecasting veteran values in dynasty leagues and the top regression candidates for next season. 

Today, we’re going to dive into the top dynasty prospects for 2024. From a high level, what jumps off the page is the fact that this is a very strong WR class and a pretty weak RB class. The QB and TE positions have some elite talent at the top, with some high-upside pieces further down the draft board. 

📈 Marvin Harrison Jr. - WR, Ohio State

Get used to hearing Marvin Harrison Jr.’s name at the top of pretty much every rookie preview show or article. Not only is he the top overall player on most draft boards, he can be considered one of the best WR prospects of the last 15 years, if not all-time.

In case you aren’t familiar with his work, MHJ tore up college football over the past two seasons, topping 1,200 receiving yards and recording 14 receiving touchdowns in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He checks every box you could want in an elite prospect, including measurables, athleticism, production against elite competition, breakout age, and even NFL bloodlines. 

Harrison is the latest in a long line of pro-ready WR prospects to come out of Ohio State, and he might be the best one yet. The two-time All-American wins during all three phases of his routes and is capable of stepping in as the top receiver on an NFL team from day one.

Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Kalen King

The tape was even more lopsided than I expected 👇

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler)
Oct 22, 2023

No prospect is perfect, but with no glaring weaknesses in his game, the question is really just how high Harrison will go in the NFL Draft. You are going to hear some people say that the Bears should just select Harrison with the first overall pick, and while I don’t agree with those takes, it isn’t because of anything to do with Marvin.

💥 Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

After Harrison, there are a handful of prospects who are deserving of consideration for this spot, but for me, Malik Nabers is above the rest. I’m not even opposed to putting him in the same tier as Harrison for fantasy football purposes because Nabers is that special with the ball in his hands. 

He isn’t quite as polished as Harrison and is a few inches shorter, but Nabers is the most explosive player in this class and is capable of changing games with just a few touches. It is dangerous to compare anyone to Tyreek Hill, but Nabers is in that rare class of playmaker who looks like he is playing at 1.5x speed. 

His production profile is pristine, and he ended the 2023 regular season with the most receiving yards in college football and the second-best YPRR. He is also the most fun player to watch as his acceleration and YAC ability make him a threat to take any play the distance.

Malik Nabers is a 🔒top 10 NFL pick.

-Broke out at 19 in the SEC (doubled up the #2 WR on LSU in yards)
-Led NCAA in rec yards/game in '23
-Can play slot or X/Y
-Expected to be the star of the combine with his size/strength/speed combo

Just don't end up in New England, plz

— Davis Mattek (@DavisMattek)
Jan 18, 2024

Nabers will be an impact player right away and should succeed regardless of the landing spot, but his true ceiling will be unlocked with a creative playcaller who will put him in motion and find ways to get him the ball in space. He can stretch defenses vertically and horizontally and is a perfect fit for what modern NFL offenses want to do.

Halftime on Sunday. 😞

— Casey (@C4SEY85)
Jan 31, 2024