Fantasy Football Rankings 2024: Busts from same NFL model that nailed Jaylen Waddle’s down season

Patrick Mahomes won his third championship and third Super Bowl MVP last season, but some owners might not have been pleased with how he compared to his fantasy football projections. Mahomes was the first quarterback drafted on average, with a Fantasy football ADP of 5.60 overall. However, he finished as the QB8 in CBS Sports PPR leagues and had arguably his worst statistical season since taking over as Kansas City’s starter in 2018. Should there be any concern that Mahomes will be among the 2024 Fantasy football busts, and when can you feel comfortable drafting the superstar quarterback?

A reliable set of live-updated 2024 Fantasy football rankings can help you avoid players that might struggle to live up to their 2024 Fantasy football ADP. As you begin your 2024 Fantasy football draft prep, be sure to check out the 2024 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, the model accurately predicted that Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle would fail to live up to his Fantasy football ADP. Waddle’s 2023 Fantasy football ADP was 34.86 overall and he was the 11th receiver off the board on average. He’d go on to notch a 1,000-yard season but only had 72 receptions with four touchdowns and he’d finish as the No. 34 Fantasy football wide receiver in CBS Sports PPR leagues.

The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020 and nailing Jonathan Taylor’s monstrous season in 2021. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The 2024 Fantasy football PPR rankings and 2024 Fantasy football standard projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2024, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top 2024 Fantasy football bustsOne of the 2024 Fantasy football busts the model is predicting: Texans running back Joe Mixon. The 27-year-old former Pro Bowler is entering his first season with Houston as the projected RB1 ahead of Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and Jawhar Jordan. With how impressive the Texans were last season, one would think this would up Mixon’s 2024 fantasy football projections.

However, Mixon’s production is mostly due to volume instead of efficiency. At his best, Mixon has generated 18.0 fantasy points per game. Aging running backs historically haven’t done well in their first years on new teams, and Mixon is joining a team that will likely favor C.J. Stroud feeding the pass game. He will get plenty of work due to where he is in the Texans depth chart, but his fantasy contributions will be limited.

Another bust that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2024 have identified: Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Unquestionably one of the most talented young receivers in the NFL, Pickens is coming off his first 1,000-yard season and led the NFL in yards per reception (18.1), catching 63 passes for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns.

However, he faced regular questions about his effort level, with head coach Mike Tomlin calling his maturity into question. Now, the general assumption is that the offseason additions of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields should improve target quality in Pittsburgh, but both quarterbacks faced their own struggles last season. Pickens is the 26th wide receiver off the board on average, but the model projects that the finishes as WR38 in 2024. See which other Fantasy football busts 2024 to avoid here.

How to find proven 2024 Fantasy football rankingsSportsLine is also low on a wide receiver who is being drafted as a top-15 player at his position. The model ranks him outside its top 20 wide receivers for 2024 and expects him to see major regression. You can only see who it is, and the 2024 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.

So which 2024 Fantasy Football busts should you avoid, and which receiver will fail to live up to expectations? Visit SportsLine now to get 2024 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that told you to avoid Jaylen Waddle in 2023, and find out.