The season has enough sample size to draw conclusions about NFL offenses and player utilization. However, the fantasy season is barreling towards the business section of the calendar, where at least 2-3 teams in a league are looking toward 2025 already. Here are the key NFL and fantasy observations at the wide receiver position:
Atlanta
A slow start to the season for Drake London and the Atlanta offense has been corrected in recent weeks. London is checking all of the threshold boxes for an elite fantasy season with 2.07 yards-per-route-run (YPRR), 26% targets per route run (TPRR), and nearly 35 routes per game (RPG). This is with Darnell Mooney enjoying a quality season and Kyle Pitts (largely) left behind in the pecking order. London is a threat to post double-digit touchdowns as well.
Carolina
One exceptional trait of Diontae Johnson in his career has been earning targets. His 28% TPRR this season is the clear best among Carolina's pass catchers and even above Johnson's 25% career mark. The switch from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton saved Johnson's season and might have been the most impactful quarterback switch outside of Drake Maye and, if Cleveland pulls the trigger, Jameis Winston.
Chicago
Routes have not been a problem for rookie Rome Odunze, as he is running 35 per game. The issue has been earning targets with heavy competition from DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Cole Kmet. Odunze feels like Jaxon Smith-Njigba's rookie season, where the expectations were high, but realistically siphoning targets away from a well-built passing game pecking order right away was a tall order. Odunze needs more efficiency to offer strong promise for 2025 and remains a wait-and-see proposition.
Continue reading this content with a ELITE subscription.
An ELITE subscription is required to access content for Dynasty leagues. If this league is not a Dynasty league, you can edit your leagues here.