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Which players exceeded projections to become fantasy football lineup staples? Andrew Ball analyzes the best waiver wire pickups of the 2024 season.
The casual fantasy football managers draft a team and ride it out, hoping their selections push them into the playoffs. The savvy fantasy managers utilized the waiver wire to make a good team great.
Every year, undrafted players go on to be fantasy football darlings. This season was no exception.
Below is the All-Waiver Wire Team for the 2024 season. Which player (or players) helped you win games?
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Average Draft Position: 158th
Baker Mayfield was the QB10 in 2023 but ignored in 2024 drafts because his weekly average (16.7 points) was only good for QB19. The former first overall pick improved in every metric in 2024, becoming the QB3 in both total points and weekly average (22.5). That was tied with Joe Burrow.
What's more impressive is Mayfield's lack of healthy weapons. Chris Godwin was lost for the season in Week 7, the same week that Mike Evans aggravated a hamstring injury. Jalen McMillan missed four games. Tight end Cade Otton sat for three games at the end of the season. Mayfield still scored 18 points against the Kansas City defense without his top three wide receivers.
BAKER. REAGAN. MAYFIELD.
Only the 10th player in @NFL history to throw for 4,500+ yards & 40+ passing TDs in a single season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uc02s9tkdO
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 7, 2025
An improved running game (more below) helped keep the Tampa Bay offense on the field. Mayfield reached career-high marks in passing touchdowns (41), passing yards (4,500), and rushing yards (378).
Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Average Draft Position: 210th
Sam Darnold was drafted behind Will Levis, Daniel Jones, and not one, but two Pittsburgh quarterbacks. All four of those signal-callers totaled fewer than 180 fantasy points. Darnold ended with 320.
There were concerns about how Darnold could revive his career after failures in New York and Carolina. There were enough questions about him that All-Pro Justin Jefferson was considered a risky selection in the first round of fantasy drafts.
Instead, he was fantasy football's QB9 and one of the more consistent options at the position. Thirteen of his 17 starts in the fantasy season gave managers 15 or more points. A 34-point, five-touchdown jamboree against the Falcons in the opening round of the fantasy playoffs propelled managers to victory.
Similar to last offseason, Darnold's immediate future is in doubt. Will the Vikings bring him back (on a new deal or franchise tag), or will another team offer him a Mayfield-esque contract to be a starter elsewhere, allowing Minnesota to start first-round pick J.J. McCarthy?
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Average Draft Position: 181st
Your favorite fantasy manager's favorite player is Bucky Irving.
The fourth-round rookie entered the NFL as an undersized running back on a team that couldn't run the football in 2023 (88.8 yards per game). Irving ran like a power back, averaged 2.6 yards after contact per attempt (tied with Derrick Henry), and improved Tampa Bay's rushing attack to one of the league's best (149.2 yards per game).
There goes @BuckyIrving!
📺: #DENvsTB – Sunday on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/MIyRVvuDiD— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
When he first began emerging, the former Oregon Duck split opportunities with incumbent Rachaad White (with the occasional Sean Tucker sprinkled in). With a playoff berth on the line in the final three weeks of the season, White was phased out. Irving saw 55 carries in the last stretch of the regular season. White was handed nine, including zero in the win-and-get-in Week 18 affair against New Orleans. This is Irving's backfield.
From Week 6 on, Irving was fantasy football's RB8 (RB10 in points per game). A look ahead to 2025 fantasy football drafts has No. 7 going off the board in the first two rounds.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants
Average Draft Position: 211th
Tyrone Tracy Jr. was initially a late-round darling for some fantasy drafters. Was Devin Singletary (who is solid but not explosive) going to keep him grounded for an entire season?
Those managers were correct. It just took some time.
The college wide receiver spelled Singletary for the opening month of the season. When "Motor" needed time in the shop, Tracy seized the opportunity; 130 total yards in Seattle and 107 yards and his first NFL touchdown against Cincinnati. Head coach Brian Daboll couldn't justify starting Singletary anymore.
Drew Lock touchdown to Tyrone Tracy, Giants up pic.twitter.com/CW4hTINhzA
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) December 22, 2024
From Week 5 through the end of the season, Tracy was the RB16. Was it enough for Tracy to resume starting duties in 2025 or just empty stats on a poor New York offense? Tracy's fumbling issue remains a major concern for the Giants coaching staff.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Average Draft Position: 546th
Before the completion of Week 1, one running back was already dubbed the waiver wire addition of the season. Jordan Mason starred in a starting role on Monday Night Football. Christian McCaffrey was rumored to miss weeks. A wild RB2 appeared!
Kareem Hunt did everything Mason did (and more). Mason averaged 14.5 PPR fantasy points in his seven starts (removing the eighth when he suffered an early shoulder injury). From Week 4 until Isiah Pacheco's return in Week 13, Hunt averaged 14.8 PPR fantasy points and scored under 10 points in just one of those eight games.
Plus, his return to fantasy relevancy wasn't as predictable as Mason's. Mason was a "spend all your FAAB" guy when word trickled down that McCaffrey would have an extended absence.
Hunt wasn't so obvious. The 29-year-old wasn't on a roster when Pacheco broke his fibula. Like Lamar Miller, Alfred Morris, Doug Martin, and many fantasy stars of the seasons past, Hunt seemed destined to disappear into his post-playing career before he was ready to retire.
In 13 games, Kareem Hunt has 728 rushing yards.
That's more than:
- Kenneth Walker III
- Travis Etienne
- Rachaad White
- Javonte Williams
- Austin EkelerHe was sitting on his couch until Week 4 🤯 pic.twitter.com/uZrOxHGBR2
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) December 31, 2024
The Chiefs called for a reunion and Hunt was placed on the practice squad. It still took Carson Steele's case of the fumbles to move Hunt into a starting position. Some fantasy analysts preferred Steele and/or Samaje Perine in the aftermath of Pacheco's injury. Those who went with Hunt made the correct choice.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Average Draft Position: 174th
In hindsight, Darnell Mooney was an obvious sleeper. We saw it happen before when he racked up 1,055 yards on 81 receptions in 2021.
After that breakout season, Mooney became a forgotten man. The Chicago Bears passing offense took a step back (and then another) and added DJ Moore to take targets away from Mooney. A change of scenery was for the best.
And if Kyle Pitts wasn't Atlanta's second option, Mooney was the only choice left.
What a catch by Darnell Mooney! 😱#TBvsATL on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/YdkrfoRFXn— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
The 27-year-old didn't single-handedly win fantasy managers many weeks (a 31.5-point exception in Week 5) but was reliable as a WR3 more often than not. He ended the season as the WR31, a respectable finish for a player who didn't cost much FAAB (if any).
Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Average Draft Position: 308th
Jauan Jennings was such an afterthought in fantasy football drafts last summer that he was drafted behind Kadarius Toney. Yes, the Kadarius Toney who was released before Labor Day.
And it sort of made sense. Despite throwing and catching a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, Jennings was routinely a middling option in the San Francisco offense. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel Sr., Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle dominated touches.
Then came the injury to Samuel. With the do-it-all receiver inactive, Jennings caught 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns. If he wasn't on fantasy radars before Week 3, everyone knew his name after that performance.
Jennings was mostly quiet in the following weeks (and missed two games). When he returned, Aiyuk had been lost for the season. That, coupled with Samuel's struggles, reopened the door for the former Tennessee Volunteer.
From Week 10 through the regular-season finale, Jennings was the WR21, averaging 14.1 PPR fantasy points per game. Whether he was picked up near his three-touchdown explosion or after Aiyuk's torn ACL, Jennings filled flex spots across the globe. A fight spoiled his last chance to reach 1,000 yards.
#49ers Jauan Jennings just got ejected 25 yards away from 1k receiving yards on the season 😱 pic.twitter.com/cKsTwIvIdy
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) January 5, 2025
Jennings will be regularly drafted next summer as Aiyuk rehabs his knee and Samuel's decline continues.
Jonnu Smith, TE, Miami Dolphins
Average Draft Position: 217th
The math just didn't add up (and it still doesn't make sense). With Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De'Von Achane on the roster, there wasn't room for any other consistent offensive weapon in Miami. We were so foolish.
Jonnu Smith was not only a startable fantasy asset, but he led the Dolphins in receptions (88) and receiving touchdowns (eight) and finished second to Hill in yards (884). Smith shattered his previous career highs (50 catches and 582 yards), with Hill and Achane active for every Dolphins game.
With that touchdown, Jonnu Smith now holds every single-season Dolphins tight end record:
•Receptions
•Yards
•Touchdowns pic.twitter.com/kT09FDJXMI— Dolphins Muse (@Dolphins_Muse) January 6, 2025
Smith's stock was percolating after Week 5, but Miami was heading into its bye week. 96 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 put Smith on the map. Patience paid off after a few mediocre weeks. Smith was the best tight end in fantasy football from Weeks 11 through 18 (yes, he outscored Brock Bowers and Trey McBride). 11.6 PPR points was his lowest total in that stretch.
Maybe Arthur Smith was utilizing the better tight end in Atlanta after all.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders
Average Draft Position: 193rd
Zach Ertz averaged more targets per game than Mark Andrews, Sam LaPorta, and Kyle Pitts. In the year 2024!
Fantasy managers (and general managers) are ageists. The 34-year-old was cast aside by Philadelphia and Arizona when younger commodities joined the rosters. Dallas Goedert took over the TE1 mantle for the Eagles. Trey McBride emerged as one of the game's best tight ends.
But we forgot that Ertz paired with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is a dynamic duo. Ertz's injuries were the primary reason McBride got on the field, not because Arizona coaches willingly made the switch.
When Jayden Daniels needed a safety blanket during his rookie campaign, Ertz was there. When Terry McLaurin was double-teamed in the end zone, Ertz was there. The veteran tight end finished the season as the TE7 and second on the Commanders in every major receiving category.
15-play drive ends with an Ertz TD! @Commanders tighten the gap 👀
📺: #ATLvsWAS on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bWWYViBfpG— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2024
Ertz is a free agent this offseason. If he returns to Washington, we'll surely overlook him again. Especially because an enticing tight-end prospect (Ben Sinnott) awaits his chance.
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