Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates in 2024 - AFC South

August 4, 2024

Ellis Johnson selects a fantasy football player on each AFC South team for the 2024 season. These are players who have the talent and opportunity to become league- winners.

Arguably the most exciting division in football is the AFC South. That seems wild to say, as the previous decade has been relatively underwhelming.

Not only does this division have budding superstar C.J. Stroud leading the way, but it also has Trevor Lawrence, Anthony Richardson, and gunslinging Will Levis. Going into this season, I think it’s fair to say these teams are must-watch TV.

In this series of articles, I am identifying breakout candidates on each team. I have divided the teams by division and will order them based on my confidence that 2024 will be a breakout year.

Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football Breakout

Anthony Richardson (QB, IND)

If you were in a lab and tried to create the perfect NFL quarterback, you’d walk out with Anthony Richardson. That’s not just because of his football prowess, but his community work. As a trained first responder and firefighter, Richardson is a true community icon. 

The fourth overall pick in 2023 blew up the NFL Combine, posting the most athletic numbers for a QB of all time. His 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame that ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash is so wild you probably think it’s a typo. I promise you that it’s not.

Last season, we saw glimpses of Richardson as a dynamic rusher with a cannon of an arm. I don’t say this lightly, but he looked like a faster Josh Allen at points last season. As much as I am tired of hearing about “if he can stay healthy,”  it would be unfair of me to overlook it. 

Last season, Richardson only played four games and failed to finish two. Although that’s terrifying, you think a player of his size and athleticism would be one of the few who could remain healthy at the NFL level. There was a huge wave of bad luck last season. The NFL better watch out if he plays a full 17 games in 2024.

Nine minutes of Anthony Richardson highlights.

No need to thank us. pic.twitter.com/T0OA1pr3Br

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 24, 2024

Houston Texans Fantasy Football Breakout

Tank Dell (WR, HOU)

Coming into the NFL, I loved Tank Dell. I’ll admit, I was unsure how he would do at the NFL level, but any WR that is 5-foot-8 and a contested-catch specialist in college is awesome. Turns out he was better than anyone expected last season, showcasing his ability to create separation everywhere on the field. 

Add his skill set to a red-hot C.J. Stroud, and you have an electric combination. Although you could argue that in his limited games played, he has already broken out, missing six games and finishing outside of the top-40 WRs in 40% of his games played makes him eligible for this list in my opinion.

Even though this team added former superstar WR Stefon Diggs, Stroud will ensure everyone on this offense has enough targets to thrive. My only concern is his consistency; however, Dell should be incredibly efficient.

Texans rookie WR Tank Dell straight blazing on this speed out⚡️

>Full speed acceleration upfield.
>Bends it outside without any chop
>Gets 5 whole steps before the defender can get his hips back downhill

Rare Velocity Control. The real deal. pic.twitter.com/p6nba9QcFS

— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) September 22, 2023

Tennessee Titans Fantasy Football Breakout

Tyjae Spears (RB, TEN)

Spears is very intriguing for fantasy this season. Despite not having an ACL in one knee, he was drafted in the third round by the Titans in 2023. The Titans used him as an explosive tandem with Derrick Henry last season and now brought in fantasy disappointment Tony Pollard on a three-year deal.

Although this will almost certainly be a committee backfield, last year showed us that Pollard is not at his best with a large workload. I believe this opens the door for Spears to be the primary option on a team that should have a potent offense in 2024. It’s hard to value the young back in fantasy, but he has all the talent to be a mid-to-high-end RB2 if he receives enough volume.

Titans rookie RB Tyjae Spears with a 55-yard play.

The Ravens defense couldn’t bring him down! pic.twitter.com/MJFlapixF7

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) October 15, 2023

Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Football Breakout

Parker Washington (WR, JAX)

To be completely honest, this team does not have a lot of options for breakout candidates. Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, Travis Etienne, Trevor Lawrence, and Evan Engram have checked that box already. Plus, Brian Thomas Jr. is a rookie, making him ineligible for this list. As a result, it’s between Washington and Tank Bigsby for this spotlight, and there was no way I was picking an inefficient back with attitude and fumbling problems for this article.

Washington is a trendy sleeper pick for many deep dynasty analysts. Although a lot of these hopes were crushed with the selection of Thomas and the addition of Davis, Washington’s role as the secondary slot option to Kirk still gives him a path. Last season in Kirk’s absence, Washington had an impressive debut of six receptions for 61 yards and a score. He then followed it up with another touchdown the week after. 

We are bending the breakout bar for Washington in this case, as he only had 16 receptions for 132 yards last season. So if he can at least double those metrics, I’ll view it as a successful selection for this series.

Parker Washington has plenty of highlight-reel catches on his tape. He makes it look easy

One of the most talented receivers in the Big Ten pic.twitter.com/4toaP8ONaH

— Joe DiTullio (@DiTullioJoe) July 14, 2022

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