Fantasy Football Disappointments of 2024

The 2024 Fantasy Football season is in the books, and like every year, it’s time to reflect on the players who just didn’t live up to the hype. Some of them were draft-day darlings, touted as league-winners, while others were steady veterans expected to deliver week in and week out. For one reason or another, injuries, poor performance, or team struggles, they let us all down.

Here are some of my biggest fantasy busts of the year.

Fantasy Football Disappointments of 2024

Deebo Samuel

Fantasy Regular Season Finish: WR50

The San Francisco 49ers were a fantasy black hole in 2024 unless you were lucky enough to draft George Kittle. Deebo Samuel? Forget about it. He started the season with promise, scoring 18 points in both Weeks 1 and 2, but that was as good as it got.

The wheels came off after that. Samuel’s “best” game was Week 6, where he racked up 20 points on three catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. That was a flash in the pan, though. His worst performance came in Week 12 when he managed just 3.1 points. Even in Week 14’s blowout win at home over the Bears, he only scored 5.5 points.

On the year, Samuel averaged a disappointing 9.54 fantasy points per game. Drafted as a WR2 (ADP late 2nd early 3rd round), he didn’t deliver flex-worthy production.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Fantasy Regular Season Finish: WR31

For a rookie, Marvin Harrison Jr. wasn’t exactly a bust, but he certainly didn’t live up to the high expectations managers had after drafting him early. The top pick showed flashes of greatness but struggled with consistency.

Harrison lit up the scoreboard in Week 2 with 29 points on just four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He also had other games of 17.4, 23.1, and another 17-point outing, but the valleys were frustrating. Despite his immense talent and the fact he hasn’t dropped a catchable pass since Week 1, Harrison finished the regular season averaging 11.58 fantasy points per game.

The real issue wasn’t him; it was Arizona’s offense. Here’s hoping Year 2 brings more steady production for the rookie phenom.

Tyreek Hill

Fantasy Regular Season Finish: WR16

At first glance, finishing as WR16 doesn’t seem too bad. But let’s be real: if you spent a top-five pick on Tyreek Hill, you were expecting more…A LOT more.

Hill’s season was derailed in part by Tua Tagovailoa’s four-game absence due to a concussion. Without Tua, Hill’s production was inconsistent, and he averaged just 13.65 points per game during the fantasy regular season. That’s fine for most players but a disaster for someone drafted as your WR1.

There’s a silver lining, though: Hill has heated up just in time for the fantasy playoffs. In Week 13, he scored 20 points on six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, and in Week 14, he exploded for 28 points with 10 catches for 115 yards and a score. If you somehow survived the regular season with Hill, he might still save your team.

Travis Etienne

Fantasy Regular Season Finish: RB37

Travis Etienne was supposed to be a set-it-and-forget-it RB1. But instead, he was barely rosterable in 2024. He didn’t hit 100 rushing yards in a single game and found the end zone just twice all season.

To make matters worse, rookie Tank Bigsby ate into his workload, leaving Etienne managers punching at the air. His best performance was a modest 14.8 points in Week 2, and he only hit double-digit fantasy points five times all year. With an average of 8.59 points per game, Etienne was a massive letdown. If you relied on him, chances are you’re playing in your league’s consolation bracket right now.

Christian McCaffrey

Fantasy Regular Season Finish: Not in the Top 100

Christian McCaffrey was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in 2024 drafts and rewarded managers with one of the most disastrous seasons imaginable. It wasn’t even his fault. Injuries were the culprit, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

The trouble started before the season even began, as the 49ers were cagey about McCaffrey’s health status. Fantasy managers took him early, only to find out he’d miss the first nine games of the year. When he finally returned, he played just four games before getting hurt again.

At 28 years old, McCaffrey was already on the edge of the dreaded running back cliff. Add in the Madden cover curse, and 2024 was a season to forget for CMC and his managers.

Final Thoughts

Every year, we fall in love with certain players, drafting them with high hopes, only to see them disappoint. Whether it was injuries, team dysfunction, or just bad luck, these players left fantasy managers hanging in 2024.

The good news? There’s always next season. Dust yourself off, learn from the misses, and get ready to draft again. Just maybe think twice before drafting another 49er.

There are plenty of others we could add here. Maybe another article.

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