SPORT NEWS: NFL players set to shape fantasy football championship races.giang

The end of the 2024 fantasy football regular season is less than a month away. Some managers have already clinched a playoff berth, while others are officially eliminated, but most will be fighting to make their league’s postseason field over the next three weeks.

While stars like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Ja’Marr Chase and Brock Bowers—the top scorers at their respective positions—have defined the season thus far, several players are set to shake things up during this final stretch.

Whether they’ve been injured or underperforming, these players are ready to break out at the most opportune time and reward managers who patiently stuck with them through some trying times.

If you have one or more of the players featured here, fire them up with confidence as you battle for a postseason berth or to improve your seeding. If you don’t, it would be wise to make a buy-low run at them to avoid the risk of facing them with your season on the line.

Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros‘ PPR data.

Few expected Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix to be a viable fantasy starter this season. Many draft experts thought the Broncos reached on him.

Despite inheriting an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league last year and was hamstrung by the financial ramifications of cutting Russell Wilson, the rookie signal-caller is quickly becoming one of the NFL’s bright young stars.

Nix has caught fire after averaging only 12.4 fantasy points per game over the first month of the season. He has averaged 21.6 points since the start of Week 5 and has been the QB4 over that span. Only Ja’Marr Chase, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts have put up more points than the 151.3 that Nix has tallied over the last seven weeks.

With Nix clearly growing comfortable in head coach Sean Payton’s offense, he’s poised for takeoff in the back half of his rookie campaign.

Expect Nix to light it up against a weak schedule that includes the Las Vegas Raiders (whom he already shredded for 23.1 points earlier this year), Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. None of those teams rank in the top 10 in fewest fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season.

Shrewd managers have already picked up Nix by now, but he’s still available in two-thirds of leagues. Scoop him up if he’s still a free agent in your league, as he could be a major factor in championship runs thanks to his blossoming skills and soft postseason schedule.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco started his 2024 campaign strong, racking up 31.9 PPR points and a pair of top-20 finishes before he suffered a broken leg in Week 2.

The Chiefs ground game has soldiered on with a combination of Kareem Hunt, Carson Steele and Samaje Perine shouldering the load. However, none of them are averaging more than four yards per carry, and Kansas City ranks 23rd in rushing offense on the year.

Fortunately, Pacheco could be back in the mix as early as Week 12, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. However, Rapoport did note the Chiefs have a short week ahead of their Black Friday game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13, so the Chiefs’ trainers could decide to sit Pacheco for one more week.

Regardless of when he returns, Pacheco should hit the ground running. He figures to regain the lion’s share of the backfield workload and be used as a feature back once he’s up to full strength.

Even with an unfavorable schedule that includes top-tier rushing defenses like the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers during the fantasy playoffs, Pacheco should still get enough volume to rank amongst fantasy’s best backs upon his return.

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb hasn’t been producing at a Pro Bowl level this season. But he’s been steadily getting back up to speed since his return from a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7.

Chubb looked rusty in his debut, finishing with only 22 yards on 11 carries, but he still managed to score a rushing touchdown. After averaging only 2.7 yards per carry during his first three games, Cleveland’s Week 10 bye seemingly helped the 28-year-old out quite a bit.

In Week 11, Chubb had 11 carries for 50 yards despite only being on the field for a season-low 22 offensive snaps. Those marks may not jump off the screen, but it suggests Chubb is starting to get more comfortable with his reconstructed knee. He could soon play a much larger role in an offense that needs a playmaker to emerge from the backfield.

One of the biggest plusses for Chubb’s fantasy managers is his playoff schedule. While he’ll be squaring off against an elite Kansas City Chiefs front in Week 15, the Browns take on the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively.

The Bengals are allowing 26.9 points per game to opposing teams this season and were just gashed for 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground by the Los Angeles Chargers. The Dolphins rank in the bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed to running backs this season, giving up nearly 20 per game to them.

Chubb should be at full strength at that point of the season. Considering Cleveland’s quarterback woes and offensive struggles, it’s easy to envision a game plan that revolves around feeding him in both contests.

It hasn’t been easy for Chubb managers thus far, but there’s a chance he’ll be a big factor in the fantasy playoff race.

After missing more than a month of action because of a hamstring injury, Nico Collins made his return in Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys. While Collins did catch four of his seven targets for 54 yards, he finished with a season-low 9.4 PPR points.

Prior to his injury, Collins posted four top-20 finishes in five appearances and averaged 21.3 PPR points per game. That put him only 0.4 points per game behind WR leader Ja’Marr Chase during that stretch.

The Texans didn’t need their star receiver to show out against the lowly Cowboys, as they breezed to a 34-10 victory. That should change in the coming weeks when Houston’s schedule gets tougher, though. Collins should get back to putting up elite numbers as early as Week 12 and could do plenty of damage at a critical time in the fantasy campaign.

In Week 14, Collins squares off with the moribund Jacksonville Jaguars. He already lit them up for 151 yards and a touchdown on 12 catches earlier this year, earning a whopping 33.1 fantasy points and a WR1 finish. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him post similar stats against the Jags, who rank 31st against the pass and 30th in scoring defense.

Collins also has a dream matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17, the championship week of most fantasy leagues. The Ravens rank dead last in passing yards allowed and are giving up a league-high 29 fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts.

With Stefon Diggs done for the year because of a torn ACL, Collins should once again begin putting up week-winning numbers as the focal point of the Texans’ passing offense.

The Minnesota Vikings were red-hot to start the season but cooled off with back-to-back losses following a 5-0 start. They got back on track and have ripped off three consecutive wins since tight end T.J. Hockenson made his season debut.

Hockenson has been a major boon since arriving in Minnesota at the 2022 trade deadline. He had a career-best year in 2023, putting up 960 yards and five touchdowns on 95 receptions despite having his campaign cut short by a torn ACL after 15 games.

Hockenson is now back and should be a key factor in the second half of the 2024 season. He already flashed the potential to be a go-to target for quarterback Sam Darnold in his second game back, helping Minnesota win a hard-fought 12-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars by reeling in eight of nine targets for 72 yards.

While Hockenson has caught only five passes on seven targets for 40 yards in his other two games thus far, he still made some pivotal plays. It’s only a matter of time before a player who claims he’s “bigger, stronger and faster than ever” truly breaks out.

Now that he’s had a few games to get his legs back under him and build rapport with a new signal-caller, Hockenson is a good bet to return to Pro Bowl form and take over as a top target in Minnesota’s passing attack. The Vikings’ schedule should help in that regard.

None of the Vikings’ next six opponents rank as a top-10 defense against tight ends. That includes two matchups against the Chicago Bears, whom he rang up for 100 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches during a pair of 2023 meetings.

Given the dearth of consistent tight ends in fantasy this season, Hockenson is set to be an X-factor for managers who patiently kept him rostered while waiting for his debut.