We might not get to see anyone fun play.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus already confirmed that Caleb Williams and the starters will not play. It seems highly unlikely that C.J. Stroud will play, despite DeMeco Ryans playing coy.

And look, I’m not one to turn my nose up at football—it’s been almost six months since we had NFL action and beggars can’t be choosers—but it does bring into question why the game exists at all.

All of the other teams get an extra week of padded practices to prepare while the Bears and Texans are required to rush an unfinished product out there for our enjoyment.

At the very least we should get a nice look at one of the super-deep rookie sleepers I spotlighted yesterday…

What else is in today’s newsletter?

1. A veteran WR whose dynasty stock is on the rise? Sam Wallace weighs in.

2. Watercooler: Late-Round QB targets for 2024.

Dynasty Stock Watch - Risers

by Sam Wallace

📈 Hollywood Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Whether you're a fan or not, one of the more compelling storylines this season is going to be watching the Chiefs go for the three-peat. The rest of the league had a prime opportunity to knock them off last season when they were 15th in scoring and 15th in yards per game and had to go on the road twice in the playoffs (Buffalo & Baltimore).

Alas, here we are. The Chiefs brought back Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice, signed Hollywood Brown, and drafted Xavier Worthy. Toss in some untimely trolling of Patrick Mahomes by the Raiders and the league better buckle up.

Brown is the intriguing one, especially in dynasty formats. Kelce is aging, while Rice and Worthy are Year 2 and Year 1 players, respectively. Brown (27 years old) is squarely in his prime and has garnered 100+ targets in four consecutive seasons.

Fantasy Life’s Dwain McFarland projects Brown to finish as the WR33. Here's Brown’s cohort to give you a sense of similar players we have in that range:

Unlock all of Fantasy Life’s projections for the 2024 NFL season with a FantasyLife+ Tier 2 membership!

Of that group, he offers the ideal blend of targets, receptions, yards, and TDs. Oh, and he gets to play with the greatest QB in the league. We also project Brown to lead his receiving room this year.

Matthew Freedman has Brown ranked as his dynasty WR44. If I'm a manager looking to add a piece to my competing roster, I'm willing to make some moves to land Brown. As mentioned, Kelce is aging and (finally) looked like he lost a step last season. Rice has off-the-field issues looming and Worthy is still a rookie.

Let's take a look at our Trade Rater for a potential trade suggestion.

Zamir White has been a trendy name this offseason and he's set to assume lead-back duties for the Raiders. Depending on your roster construction, Brown might have a bit more value for you this year.

Brown is in the sweet spot of age, production history, talent, and environment. He's someone I'm willing to be a tad higher on than most for this season and next. His dynasty stock should be trending higher than where it is and dynasty managers should be quick to capitalize.

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The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:

🤝 Platooning isn’t just for baseball. Late-Round QB pairs that could win your leagues in 2024.

✍️ It’s officially Mock Draft SZN. Ian and Chris run through different strategies.

👀 Who is this season’s De’Von Achane? We have your answer.

🚀 Five Teams Set to Boom in 2024 Thanks To Coaching Changes. Dwain dishes the goods.

🥇 Most likely running back to tell Father Time to get lost? Ian and Pete dish out RB superlatives for 2024.

🤔 We will need to wait to see Aaron Rodgers. Does he even exist at this point?!

👋 A fantasy football folk hero retires. I’ll miss drafting him.

🚑️ Rookie WR Roman Wilson was carted off practice yesterday. Bummer for PIT.

🕹️ Want to watch Audric Estime truckstick a dude? Here ya go.

🖐️ George Pickens made a sick one-handed grab. Nice.

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