The Fis4FF Deep Dive Series is where I go into depth about all 32 NFL teams from a fantasy football perspective. Here, I will discuss each team in depth in each division, in each conference. 

The 2nd conference in this series is the NFC East!

NOTE: Final Projections will be released in September

Opening Thoughts 

The NFC East conference was riddled with turmoil and inconsistencies. It saw two disappointing seasons from the Commanders and Giants, who drafted with the 2nd and 6th picks, respectively and saw two embarrassing first round exits by the Cowboys and Eagles, both who were often held as Super Bowl Contenders and top five teams throughout the season. 

The Commanders had two goals: build upon their culture with former owner Dan Snyder no longer in the picture and see if Sam Howell was the guy. In the end, it was clear Howell was not the guy. Howell flashed a good bit throughout the year, showing his toughness and willingness to take a hit, but in the end, his subpar decision making led to him being traded in the offseason. 

The Giants were looking to build on their winning season in 2022, beating the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round, and paying Daniel Jones 4/$160MM. However, their season was immediately halted with a season-ending injury to Jones and a revolving door of QBs, including Tyrod Taylor and the GOAT Tommy Devito. 

The Cowboys were seeking to make a Super Bowl push, with the highest scoring defense and one of the best offenses in the league. And while they were often seen as a Super Bowl contender throughout the year, it came to an embarrassing finish, losing 48-32 to a young Green Bay team in the Wild Card Round. 

The Eagles were an interesting watch. Coming off a devastating Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, the Eagles were looking for revenge. While they were star-studded across the board and began the season with a 10-1 record. However, something seemed off. People knew they were good, but they could have been better. Despite that 10-1 start, they finished the season 1-5 and lost in the wild card round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

For the 2024-25 season, surprisingly, nothing has changed. The Cowboys and Eagles are both looking to get back to being Super Bowl contenders, while the Commanders look to build upon their culture with new QB Jayden Daniels and the Giants look to rebuild and get back to being a winning team. 

Discussing Last Season

From a fantasy perspective, the Commanders were a below average team. The Commanders gave the keys to Sam Howell, as he flashed a bit in his rookie year. And while he did flash some solid traits in 2023, he could never consistently show up. While not all his fault, Howell led the league in sacks with 65 and also threw a league-leading 21 interceptions. At the helm, Howell led the Commanders to 25th in points per game. 

Despite the ups and downs from Howell, there were a couple areas of hope for the Commanders. Second year running back Brian Robinson, Jr. was steadily consistent in the 15 games he played, finishing as the RB21 overall in PPR scoring. And Terry McLaurin showed once again that he’s a quarterback away from being widely regarded as a WR1 in fantasy. Scary Terry finished with a 79/1,002/4 statline, good enough for WR31.

The Giants had no one that was fantasy relevant outside of Saquon Barkley. They ranked 30th in points per game (15.6). Quarterback Daniel Jones missed more than half the season with a neck and ACL injury. Darius Slayton, as the WR46, was their highest ranking receiver. And according to PlayerProfiler, was the worst offensive line in the league. 

Despite these offensive shortcomings, Barkley was still the overall RB13 in PPR scoring for the 14 games he played this season. While not the most efficient on the ground, he nearly averaged three receptions a game and scored 11 total touchdowns.

The Cowboys were an all-around great offense to have in fantasy. Not only did they have the number one offense in the league in PPG (29.9!), but they also had the number one overall scoring defense! This begins and ends with QB Dak Prescott and WR Ceedee Lamb. Prescott had his best season ever, throwing for 4.516 passing yards and a 36 to 9 TD:INT ratio. He finished top 5 in MVP voting, as well as the QB3 overall. Lamb, on the other hand, had one of the best fantasy wide receiver seasons ever. Don’t believe me? There have only been three NFL wide receivers ever to score more than 400 full-PPR fantasy points. Jerry Rice did it in 1995. Cooper Kupp did it in 2021 and Ceedee Lamb did it in 2023. 

The only disappointment on this team was running back Tony Pollard. Pollard, with no Ezekiel Elliott last season, was poised for a huge breakout, with his ADP ranging from the end of the first to an early second. However, he was a massive bust, only scoring six touchdowns the entire season and finishing as the RB14 in overall points, but the RB23 in points per game.

The Eagles were a team that on paper, should have been extremely dominant. They had multiple viable fantasy assets and were a top 10 scoring team in the league (25.5 PPG, 7th). However, the on field product, especially in the latter half of the season, never lived up to the hype. 

Jalen Hurts was still a great fantasy asset, but as a quarterback, seemed to regress a bit. That could be due to the knee injury that took some of his efficiency away, but with the tush push included, Hurts was the QB2 overall in fantasy. 

De’Andre Swift was also a solid back throughout the season, finishing as the RB20.

A.J. Brown, at times, looked like the best receiver in the league last year, breaking the NFL record of multiple games in a row with 125+ receiving yards with six. But with the slump the Eagles hit last season, Brown’s efficiency went down too. Nevertheless, he finished as the WR5, with his running mate, Devonta Smith, finishing as the WR19.

Key Additions and Departures 

Washington Additions 

Jayden Daniels, QB (selected with the 2nd pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Marcus Mariota, QB (former Eagles QB signed in FA)

Austin Ekeler, RB (former Chargers RB signed in FA)

Luke McCaffrey, WR (selected with the 100th pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Ben Sinnott (selected with the 53rd pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Zach Ertz (former Cardinals/Eagles TE signed in FA)

Washington Departures

Jacoby Brissett, QB (signed with Patriots in FA)

Sam Howell, QB (traded to Seahawks)

Antonio Gibson, RB (signed with Patriots in FA)

Curtis Samuel, WR (signed with Bills in FA)

New York Additions 

Drew Lock, QB (former Seahawk signed in FA)

Devin Singletary, RB (former Texan signed in FA)

Tyrone Tracy, RB (selected with the 166th pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Malik Nabers, WR (selected with the 6th pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Theo Johnson, TE (selected with the 107th pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

New York Departures 

Tyrod Taylor, QB (signed with Jets in FA)

Saquon Barkley, RB (signed with Eagles in FA)

Sterling Sherpard, WR (signed with Buccaneers in FA)

Darren Waller, TE (retirement)

Dallas Additions 

Ezekiel Elliott, RB (former Patriot signed in FA)

Ryan Flournoy, WR (selected with the 216th pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Dallas Departures 

Tony Pollard, RB (signed with Titans in FA)

Will Shipley, RB (selected with the 127th pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Michael Gallup, WR (signed with Raiders in FA)

Philadelphia Additions 

Kenny Pickett, QB (former Steeler traded in the offseason)

Saquon Barkley, RB (former Giant signed in FA)

Ainias Smith, WR (selected with the 152nd pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Johnny Wilson, WR (selected with the 185th pick in the ‘24 NFL Draft)

Philadelphia Departures 

Marcus Mariota, QB (signed with Washington in FA)

D’Andre Swift, RB (signed with Chicago in FA)

Rashaad Penny, RB (retirement)

Quez Watkins, WR (signed with Pittsburgh in FA)

Olamide Zaccheaus, WR (signed with Washington in FA)

Jason Kelce, OL (retirement)

Key Players / My Personal Tiered Rankings 

Each relevant fantasy player on this team will be discussed in depth, separated by must draft players, solid players to have, deep sleepers and players to avoid. Some teams may have more fantasy starters than others, some may have less. I will also discuss if they are a current value or if they are someone who is going too high at their ADP.

Tier I: Must Draft Players 

Washington

Jayden Daniels (QB16, ADP 102)

2024 Projections: 3,577 Pass Yds., 22 TDs, 17 INTs, 569 Rush Yds., 4.6 Rush TDs

• Jayden Daniels was selected as the 2nd overall pick in the most recent NFL draft. He comes into an offense where he will likely be the clear starter. Daniels is a true dual-threat QB, bringing talent in both the passing game and run game. 
• While there are questions of how Daniels will perform in the NFL, plus his slender build concerns, I love Jayden Daniels and I ESPECIALLY love his value in drafts. He is currently going as the QB16, going in the 9th round of drafts. That’s a steal for someone who will provide in both phases of the game. Yes, he’s a rookie. But he’s a rookie who I truly believe can win leagues once he gets more comfortable with game speed in the league.

New York

Malik Nabers (WR24, ADP 44)

2024 Projections: 73 Receptions, 1,003 Rec. Yds., 5.2 TDs

• While I am completely out on the Giants offense, sometimes you make exceptions that go against your beliefs. That one exception is Malik Nabers. He’s an amazing wide receiver talent who destroyed SEC defenses, and was selected as the 6th overall pick in the draft. Reports are that he has been amazing in camp as well. 
• While normally when it comes to a guy in what I believe to be a bad offense, I would fade him, I am in on drafting this guy. He’s an immense talent who could easily see 7-8 targets a game, with there being no one else in this receiver room close to taking away looks from him. I would draft him at his ADP or if you don’t get him, try to trade for him from your league mate who is starting the season slow. He is a WR2 for me, with WR1 upside.

Dallas 

Dak Prescott (QB7, ADP 55)

2023 Stats: 410/590 (69.5%), 4,516 Pass Yds., 36 TDs, 9 INTs (QB3 Finish)

2024 Projections: 4,162 Pass Yds, 30 TDs, 13 INTs

• Dak Prescott is coming off his best season yet, as a top 5 MVP candidate, throwing for over 4,500 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also finished as the QB3 overall. So now, in an offense with question marks at the running back position, weapons that have not changed and an offensive system that may pass the most out of any team in the league, is it wrong to say that Dak might be even better in 2024? Dak is currently going in the mid-5th and in some fantasy sites (cough, cough Sleeper), he is going in the 7th round. I know Dak is not known for being a running quarterback and that caps his fantasy upside, but don’t be surprised if Dak finishes as a top 5 QB or even higher this season.

CeeDee Lamb (WR1, ADP 2)

2023 Stats: 181 Tgts., 131 Rec., 1,749 Rec. Yds., 12 TDs; 112 Rush Yds., 2 TDs (WR1 Finish)

2024 Projections: 118 Rec., 1,529 Pass Yds., 9.4 TDs, 84 Rush Yds, 0.9 Rush TDs

• DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. DRAFT. CEEDEE. LAMB. 
• In all seriousness, Lamb was unconscious post week-7 bye. To put it into perspective, Lamb averaged nearly 8 fantasy points per game more than the WR2 (Amon-Ra St. Brown) from week 7 on. He was also an entire FOUR full PPR fantasy points more valuable than Christian McCaffrey during that stretch. 
• In my honest opinion, there is a true argument for him to go as the number one overall fantasy pick. He is the focal point in a great Cowboys offense and could easily get more targets in an offense that I project to pass more this season. If I had to bet on a WR surpassing Calvin Johnson’s 1,964 yard receiving season, it would be Ceedee Lamb.

Jake Ferguson (TE9, ADP 89)

2023 Stats: 102 Tgts., 72 Rec., 761 Rec. Yds., 5 TDs (TE9 FInish)

2024 Projections: 68 Rec., 720 Rec. Yds., 6.2 TDs 

• I think Jake Ferguson is one of the most underrated players in fantasy right now. For starters, Ferguson was a top 10 TE, finishing as the TE9 in PPR scoring. He seemed to be a reliable target for Dak and I don’t see that changing any time soon. With the Cowboys looking like they will be one of the heaviest passing teams in the league, Ferguson can be a beneficiary of that usage. 
• I also believe Ferguson to be the number two option in this offense next to Ceedee and can have a career year. He led all tight ends in 2023 with 24 red zone targets. He is also going as the TE9, and is going behind guys like Evan Engram and George Kittle. In my opinion, he is an immense value and can have a top 5 TE season. If you don’t get one of the elite TEs in your drafts, I would wait a bit to draft Ferguson. Give me him over Kittle, Engram, Bowers and Njoku.

Philadelphia

Jalen Hurts (QB2, ADP 24)

2023 Stats: 352/538 (65.4%), 3,858 Pass Yds., 23 TDs, 15 INTs; 605 Rush Yds., 15 TDs (QB2 Finish)

2024 Projections: 3,730 Pass Yds., 25 TDs, 14 INTs.; 562 Rush Yds., 11.5 TDs

• Fantasy-wise in 2023, Hurts was amazing, finishing as the QB2 overall and in PPG. As a NFL quarterback, he seemed to regress a bit. I am not sure if part of that had to do with some internal team issues, the offense as a whole or his knee injury that messed with him throughout the season. 
• Regardless, this is about him in fantasy. And I don’t expect much to change at all. He’s as surefire of a fantasy pick as can get. There are some questions about if he’ll see the same goal line success with Kelce retiring, but being that reports out of Philly is that the Eagles practice the “tush push” consistently, I don’t see why he should not finish as a top 3 QB this year.

Saquon Barkley (RB6, ADP 14)

2023 Stats: 247 Att., 962 Rush Yds., 6 TDs; 41 Rec., 280 Rec. Yds, 4 TDs (RB13 Finish – 14 Games)

2024 Projections: 266 Att., 1,118 Rush Yds., 10.9 TDs; 49 Rec., 373 Rec. Yds., 4.2 TDs

• Saquon was the only bright spot in a putrid Giants offense. Now with him going from one of the worst offensive lines in the league to one of the ten best in the league. Barkley is clearly a better running back than D’Andre Swift, and will now walk into an offense, being one of the few true bellcow backs left in the league. 
• The only concern of mine is how much goal line carries he’ll get in this offense. Jalen Hurts is one of the best in the league and the Eagles are still practicing the tush push despite longtime center Jason Kelce leaving for retirement. Regardless of this, I am fully in on Saquon. He’s a great running back on a great football team. Why would I be out on him? What is great is that he usually goes in the early-mid 2nd round of drafts, so you can either have a heavy RB build with him or use him as your hero RB. 

A.J. Brown (WR7, ADP 10)

2023 Stats: 158 Tgts., 106 Rec., 1,456 Rec. Yds., 7 TDs (WR5 Finish)

2024 Projections: 91 Rec., 1,313 Rec. Yds., 8.5 TDs 

• Brown finished with a monster 1,456 yard, 7 TD campaign. From weeks 3-9, he was overall WR1 by a pretty significant margin. However, it was post-bye week where his consistency dropped off a cliff. From weeks 11-17, he was the WR24, with three weeks of 10.6 PPR points or less. While this drop off is concerning, I do not believe this to be an AJ Brown issue. Rather, an offensive issue that plagued the team and reared its ugly head at the worst time of the year. The Eagles fired OC Brian Johnson in play for former Chargers OC Kellen Moore. 
• As it stands, I trust AJ Brown as one of the top 5 best WRs in the league and one of the highest upside fantasy WRs you can select. I trust that with a healthy Jalen Hurts and a new offensive coordinator, will return once again to being an absolute monster that is easily worth his first round ADP.

Tier II: Solid Players to Have/Players at Great Value

Washington

Brian Robinson, Jr. (RB34, ADP 108)

2023 Stats: 178 Att., 733 Rush Yds., 5 TDs; 36 Rec., 368 Rec. Yds., 4 TDs (RB21 Finish – 15 Games)

2024 Projections: 188 Att., 783 Rush Yds., 5.4 TDs; 32 Rec., 287 Rec. Yds., 2.6 TDs

• BRob cemented himself as the RB1 in this offense. What surprised many is that he also held his own in the passing game, with 368 receiving yards and four receiving TDs. Robinson Jr. finished as the RB21 overall in PPR.
• With Ekeler being a better talent than Antonio Gibson and Jayden Daniels being a dual-threat QB that can take away touches, especially in the red zone, it’s tough to determine his true fantasy value. And while there are some valid concerns, I think he still sees the majority of snaps and proved he can handle playing in the passing game. His 2024 projections are right around his 2023 finish, which shows he could finish right around the same he did last year. 
• I have him as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 and you can get him in the 9th-10th round of your drafts!

Terry McLaurin (WR32, ADP 60)

2023 Stats: (132 Tgts., 79 Rec., 1,002 Rec. Yds., 4 TDs – WR31 Finish)

2024 Projections: 72.5 Rec., 985 Rec. Yds., 4.2 TDs

• As I stated earlier, McLaurin is that one guy who is one good quarterback away from being seen as a top 10 WR in the league. While Terry had has inconsistent at best QB play throughout his career, he has finished with at least 1,000 receiving yards every year, except for his rookie year. 
• Heading into the 2024-25 season, I do not expect anything to change. While rookie Jayden Daniels is the most talented quarterback he has played with, history is not on the side of receivers having elite numbers with rookie QBs. I like Terry as a talent, but I prefer to choose receivers going around him in drafts such as Tank Dell, Chris Godwin, Keenan Allen and George Pickens, who all provide more upside in their respective offenses. Nevertheless, he will always be a solid player to have.

New York

N/A 

Dallas 

N/A 

Philadelphia

Devonta Smith (WR22, ADP 37)

2023 Stats: 112 Tgts., 81 Rec., 1,066 Rec. Yds., 7 TDs (WR19 Finish)

2024 Projections: 81 Rec., 1,065 Rec. Yds., 7.2 TDs 

• Smith’s season reminded me a lot of Jaylen Waddle. When looking at their season-long stats, he had a pretty solid season, finishing as the WR19 overall. However, when we look at his week to week stats, he seemed a bit inconsistent. Smith had six games of 10 points or less in 16 games. 
• When it comes to 2024, I expect his season to be around the same as 2023. I believe Hurts will be better and the Eagles will be a more consistent team. Devonta’s ADP is a bit high for me, so he’s not a value, but he is a good player to have on your team.

Tier III: Deep Sleepers/Players I’d Draft if Their ADP Fell

Washington

Austin Ekeler, Jahan Dotson, Ben Sinnott

• While I mainly attribute Ekeler’s nightmare season to injury last year, it is clear that he will no longer be the bellcow back we’ve come to love. He will still get touches and pass down work, but I believe in this committee, Brian Robinson, Jr. should and will be their main guy and RB1. 
• As for Dotson and Sinnott, they are worth a high upside shot. It’s tough to see how they’ll connect with rookie Jayden Daniels, but I would take a late round flier on both of them, in hopes they provide any source of value.

New York

Devin Singletary

• Devin Singletary is a weird player to rank. On one hand, he straight up took the starting running back role from Dameon Pierce in Houston. At the same time, the Giants were, at one point, looking for another candidate for this backfield. So while he is the starter, I don’t think he is going to be a huge part in an offense I don’t really see as high upside. I would still take him as an RB3 (if you go zero RB) or RB4 in drafts. He’s worth a pick up, but he likely won’t see the upside he saw in Houston.

Dallas 

Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Brandin Cooks

• While Zeke is the “RB1” in this offense, I think this team will be extremely pass heavy. Add in the fact that Zeke has been inefficient for a couple years and is 29 years old, I don’t have him in a lot of mocks. Same with Rico Dowdle. I think both guys can be worth it at the very end of drafts. As for Cooks, I like his value as the number 3 option on a pass-happy Cowboys team. While he isn’t what he once was as a receiver, he is still a viable candidate with some boom weeks.

Philadelphia

Dallas Goedert

• I think Dallas Goedert is a solid and underrated tight end. However, he will likely be the fourth option in this offense, and that is without mentioning the tush push that is still being used on goal line situations, despite the loss of Jason Kelce at center. I think he’s worth a late round pick and can be a good option as your second tight end. However, the tight end position is so good, you should be able to draft more viable options besides Goedert.

Tier IV: Avoid at all Costs/Likely to Not Be Relevant 

Washington

Marcus Mariota, Chris Rodriguez, Luke McCaffrey, Olamide Zaccheus, Zach Ertz

• Most of these guys will be backups and or spot starters playing an inconsistent amount of snaps. I would avoid all of these guys.

New York

Daniel Jones, Tyrone Tracy, Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton

• Daniel Jones has never led any WR to an overall top 12 WR finish. In fact, he’s never led a receiver to a top 24 WR finish. The best WR finish ever was Darius Slayton in 2019, where he finished as the WR 37 overall. If you add his recent history, the majority of this offense is not something I really want to buy into.

Dallas 

Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy, Peyton Hendershot, Luke Schoonmaker, Deuce Vaughn

• I don’t think any of these guys will make a profound impact on your fantasy teams except in an injury situation. Tolbert was a 40% snap share guy, and being that nothing has really changed in the offense, I don’t see him doing much more than be the 3rd WR and 4th option in this offense.

Philadelphia

Kenny Pickett, Kenneth Gainwell, Wil Shipley, Parris Campbell, Ainias Smith, Johnny Wilson, CJ Uzomah

• The majority of these guys are backups at their position and will likely provide little, if any, fantasy value. If any of these guys were to be picked up, it would likely be due to injury. 

Projected Win Total

Commanders: O/U 

Giants: O/U 

Cowboys: O/U 

Eagles: O/U 

• I think this will be a race for the East between the Cowboys and Eagles. Maybe the Commanders and Giants can play spoiler, but I do not have much faith that either team can capture the NFC East. The Eagles have locked in their offensive core for years to come, and the Cowboys (as of August 1st, 2024), are at a standstill regarding the re-signing of Ceedee Lamb and Dak Prescott. We will see where things go from here.

Summary

• I feel the same way about the NFC East for the 2024-25 season, as I did for the 2023-24 season. The bottom two teams have some bright spots, but in general, are looking to rebuild and get to being a winning organization. And the top two teams are looking to recapture dominance and get back into being called title contenders. 
• I want good players on good offenses and believe the Cowboys and Eagles are some of the best teams fantasy-wise to do that. Nevertheless, I am excited to see what the 2024-25 season gives us. Happy drafting!