The 2024 season is almost upon us, so it's time for bold takes.
We asked the Footballguys staff to give their ride-or-die takes for this season. Here's what they said.
A Bold Take from Gary Davenport
Justin Madubuike of the Ravens will finish outside the Top 10.
Over the first three seasons of his career, Madubuike amassed 8.5 sacks. Last year (The last of his rookie deal—stunner), Madubuike tallied 13—and was rewarded with well over $25 million a season in annual salary. Maybe 2023 was a lightbulb year, and Madubuike will claim the mantle of IDP's top defensive tackle. There's no consensus top guy after 99 (Aaron Donald) hung them up—sniffle.
But it's also possible that Madubuike's season was an outlier. A one-off. A perfect storm. He wasn't rostered to start the 2023 season in most IDP leagues. Last year's (Career-high, go figure.) 56 total tackles aren't enough to offset a dip in sacks, and the dip's coming. There are more proven options going after Madubuike—enough that The Godfather is fading him at cost.
A Bold Take from Tripp Brebner
Dallas' Osa Odighizuwa will be a top-ten DT in 2024.
Odighizuwa's performance put him in rarified air in 2023. The pass-rush wins didn't translate to box scores. Former coordinator Dan Quinn employed deep rotations at every level for the past three years, frustrating fantasy gamers. New coordinator Mike Zimmer more regularly relied on his best eleven in Minnesota. The newfound volume will complement elite performance for DT1 results.
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