Looking back at the 2024 waiver wire was one part fun and also a jumpscare at the same time. The injury gods were not kind to us when looking through the wide receivers, and the New Orleans Saints made us believe for two weeks that they could be legitimate contenders in a high-flying offense (narrator's voice: they were not good).

Overall there were some lessons learned from the 2024 fantasy football season on the waiver wire front, the first being that we really need to be cautious when targeting players with injuries (or even whispers of injuries) coming into the season. Not only do we need to be cautious when drafting them, but we also need to target their backups. Of course the biggest player that comes to mind is Christian McCaffrey, who was an absolutely brutal first-round pick. The running backs as a whole just fell one by one, but you got solid production from Jordan Mason for a while.

Another lesson that I think happens every season is being patient with rookies after you draft them. Look, I wouldn't blame anyone that dropped Jalen McMillan after the start of the season he had, but so many times it takes rookies toward the middle or back half of the season to start seeing success. While some of us can't play the waiting game and need immediate production and fantasy points, rookies can finish the season strong, and sometimes they can be playoff heroes. 

Let's just draft perfectly and avoid all player injuries next season so we won't have to turn to the waiver wire—deal? Deal. I went back and read every waiver wire article from last season to find the best pickups from the year. All these players at some point were under 40% rostered. Enjoy!

Bucky Irving, RB, Buccaneers

Ohhhhh baby! I understand a lot of people (myself included) drafted Bucky Irving early and often during drafts because we saw the potential, but managers were able to get him even after Week 1. Here was what I wrote after the Buccaneers' Week 1 matchup: 

"This could be a long-term play that works out for you in the end. In Week 1 Bucky Irving led the team with 62 rushing yards and also averaged 6.9 yards per carry compared to White's 2.1! White is still "the guy" in this backfield, but if Irving continues to make his presence known on the field then he could slowly chip his way into a bigger role as the season continues."

Patience was key with Irving, but it paid off in massive ways. The Buccaneers found a massive gem with their fourth-round pick—Irving finished with 1,514 yards from scrimmage and was an efficient runner and solid receiver. He finished as the RB15 in PPR formats and was also the RB9 from Week 6 and beyond.

It looked like the Buccaneers locked down their offensive coordinator Liam Coen for another season, but as of writing this he could be back in the running for the Jaguars' head coaching gig after they fired their general manager. If Coen stays in Tampa Bay, it would be massive for fantasy football—Baker Mayfield gets consistency and we could see this team turn Irving into their true RB1. 

Jonnu Smith, TE, Dolphins

Who would have thought that this Dolphins offense would be led by *checks notes* … oh it was Jonnu Smith and De'Von Achane! Listen, I had no shares of Jonnu Smith after draft season, and I tried to get him everywhere I could when he started to be a focal point for the Dolphins. This might have been one of the most surprising performances from the 2024 season, especially when he was doing this with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the same team.

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Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter of their game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Hill's wrist injury must have impacted him more than we knew at the time, but it benefitted Smith. According to Dwain McFarland in his Utilization Awards, Hill's underlying utilization also took a hit in 2024 and his target share dropped to 22%. Smith made the most of it and finished as the overall TE4, locking down 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. If there are no significant offseason changes, then Smith's role could be similar in 2025, make him someone we will want to target in drafts. 

Sam Darnold, QB, Vikings

Yes, at some point during the season Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was rostered in less than 10% of ESPN leagues, which was a fair assessment because any time we saw Darnold before he was being coached by Kevin O'Connell, he was just outright bad. 

But 2024 was a different year for Darnold, and while he may not be with the Vikings moving forward, he did provide some fantasy football goodness. Again, he was barely being drafted and ended up finishing as the QB7 overall (talk about value). In the regular season he threw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The crazier part was that in weekly quarterback finishes, Darnold was only outside the top 15 four times through 16 games.

Truly, I do not believe anyone expected this from Darnold. Unfortunately, the lights were too bright in the postseason, so we will see where Darnold lands in 2025. Las Vegas is projected to have the second-most cap space, so they could be a fit depending on whoever their new head coach ends up being. 

Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers

Were people doubting Baker Mayfield or were they wary of the new offensive coordinator coming in? Either way, Mayfield outperformed his ADP and finished as the QB4, and this was without Chris Godwin for much of the season and a banged-up Mike Evans as well.

Let's look at his stats for the 2024 season: 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions were beyond impressive. He also added yards on the ground, finishing with 378 rushing yards and three touchdowns. I think we are out of the business of doubting Mayfield now—he's proven over the last two seasons that he can be a high-end fantasy producer. The team looks like they will also be getting offensive coordinator Liam Coen back (maybe), which would be a win.

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Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws against Washington Commanders linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (6) during the second quarter of a NFC wild card playoff at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

We'll definitely have conversations around negative regression in the touchdown department, but this is an article shouting out winners! According to The Athletic, he also improved his touchdown percentage—going from 4.9% to 7.2%. Mayfield was a league-winner for a ton of teams and should be targeted next season.

Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers

Here's what I wrote about Jalen McMillan back in Week 2:

“Rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan is a deep waiver wire target in Week 2, especially if you play in deeper leagues. Of course, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are still on this team, so thinking he will jump ahead of either of those receivers would be crazy. I like the potential for more targets — especially if he's another weapon that Mayfield can rely on.”

This was very much a rookie you had to stay patient on (see the intro for more on that), but if you did, then he really gave you a solid performance during the fantasy football playoffs. Chris Godwin is not only recovering from an ankle injury, but he is also an impending free agent, so he could be on the move. We will have to wait and see if Godwin returns, because that will have a huge impact on McMillan's role for 2025, but you better expect a huge ADP jump from last season to this season.

At least we tried (honorable mentions):

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