Someone in our Discord encouraged me “to continue drafting like Leo dates.” It’s not the first time I’ve been accused of this, and I’m guilty as charged when it comes to leaning more toward younger fantasy players. A quick glance at my ranks reveals I’m consistently higher on them and pretty much every rookie (with some rare exceptions like Kaleb Johnson) compared to Fantasy Pros’ “expert consensus ranks.” I'd draft Jeremiah Smith right now if I could.
The NFL is a league for the young. Ian Hartitz recently posted some updated research regarding positional aging curves and fantasy production over the last 10 years. Quarterbacks peak ages 23-25. Running backs have their primes from 22-27, peaking at 24. Wide receivers have their best fantasy seasons ages 23-28, peaking at 25. Tight end is the one position that historically takes longer to develop, but that’s changed dramatically over the last two years (and likely will again in 2025 with Tyler Warren looking ready for an immediate impact). Workloads and the number of seasons in the league are other factors, but the data is strong here.
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