Having always provided fertile soil for the growing of great athletic stock, California continues to impress. Be it football or basketball, tennis, baseball, hockey, soccer, or even golf and swimming, the Golden State can boast of having many of the poster boys and girls of professional sports today. This is not always the case because some of the best talents in the state go unnoticed, particularly in the world of fantasy football. Yeah, everyone loves those elaborate signal callers and big-name pass catchers, but below are unknown fantasy football players out of the persistent state of California that could give you the muscle or robust attributes to your fantasy team.
This article will highlight some California athletes that could nicely surprise fantasy managers in 2024.
Underrated California Fantasy Football Players
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
A wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. Aiyuk has been one of the more productive and reliable targets for the 49ers, yet he is often overlooked compared to players like Samuel and Kittle. With the 49ers’ offense looking more potent than ever under head coach Kyle Shanahan, Aiyuk is poised for a breakout season. Last season, Aiyuk posted a career-high 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 14.8 yards per catch. He’s going to factor in for PPR leagues due to his contested catch upside, his ability to pick up yards after the catch, and being an underneath and deep route target. If the 49ers can continue their excellent play, Aiyuk, being from California, has a huge ceiling in PPR and can be a clear top-20 wideout in 2024.
Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings
The running back position for the Vikings has been very up and down in recent seasons; however, this California-born talent has all the potential to become a real RB1 in 2024. Akers has demonstrated his capability towards the end of the 2023 regular season with various injuries in previous seasons, which made him appear to be an important member of the Vikings’ offense. In the second half of the season, Akers finished strong with 622 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the final eight games. With the quarterback position in flux, based on the uncertain status of Sam Darnold, and with the club looking to involve its younger players more heavily, Akers is in line for a large volume of work. That makes Akers an excellent candidate for the late-round, high-risk/reward back who will see his value further enhanced if the Rams continue to pound the rock on the ground.
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
While he is officially part of the Seahawks, Los Angeles, California natives’ status is as real as they come. Lockett has been quietly one of the better wide receivers in the NFL for quite some time now. He continually posts decent numbers without being the clear-cut No. 1target. With DK Metcalf usually the focal point for most defenses, Lockett remains quietly one of the top options for quarterback. His ability to make big plays and consistency in PPR formats provides a big boost to his fantasy value, particularly in deeper leagues. In 2023, Lockett finished with 1,029 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, marking his fifth consecutive season with over 1,000 yards.
He consistently turns in a decent score and will pose as nothing near to the obvious No. 1 choice. While Metcalf usually stands as the go-to target for the Seahawks’ team, Lockett still is known to be one of the primary targets for Geno Smith. His agility to come through on big gains, coupled with consistency in production-especially in PPR formats is a major plus to his fantasy worth, particularly in leagues considered deep.
Joshua Kelley, Tennessee Titans
Kelley was also born in California and has quietly flown under the radar in fantasy football while toiling away on one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. In 2023, Kelley averaged 5.0 yards per carry over the first few weeks of the season and is likely to see a more significant role in 2024 as the Titans’ offense continues to evolve. While Tony Pollard continues to take more than his fair share of backfield volume, Kelley has shown brilliance whenever he sees an opportunity. If Pollard were to get injured, or if Kelley started to see more work in the offense, then his fantasy value would go crazy. The Titans’ offense is in a constant state of development, and with that development, we are not quite sure what the role of Tony Pollard will be, Kelley can be one of interest as a bench stash for managers looking for potential in the backfield.
Devin Singletary, NY Giants
Singletary moving to the New York Giants was not going to be one of the happiest changes of the season, but he will have a great opportunity to play more under a new scheme. In Buffalo, Singletary averaged 4.6 yards per carry and showed that he could contribute both as a rusher and a receiver. Singletary has the potential of being an important wheel in the backfield of the Giants. He’s been a workhorse in the Buffalo backfield and could sure use his new situation to post better numbers. What makes him even more interesting in the PPR formats is the fact that he’s versatile. He can take part in both running and passing plays.
How Fans Use Tools to Predict Breakout Performances
As fantasy football is rapidly gaining popularity, the task for any fan is to get as close to the top of the charts as possible and start predicting potential superstars. That is where Sportscasting and other tools come in. They offer all kinds of stats, insight into matchups, and betting info with all significant tools for a fantasy head to show judgment on who could be about to blow up.
As an example, through Sportscasting, fans can track rushing Yards, target share, and red zone, among other factors regarding the players. Both of these are variables that determine whether a player has a shot at the big game in any given week. For fans seeking to learn more about sports betting in California and searching for the best among the crop, this platform offers some useful materials, information, and insights pertaining to the present state of online gambling. Other benefits include and not limited to multiple Cryptocurrencies accepted, easy and fast payouts, new slot games every week, rewards points earned and 24-hour live Dealer options available.
Examining a player’s performance in recent games and against less tight defense line-ups will help fantasy managers gain insight into who it may best be to start or who is worth trading for. However, Sportscasting offers betting odds and other forms of analysis that are indicative of how much the experts believe in the performance of a certain player or a team. The purpose of this tool is to help fantasy managers get a better idea of the predicted volume, which accompanies value for a player in further games.
Tracking Matchups
Another useful tool with which websites like Sportscasting equip owners is matchup analysis. Owners will be able to tell if their player has a good or bad matchup. For example, if Cam Akers is set to go up against a team that had a poor run defense, this could be one of those games where he gets more chances and amasses a healthy amount of points in terms of fantasy football. This is something that in the past has helped prove, through statistical breakdowns and matchup analysis, a player’s capability. Sportscasting allows the fans to get information on how a particular player has done against a team or even a team’s head-to-head statistics giving the fans better positions when it comes to which players to start or not in their fantasy leagues.
California-based athletes often get overshadowed by the bigger stars, but the players mentioned above have the potential to shine in the 2024 fantasy football season. Whether it is a wide receiver like Brandon Aiyuk or a running back such as Cam Akers, who was born and raised in California and is ready for some serious time in the sun to give quite a bit of fantasy potential.
In times like these, when the average fantasy football owner needs to evaluate sleeper selections and upcoming games, technologies such as Sportscasting become invaluable. Such platforms come replete with statistics, expert opinion, and matchup help in order to empower the fantasy manager with what they’re doing, correctly, all while staying one step ahead.
