2024 Wide Receiver Free Agent Signings: Fantasy Football Payoff Or Pitfall?

Wide receivers changing teams in free agency often come with inflated expectations—and in 2024, most failed to deliver for fantasy managers. Running backs thrived in new roles last season and while Darnell Mooney proved to be a rare bright spot, names like Calvin Ridley, Gabriel Davis, and Curtis Samuel struggled to justify their contracts in new offenses.

Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans

After a suspension season in 2022, Ridley finished the following year ranked 16th in PPR scoring (231.50 fantasy points). He caught 76 of his 136 targets for 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns while gaining over 100 yards in four matchups (8/101/1, 7/122, 7/103/2, and 6/101/1). The latter two outcomes came against Tennessee, which signed him to a four-year deal for $92 million in 2024.

Ridley (64/1,017/4 on 120 yards) had a regression of 12 catches and three touchdowns in his first year with the Titans, but he upped his combined yards (1,072). His decline in stats led to him falling to WR3 status (27th – 200.50 fantasy points). His best two games came in Week 8 (10/143) and Week 10 (5/84/2).

Poor quarterback play led to Tennessee finishing 25th in passing yards (3,621) with 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Ridley’s change in teams made him a below-par fantasy investment last season.

5 minutes of Calvin Ridley being criminally underrated pic.twitter.com/ajAvlsfyKF
— SleeperTitans (@SleeperTitanUp) April 10, 2025

Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons

The Bears struggled to get Mooney involved in 2022 (40/495/2) and 2023 (31/419/1) after his game was trending higher in his sophomore year (81/1,087/5) with Chicago. The Falcons saw enough in his game to pay him $39 million for three seasons last year.

He responded with a rebound in his production (64/992/5 on 106 targets) with Atlanta while seeing his season end in Week 18 with a shoulder injury. When at his best, Mooney posted five competitive outcomes (3/88/1, 9/105/2, 4/86/1, 5/88/1, and 6/142).

His results ranked him 32nd in PPR scoring (193.20), well above his finish in 2023 (83rd). Mooney was the best wide receiver free agent value last season.

Gabriel Davis, Jacksonville Jaguars

Trusting Davis to beat expectations didn’t make sense last year. He had four seasons of experience with the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen, but Davis never reached WR3 status in any year. His best season came in 2022 (48/836/7) when Davis had the most targets (93) of his career. He scored 27 touchdowns over his 64 games with Buffalo.

Jacksonville signed Davis for the same contract ($39 million for three years) as Darnell Mooney, but he finished with a bust outcome (20/239/2 on 42 targets). Davis missed seven games with shoulder and knee issues. He had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in mid-November, ending his year. His only game of value came in Week 6 (5/45/2).

Davis was bust last year, and 111 other wideouts outscored him in 2024.

Curtis Samuel, Buffalo Bills

The Bills added Samuel last season for $24 million over three seasons. He came off WR4 (62/652/5) and WR3 (64/843/5) results for the Commanders, where he ran the ball 45 times over two years with 226 yards and two touchdowns.

Buffalo gave him WR4 snaps (33.9% of their plays), but he never developed a winning rhythm with Josh Allen. As a result, Samuel caught only 31 passes for 253 yards and one score on 46 targets over 14 games. He only had five rushes for 14 yards. His best two games came in Week 11 (5/58/1) and the first week of the postseason (3/68/1).

Does Curtis Samuel deserve more of a role? #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/xDjZyHBbL8
— SleeperBills (@SleeperBills) April 10, 2025

Samuel finished last year as the 102nd-ranked wide receiver.

Mike Williams, New York Jets

On a one-year deal for $10 million, Williams had the resume to be successful on the opposite side of Garrett Wilson. Unfortunately, his usage and chemistry with Aaron Rodgers never showed a spark. He had 12 catches for 166 yards on 21 targets with the Jets, followed by more empty stats (9/132/1 on 13 targets) after a trade to the Steelers. Williams was used all season as a one-dimensional deep threat with only one target inside the 10-yard line.

Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs signed Brown to a one-year deal for $7 million, but he never had a chance to develop into a winning part of Kansas City’s offense. Before the regular season started, Brown suffered a shoulder injury, costing him 14 games. When on the field for five matchups, he caught only 14 of his 28 targets for 141 yards.

Last year’s crop of free agent transfers lacked star power, but only Darnell Mooney proved to be a helpful fantasy option based on draft price point. Wide receivers jumping into a new offense tend to need time to develop, creating weaker results than expected.

For reference, five wide receivers signed for more than $25 million in 2023 over multiple seasons. Here’s a look at their results:

Allen Lazard, NYJ – 23/311/1 over 14 games

Jakobi Meyers, LV – 71/807/8 over 16 games

DeAndre Hopkins, TEN – 75/1,057/7 over 17 games

JuJu Smith-Schuster, NE – 29/260/1 over 11 games

Adam Thielen, CAR – 103/1,104/4 over 17 games

Free agent signings at wide receiver can work out if they have a proven resume and their next system fits their skill set. Good route runners have an advantage when changing teams. If given a fantasy draft choice between a returning player with a similar profile and resume as a new free agent signing, I’ll lean toward the first option.

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