For my final column of the fantasy season, we’ll wrap up 2024 but we’re also going to look ahead to some way-to-early 2025 fantasy draft takes. Congrats to all who have advanced to the championship round, and happy holidays, too!

The Raiders have a decent defense and the Jaguars have a poor QB in Mac Jones but Brian Thomas Jr. went wild for the second fantasy playoff week. He was the right answer among the rookie WRs and all the other guys were wrong. Thomas should be drafted ahead of Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. next year.

Kirk Cousins is obviously done in Atlanta. The only thing I can say for sure about Michael Penix Jr. is that there is a ton of arm strength. This is definitely a top-five spinner of the ball. The other thing is that lefties just look weird. So it takes a couple of viewings to adjust.

Picking on the Giants offense is fantasy gold. The Falcons D/ST was available on waivers in every league and scored 29 points, which is game-winning in all likelihood. The lesson is to stream and not play the defense but the opposing offense. Streaming defenses effectively all year — and I got a little lucky to be honest — was a big factor in putting me in the championship game in a big league. It was so cheap, too. It cost me 1-4 percent of my budget to do it each week (max) and a lot of zero bids, too.

In the third quarter, as a Jets fan, I wanted to run it back with Aaron Rodgers. Now I want him booted. Yet another game refusing to throw the ball downfield. Yes, Davante Adams dropped/got stripped on TD pass No. 500. But still.

Where are the big runs out of Breece Hall? He’s not remotely in the conversation for a second contract if I’m the Jets. Let him put up a Pro Bowl year in 2025; I dare him.

Will Kyren Williams be a top-six pick next year like he deserved to be in 2024? I doubt it. The sharps will find another reason to downgrade him. I’ll be there in Round 2, again, if they give me the opportunity.

Losing David Montgomery is just nirvana for Jared Goff owners. Goff has 830 passing yards and eight TD passes the past two games. He’s averaging nearly 9.0 per attempt. His passer rating this year is top 25 all-time.

Jameson Williams just ran right through and past a two-deep zone. This TD was 59 air yards by Goff, too – on a line.

I like the fake fumble play the Lions ran. They are fun. The Detroit sideline all yelled “Ball!!” too, reportedly.

I thought Caleb Williams was very good today. I understand the Lions defense is in tatters but Williams still made the throws.

Keenan Allen has been a league winner so far — out of nowhere, basically. He did reveal himself as a must play, especially vs. the Lions, in Week 15.

Seven-straight games of at least three TD passes for Joe Burrow is unreal. That’s the fourth-longest streak in league history. (Tom Brady had 10 in 2007).

The Browns have to see if Dorian Thompson-Robinson is worthy of being on the team in 2025. They need a cheap backup with Deshaun Watson’s cap charge. The idea that the Browns will bench him but not cut him in 2025 seems like a distinction without a difference. The Browns need PricewaterhouseCoopers to figure this out.

Jerome Ford had the one big play but you have to sit a guy in an offense you can’t expect to score two TDs. I wouldn’t beat myself up for sitting him.

The Browns want to sign Nick Chubb, which would be insane … but the Browns are a crazy team. Analytics!

Nice bounce back from Jonathan Taylor. I doubt many of the people who drafted him were alive to see it, however. In 2025, he can have a Saquon Barkley season for sure. He has the running QB to open up run lanes, too. He’ll be only 26.

It was a cruel day for Jalen Hurts owners but the running QB is a concussion risk. We see it a lot and isn’t totally random. With all the chips on the table, it’s just a helpless feeling to see him in the locker room in the first quarter.

I’d bet the Eagles are going to go for it with Barkley, meaning the rushing record. They basically lost their bye for wild-card week with the loss to the Commanders. It’s not smart but the team will demand it.

Jayden Daniels really stepped up but he had a hard time cracking the top 12 given the Eagles seemed to be the rare shutdown defense. But that ran square into the belief, which I have always espoused, that there are no bad matchups for a running QB. For 2025, Daniels has put himself into the early-round QB mix; it’s still a dumb strategy but three teams in your league will do it. The rest of us cheer this.

The worry is that James Conner will be week-to-week with a knee injury. He’s been great relative to cost, a Zero RB winner. But at age 30 next year, and at an expected elevated cost, I’m out. I always bet the base rate with aging curves.

Bryce Young had one of those great EPA games in efficiency but you had to really squint to see something you could hang your hat on as a QB1 in 2025. I don’t believe in his running; he’s too small.

Sam Darnold won the ex-Jets QB shootout with Geno Smith but it was a pleasure to watch. The Darnold Haters have to go away now. The lesson is that player failures in the NFL Draft are mostly organization failures.

So much for Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III sharing carries, not that there were many carries at all. Walker is more in Charbonnet’s way than vice versa.

The Bills defense is bad but Drake Maye is showing signs he can be draftable if the Patriots make upgrades everywhere, including coaching — very unlikely.

Buffalo was faced with man coverage and it really messed up their passing game. Also the Patriots didn’t blitz and sort of used a mush rush to just contain Josh Allen scrambles. That’s the blueprint, given the Bills have no weapons. Two targets the past two weeks for Amari Cooper. What a bust trade.

Brock Bowers is the TE1 next year. He’ll probably go in the first 30 picks and he’ll be worth the price. He’s going to have 110 catches and 1,200 yards as a rookie. He’s pretty much unstoppable as a slot receiver.

The 50-yard TD run in garbage time inflated the stats but De’Von Achane has been a solid pick. Where he’s really dominated consistently is as a receiver in PPR. It’s really dumb for the Dolphins to keep throwing him so many passes, scheme wise. But they are determined and we have to expect it to continue next year with Tua Tagovailoa, given his need to get rid of the ball with alacrity in order to avoid hits/concussions.

I don’t know what to do with Tyreek Hill next year. I have a feeling Hill will drop to Round 5 by ADP, and that’s where my gut is, to be honest. But my head says there’s no reason for Hill to drop even two rounds, so I think he’ll be worth a third-round pick.

George Kittle has been great on balance in 2024. I think he has a couple of years left near peak. If he’s remotely discounted like last year — even a fifth-round pick (which would be an insane whiff by your league) — I’m all over it. I’d personally draft him no questions in Round 4. If things get ugly in Round 3, Kittle!

It was good to see Deebo Samuel show his run after the catch again. I’m not persuaded to draft him next year though. The Niners are going to make changes and reallocate some money to an aging defense. Deebo will probably be a part of that reshuffle.

(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)