New Coaches

The importance of coaching cannot be overstated. They are the gatekeepers of the fantasy production we all seek. The “talent” of a player is irrelevant if the coaching staff cannot create a positive environment for their skills to flourish.

I have been studying and breaking down NFL coaches for over 19 years and have learned how to identify the right skills required to optimize every offensive system put into place. We also use this information throughout the season to properly identify matchup advantages.

Nobody else in your league has this information and that gives you a significant advantage in drafts and all season long. Below are the quick breakdowns of all eight new head coaches in the NFL for 2024. Be sure to check out my entire 2024 NFL Coaching Breakdowns complete with historical data and impact for every head coach, coordinator and position coach in the league.

Atlanta Falcons

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 2.8%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 15.5%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 41.8%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 8.4%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 20.7%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 10.7%

New Head Coach: Raheem Morris

New Offensive Coordinator: Zac Robinson

New Defensive Coordinator: Jimmy Lake

New Offensive Overview

The Falcons retained offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford who is one of the best wide-zone blocking teachers in all of football. Atlanta will continue to lean on the run game and specifically Bijan Robinson in 2024. But this run game will look a lot different because they will be doing so out of a much different personnel package. New coordinator Zac Robinson comes from LA where he worked under Rams coach Sean McVay. This means a ton of 11 personnel with three wide receivers on the field and much fewer jumbo setups like Arthur Smith employed.

This is going to stretch out the field more and force the defense to put in more defensive backs to match up accordingly. The wide zone running scheme will run directly to those outside edges where Bijan Robinson can use his open field skills to make a move on or run right over those weaker tacklers.

The passing game is what the biggest difference will be for Atlanta. Kirk Cousins ran this same system in Minnesota under Kevin O’Connell the last two years and he is well versed in how to manage it. The QB is given a ton of responsibility here specifically to identify the coverage matchups at the line of scrimmage. This system requires the ball to be out quickly which is why we see such huge numbers for the receivers who are the primary reads such as Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson and Puka Nacua (while Kupp was injured). Drake London gets a tremendous increase in fantasy production as a result and he is one of the biggest risers in fantasy football this year.

Players That Benefit Most:

• Bijan Robinson, RB
• Drake London, WR
• Kyle Pitts, TE

Players That Regress:

• Tyler Allgeier, RB
• Darnell Mooney, WR

Carolina Panthers

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 01 (0RB/1TE/4WR) – 1.6%
• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 2.8%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 71.2%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 10.8%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 2.2%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 5.6%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 3.3%
• 23 (2RB/3TE/0WR) – 1.7%

New Head Coach: Dave Canales

New Offensive Coordinator: Brad Idzik

New Defensive Coordinator: Ejiro Evero (Retained)

New Offensive Overview

Panthers new head coach Dave Canales has made the extreme jump from QB coach of the Seattle Seahawks to offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers. This will be a west coast offense with a lot of short quick throws that get the ball out of Bryce Young’s hand quickly.

One big change will be the roles of the wide receivers who will now be asked to run the entire route tree and be interchangeable from play to play. This is why it was imperative to get a veteran like Diontae Johnson in the mix as he has the talent to win both inside and out. This system rejuvenated the career of Mike Evans last year in Tampa and they hope it will have the same sort of impact on a talented group of underachieving WR’s in Carolina too.

A big win for Canales new staff was getting veteran offensive line coach and run game maven Harold Goodwin to come over as assistant head coach and run game coordinator. Goodwin has been responsible for breakout fantasy seasons by such running backs as Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Vick Ballard, David Johnson and Rachaad White. The Panthers will not chop up the workload as much as other teams and will also feature the RB in the passing game quite a bit giving them much more appeal in PPR league formats. Combine this scheme with a much improved offensive line and there is suddenly fantasy life in the Carolina backfield this year.

Players That Benefit Most:

• Bryce Young, QB
• Diontae Johnson, WR
• Chuba Hubbard, RB

Players That Regress:

• Adam Thielen, WR
• Tommy Tremble, TE

Las Vegas Raiders

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 11.8.%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 48.3%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 17.7%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 2.8%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 16.4%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 2.7%

New Head Coach: Antonio Pierce

New Offensive Coordinator: Luke Getsy

New Defensive Coordinator: Patrick Graham

New Offensive Overview

The Raiders were just 27^th and 21^st in the NFL in rushing attempts the last two seasons under Josh McDaniels and a half season of Antonio Pierce. But that will change in 2024 as Vegas makes a strong push to copycat the Kyle Shanahan outside running game and build their offense around it.

New offensive coordinator Luke Getsy comes over from Chicago where his offenses were second in the NFL in carries each of the last two year. Now a large chunk of those carries were by QB Justin Fields but this is a foundational piece of his offensive scheme. The Raiders aren’t going to use nearly as many QB runs as he did in Chicago but that is great for Zamir White and the other running backs fantasy value.

Any concern about WR Davante Adams in this offense should be washed away after seeing the numbers DJ Moore put up with Fields and the Bears in 2023. Adams is still a stud and shouldn’t have to shoulder so much of the offensive load this season.

Players That Benefit Most:

• Zamir White, RB
• Davante Adams, WR
• Michael Mayer, TE

Players That Regress:

• Jakobi Meyers, WR

Los Angeles Chargers

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 2.1%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 69.1%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 23.5%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 2.4%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 1.6%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 1.1%

New Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh

New Offensive Coordinator: Greg Roman

New Defensive Coordinator: Jesse Minter

New Offensive Overview

The Chargers finally have a coaching staff who has a clear direction of what they want to do on both sides of the football. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman will install a run heavy west coast based offense that will not require QB Justin Herbert to play hero ball any longer.

This scheme is very likely to lead the league in rush attempts as they will lean heavily on a tandem backfield approach that only throws the ball when absolutely necessary. Harbaugh and company will be all about ball control, controlling the clock and giving their defense rest. This is the polar opposite of how the Chargers have played under Brandon Staley the last three seasons.

A significant drop in pass attempts, a slower offense and the loss of their top two wide receivers isn’t a great mix for the fantasy outlook of Justin Herbert. But we will see a lot more efficiency out of him too. The copious run attempts will be accompanied by a lot of high percentage throws usually close to the line of scrimmage. This playcalling is all a setup for the big strike downfield which is where Herbert will flourish. The numbers may decline a bit but don’t completely fade him this season.

Players That Benefit Most:

• Gus Edwards, RB
• Hayden Hurst, TE

Players That Regress:

• Justin Herbert, QB

New England Patriots

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 0.6%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 49.6%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 38.9%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 6.4%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 2.1%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 1.8%

New Head Coach: Jerod Mayo

New Offensive Coordinator: Alex Van Pelt

New Defensive Coordinator: DeMarcus Covington

New Offensive Overview

This is the most radical of all the coaching changes this offseason. After 24 seasons, the Patriots will be without the services of Bill Belichick in 2024. The Patriots will go from the most experienced coaching staff in the NFL to the least experienced in just one offseason. This is a complete rebuild now for the Patriots, something they haven’t done since the early 1990’s.

This offense will be a west coast passing style with outside zone running attack. They are going to be a run first team for as long as their defense can keep them in games. When the Pats do air it out we’ll see a lot of short, quick throws mostly in the inside part of the field including flat passes to the running backs. Play action will be a staple here too as New England is going to take isolated shots down the field when they get the matchup they want.

Despite being an NFL player for 11 years and an NFL coach for 19 more, new Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has never been a play caller. The combination of a rookie QB and play caller isn’t one that I would put a lot of trust into here in 2024. New England no longer has the week-to-week ability to change their identity the way they have with Belichick. That is going to cause some real growing pains and a much slower developmental process for these young players.

Players That Benefit Most:

• Rhamondre Stevenson, RB

Players That Regress:

• Patriots DST

Seattle Seahawks

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 0.6%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 49.6%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 38.9%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 6.4%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 2.1%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 1.8%

New Head Coach: Mike MacDonald

New Offensive Coordinator: Ryan Grubb

New Defensive Coordinator: Aden Durde

New Offensive Overview

I could spend a full year gushing about how great the Washington Huskies offense was the last two year. Why does that matter to the Seattle Seahawks? Because their new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was the coordinator of that offense and is now installing it here in Seattle.

The big question is whether it was Grubb or his head coach Kalen DeBoer’s (new Alabama head coach) genius that put the Washington offense on high? I do believe that DeBoer is the ringleader here but Grubb has been at his side since 2007 with stops in Sioux Falls, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State and Washington.

You might see the huge numbers that Washington’s offense put up and think that Grubb’s offense will be pass heavy but that is just not the case. He is an offensive line coach at heart and wants to run the ball at will on the defense. It’s a fairly straightforward system in that it’s a run heavy style with multiple zone concepts. The offensive line and running backs will have to be versatile enough to flex in and out of inside, outside and split zone runs while also able to surprise the defense with some pin and pull power runs over the top. Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet are going to be in pure heaven in this offense moving forward.

What makes this offense so good is the play design. As simple as the playcalling is, the plays have layers upon layers of nuance that puts immense pressure on the defense to create big plays in both the run and pass. The route concepts for example are innovative in that each player is forcing decisions on the coverage which ultimately creates a layup for the quarterback somewhere on the field.

Please check out my expanded breakdown of this Seahawks offense in our Fantasy Guru online draft guide because if you are even a tiny bit of a football fan you will want to know all about this scheme. Also, it is highly doubtful that any of your leaguemates will see this offense coming which gives you a big advantage in fantasy football this season

Players That Benefit Most:

• Geno Smith, QB
• Kenneth Walker, RB
• DK Metcalf, WR

Players That Regress:

• Noah Fant, TE

Tennessee Titans

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 1.6%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 57.3%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 27.1%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 3.4%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 7.2%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 3.2%

New Head Coach: Brian Callahan

New Offensive Coordinator: Nick Holz

New Defensive Coordinator: Dennard Wilson

New Offensive Overview

Losing one of the better coaches in the NFL in Mike Vrabel certainly wasn’t a good start to the Titans offseason but it did signal a brand-new start for the organization. This is a rebuild here in Tennessee but the new front office and coaching staff are trying to speed through the process briskly. They have spent a ton of money on free agency all in the vision of the new coaching staff led by head coach Brian Callahan.

Callahan has been the architect behind the Cincinnati Bengals offense over the last five years an offense that didn’t really take off until the first full healthy season from QB Joe Burrow. They are handing the keys of this offense over to second year QB Will Levis who showed flashes of both greatness and bust over his nine starts last year. Brian Callahan was able to pry his father Bill Callahan out of Cleveland to be the Titans new offensive line coach. This is big for the rebuilding of the Tennessee offensive line and for the running game. It’s unfortunate that they no longer have the services of Derrick Henry though to ride through this process.

As the Bengals, 49ers, Buccaneers and Dolphins have shown us, you can really build up your quarterback by surrounding him with weapons. The Titans have done just that in efforts to boost Levis up and give him what he needs to succeed.

The Titans will continue to run the ball as much as their defense allows them to be in the game. They will use a divided backfield to accomplish that goal. The addition of Calvin Ridley fits very well as he does not have success against press coverage. But with DeAndre Hopkins on the other side, it will be very risky for the defense to press Ridley now on the other side. Ridley will be the more productive receiver in this offense while Hopkins slides back into a possession type of role now.

Players That Benefit Most:

• Calvin Ridley, WR
• DeAndre Hopkins WR
• Will Levis, QB

Players That Regress:

• Tyjae Spears, RB
• Tony Pollard, RB

Washington Commanders

2023 Personnel Groupings

• 01 (0RB/1TE/4WR) – 1.6%
• 10 (1RB/0TE/4WR) – 1.3%
• 11 (1RB/1TE/3WR) – 73.4%
• 12 (1RB/2TE/2WR) – 16.9%
• 13 (1RB/3TE/1WR) – 2.9%
• 21 (2RB/1TE/2WR) – 3.3%
• 22 (2RB/2TE/1WR) – 0.4%

New Head Coach: Dan Quinn

New Offensive Coordinator: Kliff Kingsbury

New Defensive Coordinator: Joe Whitt Jr

New Offensive Overview

Dan Quinn is the new head coach in Washington and brings along offensive alpha Kliff Kingsbury to run the offense. Kingsbury is one of few coaches who always seems to fail upwards. His “air-raid” offense is a great system in theory but when QBs like Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams all fail to reach their potential in it, something has to be wrong.

Nevertheless, the Commanders will play up-tempo often rushing to the line of scrimmage quickly to see how the defense sets up before calling the play. We will see a ton of three and even four wide receiver sets now which should help unlock the potential of WRs such as Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. They will spread their formations out and force the defense to catch them all over the field.

Do not overlook the running game in Washington either. Kingsbury actually runs the ball more than people think while implementing a very unique power/gap blocking scheme which fits third year RB Brian Robinson perfectly. Austin Ekeler’s best fantasy years are behind him but he’ll be involved heavily on passing downs primarily as a checkdown for whoever is throwing the ball in Washington this season. The backfield will be split but we will be able to identify the better back from week to week based on the matchups and projected game script.

Players That Benefit Most:

• Brian Robinson, RB
• Terry McLaurin, WR

Players That Regress:

• Austin Ekeler, RB
• Zach Ertz, TE