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Divisional Breakdown: AFC EAST

S. C. Romero

In the divisional breakdown series Mase & SC will rank each offensive and defensive position per division for the 2024 NFL season. SC will speak about his top ranked player by position on the offensive side of the ball. On the other hand, Mase will speak about his top ranked player by position on the defensive side of the ball. On another note, they will rank every player per position that they believe can have some sort of fantasy relevance this season. In this article they will discuss the AFC EAST.

AFC NORTH Teams: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots.

2023 Division Winner: Buffalo Bills

2023 Offensive Division MVP: Buffalo Bills, Quarterback, Josh Allen

2023 Defensive Division MVP: Buffalo Bills, Linebacker, Terrel Bernard

Quarterbacks

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  1. Miami Dolphins – Tua Tagovailoa
    Tua has battled through injuries the last 2 seasons after taking over as starting quarterback in Week 8 of his rookie season. Last season we finally saw what he could do if healthy all 17 games. Tua finished as QB9 overall by throwing for over 4,600 yards with 29 touchdowns. He did have an interception issue throwing a career high 14 interceptions. Tua will need to get his interceptions back to below 10 like he has in 2 of his 4 seasons. Plus, this could be the season he finally gets over 30 passing touchdowns.”Tua should have been paid.” – Tyreek Hill stated about his quarterback. This year is the 5th year option for Tua. It is possible that he gets a contract extension before the season begins, however, if he does it that means he is playing for a contract extension this season. Whether he is a newly paid quarterback, or a quarterback battling to get paid, a big year is in store for Tua. Time and time again the question has been, is he the guy for the Dolphins? This year Tua puts all that noise to rest by leading the Dolphins to an AFC East title.
  2. New York Jets – Aaron Rodgers
  3. Buffalo Bills – Josh Allen
  4. New England Patriots – Drake Maye
  5. New York Jets – Tyrod Taylor
  6. New England Patriots – Bailey Zappe
  7. New York Jets – Jordan Travis

Running Backs

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  1. New York Jets – Breece Hall
    Who is the RB1 of fantasy football? Well, depending on who you ask that answer could be Breece Hall. He is a bell cow type of runner. The difference between Hall and other bell cow running backs is that he excels in the passing game too. Last season he caught 80% of his passes for 591 yards. He is the full purpose running back every team wants on their team. There is a world where every team has a Hall type of runner meaning the committee backfield is obsolete. The team drafted another running back in Braelon Allen after drafting Israel Abanikanda last season. Yet, Hall refuses to give up any reigns on his role if he is able to be on the field. The New York Jets will continue to run through Hall’s effective running style. Lock him as the RB1 of the AFC East and as RB3 or better for the 2024 season.
  2. Miami Dolphins – De’Von Achane
  3. Buffalo Bills – James Cook
  4. Miami Dolphins – Raheem Mostert
  5. New England Patriots – Rhamondre Stevenson
  6. Buffalo Bills – Ray Davis
  7. Miami Dolphins – Jaylen Wright
  8. New England Patriots – Antonio Gibson
  9. New York Jets – Israel Abanikanda
  10. New York Jets – Braelon Allen

Wide Receivers

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  1. Miami Dolphins – Tyreek Hill
    Tyreek Hill is one of the older wide receivers in the AFC East, yet right now he is the most dominant in the division. He is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. His nickname is “Cheetah” for a reason. Time and time again, he continues to display why he is one of the greatest to ever play the game. He once said that he wanted to gain 2,000 receiving yards. Last season was the closest to that milestone with 1,799 yards. In fact, 2023 was Hill’s second season with over 1,700 yards. That happens to also be his second season with the Miami Dolphins. Will the third time be the charm? Hill has a goal for himself, and I believe he can accomplish it. In dynasty formats his age will play a factor, but for redraft there is an opportunity to be the WR1 of the 2024 season. He is one of the scariest wide receivers to guard due to his ability to break away at any time. Do not blink or you may miss what he does, he is that fast. While Hill is connected with Tagovailoa we can expect him to continue to dominate.
  2. New York Jets – Garrett Wilson
  3. Miami Dolphins – Jaylen Waddle
  4. Buffalo Bills – Keon Coleman
  5. New York Jets – Malachi Corley
  6. Buffalo Bills – Khalil Shakir
  7. New England Patriots – Javon Baker
  8. New England Patriots – Ja’Lynn Polk
  9. New York Jets – Mike Williams
  10. New England Patriots – Kendrick Bourne

Tight End

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  1. Buffalo Bills – Dalton Kincaid
    I have Josh Allen ranked as my QB3 in the AFC East because he lost his top 2 wide receivers for nothing that excites me as replacements. I have Dalton Kincaid as my TE1 of the AFC East partially due to the fact that Josh Allen lost his top 2 wide receivers. Kincaid steps into a prime situation to excel. Allen will need a new favorite target now that Diggs is gone. There will be 241 vacated targets with the departure of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Returning players like James Cook and Khalil Shakir should also see an uptick in targets. But Kincaid’s upside seems to be massive right now. Quite frankly it is possible he emerges as the TE1 overall for the 2024 season. Last season, Kincaid caught 80% of his targets. Only one tight end in the top 10 of 2023 had a better catch percentage. This is the season Dalton Kincaid receives over 120 targets with 90 or more receptions. Plus, of Josh Allen’s 29 passing touchdowns only 2 of them went to Kincaid. I would expect an uptick in touchdowns too. Kincaid just screams breakout candidate this year.
  2. New York Jets – Tyler Conklin
  3. New England Patriots – Hunter Henry
  4. Buffalo Bills – Dawson Knox
  5. Miami Dolphins – Jonnu Smith
  6. New England Patriots – Austin Hooper
  7. New York Jets – Jeremy Ruckert

Defensive Line

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  1. New York Jets – Jermaine Johnson II
    FantasyPros DL17 in 2023, Jermaine Johnson II played in all 17 games last season. He finished with 7.5 sacks on 56 total pressures with 55 combined tackles. Johnson is dual eligible on some fantasy applications even though he is primarily used off the edge as a pass rusher for the Jets. This will be Johnson’s third year in the NFL, so in a sense this could be a contract year for him. He could reach an agreement for a contract extension next off season or even the year after that. That is assuming another team does not scoop him up with a better deal. The argument for the Jets letting him walk one day could be because of the players around him. The Jets invested high draft capital in Will McDonald IV, they have depth from veterans like Quinnen Williams and Haason Reddick, plus young role players like Javon Kinlaw and Michael Clemons. This means there could be a shortage of sacks coming towards Johnson as there are many talented players with the ability to cause havoc in the backfield. The former 2022 first round draft pick is still an up and comer in the league. However, with the current state of the Jets front seven (Williams, Williams, Mosley, Reddick, Kinlaw) Johnson should provide solid pressure once again off the edge. In redraft formats you will not need to draft Johnson immediately unless there is a Jets fan in your league, but during that second wave of EDGE rushers is when I would feel comfortable drafting Jermaine Johnson II.
  2. Miami Dolphins – Zach Sieler
  3. New York Jets – Quinnen Williams
  4. New England Patriots – Matt Judon
  5. New England Patriots – Christian Barmore
  6. Buffalo Bills – Gregory Rousseau
  7. Miami Dolphins – Jaelan Phillips
  8. New York Jets – Haason Reddick
  9. Buffalo Bills – Von Miller
  10. Buffalo Bills – A.J. Epenesa

Linebackers

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  1. Buffalo Bills – Terrel Bernard
    Bernard finished as the LB5 last season via FantasyPros and took over the reins in Week 5 after a fellow Bills linebacker went down for the season with a tibia fracture. In just Bernard’s second season, his snaps exponentially increased as he locked down the starting role in the off-season. During his 2023 campaign he finished with 143 combined tackles with 6.5 sacks on 20 total pressures and 3 interceptions. Bernard is entering his third season with Buffalo and is under contract until the end of the 2025 season. With Matt Milano missing most of 2023 due to injury all signs point to Bernard having a solid opportunity to take control of the LB1 job for the 2024 season. Bernard has the ability to seek opposing quarterbacks out of the backfield. I believe Bernard is a solid option for managers as an LB1 in IDP leagues this year.
  2. New York Jets – Quinnen Williams
  3. Miami Dolphins – Jordyn Brooks
  4. Miami Dolphins – Bradley Chubb
  5. Buffalo Bills – Matt Milano
  6. New England Patriots – Ja’Whaun Bentley
  7. New York Jets – C.J. Mosley
  8. New England Patriots – Jahlani Tavai

Defensive Backs

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  1. New England Patriots – Kyle Dugger
    Kyle Dugger recently signed a four-year contract with the New England Patriots. He has a potential out at the end of the 2025 season. This should make all managers feel good about rostering Dugger as an elite defensive back option for at least the next two seasons. In his four seasons at an NFL level, Dugger has spent the better part of his snaps inside the box, and with that, he is coming off his highest tackle count to date. The Patriots are not primarily well known in IDP for their linebackers standing out, so Dugger has plenty of opportunities for big plays and tackles alike. Jabrill Peppers is the deep man of the secondary, and former 2022 second-round pick Marte Mapu is currently slotted behind Dugger on the depth chart. Mapu also played linebacker in college at Sacramento State. I am curious to see if Mapu can earn some snaps in a tweener role with this new regime in New England. But that is a topic for another discussion. During the 2023 campaign, Dugger had 2 sacks off 15 total pressures as well as 5 pass break ups. Dugger can add points from any position he is put into. That alone is reason enough for me to believe he can be a top defensive back over the next two seasons.
  2. Miami Dolphins – Jordan Poyer
  3. Buffalo Bills – Cole Bishop
  4. New York Jets – Chuck Clark
  5. Miami Dolphins – Jevon Holland
  6. Buffalo Bills – Taylor Rapp
  7. Buffalo Bills – Taron Johnson
  8. Buffalo Bills – Rasul Douglas
  9. Miami Dolphins – Kader Kohou
  10. New York Jets – Tony Adams

Thanks for reading our breakdown for the AFC East.

Be sure to follow SC @ThePPRShow and Mase @caliking49er17 on X for more fantasy content.

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