Did the 2024 NFL Draft sneak up on you? Do you have a dynasty rookie draft shortly thereafter? Do you need to learn the big name rookies in a hurry without anyone knowing that you didn’t already? No problem! I’m here to provide you the “SparkNotes” guide of what to look for this weekend during the 2024 NFL Draft for fantasy football purposes.
After months of watching, reading, listening, and consuming content relating to the top prospects for fantasy football, I have a good pulse on what you need to know before all 32 teams are on the clock. Overall, this could be a historic first round when it comes to offensive players drafted. There will be plenty more analysis once these players have a home, but let’s build a steady foundation of knowledge on the 2024 NFL Draft class before then.
What Every Fantasy Football Manager Needs to Know Heading Into The 2024 NFL Draft
A Brief Overview of Each Position
Quarterbacks
The 2024 NFL Draft is one of the rare occasions in which we’ve known who the first overall pick will be dating back to this time last year. USC Quarterback, Caleb Williams, will come off of the board first to the Chicago Bears. What happens next is still a bit unclear, though two more quarterbacks should come off the board with the second and third overall picks. It’s most likely LSU’s Jayden Daniels and UNC’s Drake Maye, but J.J. McCarthy, of Michigan, continues to rise up the rankings. I expect the Washington Commanders to stay put with the second pick to do so, but there’s still a chance the New England Patriots trade down from three.
As for the other quarterbacks in this class, we could see one more go in the first round between Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix. It’s worth noting both of these players will be 24 years old when the 2024 season kicks off. Outside of the top-12 picks, not many other teams need a quarterback. We could see, however, a team with a high pick in the second round trade back into the end of the first round to select Penix or Nix. That sort of move would guarantee that team a fifth-year option for the quarterback.
Beyond these six players, it’s hard to imagine anyone else as more than a career backup. Players with upside that should get drafted in Superflex dynasty leagues are Spencer Rattler (S. Carolina), Joe Milton (Tennessee), and Michael Pratt (Tulane). Their value is much more dependent on their 2024 NFL Draft capital and landing spots.
Running Backs
If you don’t know who the top running back in the 2024 NFL Draft is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. NFL and fantasy football fans will continue to debate this through the weekend. We do know, however, that there isn’t going to be a running back taken in the first round. It’s just not that kind of class.
Don’t let draft capital completely dissuade you from drafting these running backs, though. There is a large handful worth targeting whose value could skyrocket if they end up in an advantageous situation (more on that later.) I’m especially partial to a few players like Trey Benson (Florida State), MarShawn Lloyd (USC), and Jonathan Brooks (Texas). Even listing just these three feels insufficient as there are just as easily three others I feel I could mention here. For fantasy football purposes, landing spot will mean the absolute most for the value of running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Wide Receivers
Some are calling the 2024 NFL Draft the best wide receiver draft class ever. I’d rather call it the deepest group. There is a clear top three consisting of Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), Malik Nabers (LSU), and Rome Odunze (Washington), in any which order you want to put them. This is the order I expect them to come off of the board and all within the top-10 picks.
Beyond “The Big Three”, we have plenty of notable names all of whom have different strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Xavier Worthy (Texas) ran for an all-time record in the NFL Combine’s 40-yard dash of 4.21 seconds. His college teammate, Adonai Mitchell, though, is an arguably better prospect with his own combination of size, speed, and route running regardless of his college production.
There are hundreds of various rankings out there for this wide receiver draft class. It’s important to analyze each player’s draft capital, landing spot, and fit into their specific pro offense individually rather than compare it to that of their peers. For example, again, Xavier Worthy could go in the first round to the Kansas City Chiefs and provide a long-term deep threat to Patrick Mahomes. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s automatically a better fantasy pick than Adonai Mitchell who could end up “falling” to the Buffalo Bills, in the second round, as one of Josh Allen’s top targets for the foreseeable future. There will be plenty of time and effort put into breaking down the results of where wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft end up.
Tight Ends
It’s important to understand last year’s rookie tight end class is an anomaly when it comes to fantasy football value. Detroit Lion, Sam LaPorta, now holds the record for most receptions (86) by a rookie tight end. He (3rd) and Dalton Kincaid (14th) both finished inside the top 14 in fantasy points per game as rookies. Meanwhile, Luke Schoonmaker, Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, and Michael Mayer all showed signs of potential for the near future, as well.
For the 2024 NFL Draft class of tight ends, Brock Bowers is far and away the top guy. He is a projected first-round pick and could even find himself coming off of the board inside the top 10. Where he goes in dynasty rookie drafts will depend on he and players at other positions’ landing spots, but Bowers is a first-round pick there, as well.
My Pre-Draft Top Player Rankings at Each Position
Quarterback
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caleb Williams | Southern California (USC) |
| 2 | Jayden Daniels | Louisiana State (LSU) |
| 3 | Drake Maye | North Carolina (UNC) |
| 4 | J.J. McCarthy | Michigan |
| 5 | Michael Penix Jr. | Washington |
| 6 | Bo Nix | Oregon |
| 7 | Spencer Rattler | South Carolina |
| 8 | Joe Milton | Tennessee |
| 9 | Michael Pratt | Tulane |
| 10 | Devin Leary | Kentucky |
Caleb Williams is locked into starting for the Chicago Bears. We already know he has Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, D’Andre Swift, and plenty of others at his disposal. Not only is he the top dynasty rookie pick, but he could legitimately be a top-10 fantasy quarterback in 2024.
Whoever ends up on the Minnesota Vikings will probably slide in as QB2 in my rankings. I have Jayden Daniels there as of now due to his rushing upside. Besides Williams landing on this current Bears roster, the Vikings have arguably the best offensive weapons for a rookie quarterback. Justin Jefferson is going to receive a long-term extension, Jordan Addison is entering his second season, Aaron Jones is one of the better pass-catching backs in the league, and T.J. Hockenson once recovered from his ACL injury, is a top tight end for fantasy football.
The back half of these rankings are subject to change depending each player’s path, or lack thereof, to being a starter in the league. It’s the top-four we want to put our focus on in dynasty drafts. They will all be first-round picks, specifically in Superflex leagues.
Running Back
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trey Benson | Florida State |
| 2 | Jonathan Brooks | Texas |
| 3 | MarShawn Lloyd | South California |
| 4 | Blake Corum | Michigan |
| 5 | Jaylen Wright | Tennessee |
| 6 | Braelon Allen | Wisconsin |
| 7 | Audric Estime | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Will Shipley | Clemson |
| 9 | Bucky Irving | Oregon |
| 10 | Ray Davis | Kentucky |
Welcome to the 2024 NFL Draft class of running backs where a history of knee injuries doesn’t matter to me! Trey Benson tore multiple knee ligaments and his hamstring in 2020 as a freshman. Jonathan Brooks tore is ACL five months ago. I still consider both of these players the top backs in this class despite that. Where they come off of the draft board will be very telling as to what the league thinks of them. Benson is the clear safer of the two further removed from his injury with 900 or more rushing yards in each of his last two seasons on just 154 and 156 carries each respectively.
I really like MarShawn Lloyd and want to put him at the top of these rankings. His landing spot will determine that. Lloyd has three-down potential with pass catching upside, but he’s never had a full workload. Neither has Jaylen Wright, though he is a big play waiting to happen. Blake Corum, on the other hand, has 505 carries over his last 27 games in college. He can start Week 1 for an NFL team and perhaps our fantasy teams. If he ends up reuniting with Jim Harbaugh on the Los Angeles Chargers, he will fit firmly inside my top-three here.
Wide Receiver
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marvin Harrison Jr. | Ohio State |
| 2 | Malik Nabers | Louisiana State (LSU) |
| 3 | Rome Odunze | Washington |
| 4 | Brian Thomas Jr. | Louisiana State (LSU) |
| 5 | Troy Franklin | Oregon |
| 6 | Ladd McConkey | Georgia |
| 7 | Adonai Mitchell | Texas |
| 8 | Xavier Worthy | Texas |
| 9 | Ricky Pearsall | Florida |
| 10 | Keon Coleman | Florida State |
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the top wide receiver in 1QB rookie dynasty drafts, but don’t be surprised if he is the first overall selection in Superflex dynasty rookie drafts, too. Malik Nabers is instantly going to be a team’s WR1 with explosive speed and proven production. Rome Odunze can win downfield and go up and get the ball, as well. Despite injuries, he posted a 92/1,640/13 receiving line in 2023. These three are locked in as the top three regardless of where they end up.
From here, landing spot will play a big role in how these rankings shake up. Brian Thomas is the closest player to the “The Big Three” given his 6’3″, 210 lb size and 4.33 [40-yard dash] speed. If he ends up somewhere where he can be more than just a vertical threat, it will do wonders for his fantasy value. His 2023 season is an extreme outlier in his collegiate body of work.
If there is a player who could mess around and compete with Marvin Harrison Jr. for rookie (wide receiver) of the year, I think Ladd McConkey could be it. This is mostly possible if he ends up on a playoff-ready, efficient offense that can plug him in right away. If the ball comes out quick to McConkey, he is a real threat once it’s in his hands.
My worry with Xavier Worthy is that he played in an offense that specifically looked to him to take the top off of a defense. Confining him into an obvious deep-threat role would limit his targets and define him as a boom-or-bust player. I’m interested to see if Adonai Mitchell draws first-round draft capital. That would indicate whichever team drafts him views him as a potential number-one receiver. Overall, I prefer his well-rounded play to Worthy and think he can be the WR1 for a team.
Troy Franklin is one of the more polarizing wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft class. After a bit of a disappointing NFL Combine, people seemed to write him off a bit. That includes concerns surrounding his sub-180-pound body weight. I’ve come to ignore size if production is there over the past few seasons. Franklin’s 81/1,383/14 campaign in 2023 is plenty good enough for me.
Tight End
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brock Bowers | Georgia |
| 2 | Ben Sinnott | Kansas State |
| 3 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | Texas |
| 4 | Theo Johnson | Penn State |
| 5 | Jared Wiley | TCU |
Do yourself a favor and just watch some Brock Bowers highlights before the 2024 NFL Draft. You’ll quickly understand why almost every team could use him on their offense. He’s a bit smaller than your typical tight end, but obviously much larger than any wide receiver. All around, Bowers is an offensive weapon that can punish a defense after the catch. He is the tight end we’ve been waiting a while for and joins a recent surplus in productive fantasy tight ends. The position is in good hands as we near the end of Travis Kelce’s Hall of Fame career.
I truly have no idea where the other tight ends in this class are going to come off of the board. Simply listing my top five is beneficial, for now, to familiarize yourself with the names. It’s hard for most rookie tight ends to carve out an immediate role in any NFL offense. If the majority of tight ends beyond Bowers draw Day Three draft capital, most of the players in this tight end class will get stashed on our dynasty benches until further notice.
Landing Spots to Watch
Quarterback
As previously mentioned, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings are my two top landing spots for a quarterback coming out of the 2024 NFL Draft. They have the best weapons for a rookie to work with.
I’ll be extremely concerned with the value of whichever quarterback could end up getting drafted by the Denver Broncos. Not only did they trade away wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, but they threw the sixth-least pass attempts last season. At least with the Las Vegas Raiders, they have Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and Michael Mayer. However, Gardner Minshew probably spends most of the 2024 season under center after signing a two-year/$25 million contract there.
The Broncos, Raiders, and even the New York Giants are three teams I expect to make a move for a quarterback with their second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. That’s either making the selection as is in the second round or trading back into the first.
The true wild card when it comes to drafting a quarterback are the New England Patriots. It feels like the 2024 NFL Draft really starts with them at third overall. If they trade out of the pick, they could fit into that aforementioned group that could take a quarterback later on. They could also ride with Jacoby Brissett with Bailey Zappe backing him up this season and building a better roster for their quarterback of the future in 2025.
Running Back
The first team that comes to mind here is the Dallas Cowboys. I think they’ll look for an offensive lineman in the first round, then grab a running back in the second. Tony Pollard leaves behind a career-high 307 touches from last season. The current running backs on the Cowboys roster are not a legitimate threat to their future rookie selection. Dallas’ rookie running back may automatically be the RB1 in rookie dynasty drafts.
The Los Angeles Chargers look like they’ll be a run-heavier team in 2024. That’s evident by the decisions to move on from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, bringing in run-first offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and head coach Jim Harbaugh’s history of establishing the run. Drafting an offensive lineman fifth overall would further this idea. Their top two running backs are Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. Neither can be trusted to lead a run-first backfield with 250+ carries.
After losing Saquon Barkley in free agency, the New York Giants currently have Devin Singletary set to lead their 2024 backfield. However, in three seasons with Brian Daboll (NYG head coach), as his offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills, Singletary logged over 200 touches just once and never more than 188 carries.
Here are teams that could add a running back that may threaten an already established lead back:
- Arizona Cardinals (James Conner)
- Buffalo Bills (James Cook)
- Cleveland Browns (Nick Chubb)
- Las Vegas Raiders (Zamir White)
- Los Angeles Rams (Kyren Williams)
- Miami Dolphins (Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Rachaad White)
These are seven teams I want to mentally prepare beforehand that they will likely add to their backfield. Once I see which rookie running back is drafted, and when, then I’ll assess what it means for that rookie, but more importantly, how it affects the veteran(s) currently in place. This is the last hurdle these players have to get over after surviving free agency in regards to sharing touches next season.
Wide Receiver
After trading away Stefon Diggs, the Buffalo Bills should be looking to replace him in the 2024 NFL Draft. We’ve seen Patrick Mahomes win two Super Bowls following the Tyreek Hill trade during the 2022 off-season, but that doesn’t mean the Bills should try and follow suit. This draft class has plenty of players worthy of using a top pick on to get Josh Allen a new number-one guy.
Following the Diontae Johnson trade to the Carolina Panthers, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in need of a wide receiver, as well. George Pickens is a fantastic vertical threat, but Johnson was a high-volume, possession receiver who could win with his route running in the red zone. I expect a rookie with a similar skillset to end up in black and yellow.
The New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers continue to come up in these position-needy conversations. The question is whether or not each of these teams, who all own a top-six pick, will spend it on one of the top receivers in this class. New York seems the likeliest to do so as the other two teams need much more help at quarterback and offensive line respectively.
Here are a few more teams I’d like to see upgrade with one or two receivers compared to who is currently on the roster:
- Arizona Cardinals (Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Chris Moore)
- Baltimore Ravens (Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor)
- Carolina Panthers (Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo)
- Dallas Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert)
- Denver Broncos (Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims)
- Detroit Lions (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Khalif Raymond)
- New Orleans Saints (Chris Olave, Rasheed Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson Jr.)
- Las Vegas Raiders (Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker)
There is plenty of established talent on these teams, but some of them won’t be there for much longer. Most of the WR2 options on these teams could use an upgrade at the very least. Since the 2024 NFL Draft class is deep with wide receivers, the odds are that some of our favorite rookies will end up on teams where they could see a smaller role than we would’ve liked. Not every rookie wide receiver is going to produce right away.
Tight End
Rather than identify landing spots for the tight ends of the 2024 NFL Draft class, I’d rather take my shot at guessing where Brock Bowers could end up. As mentioned before, every team could happily add Brock Bowers. On the flip side of that coin, most teams in a justifiable position to draft him need more than just Brock Bowers.
Where I’d like to see Brock Bowers end up the most is with the Indianapolis Colts. When I look at this offense, with Shane Steichen as head coach, it reminds me of the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles in which Steichen was the offensive coordinator. They have a mobile, unpolished quarterback, like Jalen Hurts, in Anthony Richardson. The Colts wide receivers, Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs are not at the level of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith but play similar roles. As far as a third pass catcher is concerned, it was Dallas Goedert in Philly. Adding Brock Bowers to this Colts core is a good fit.
Ultimately, for fantasy football purposes, Bowers hopefully ends up on a team where he can be the second-highest pass catcher on the team. I say second because the hope is that said team has a top wide receiver to take most of the defensive attention, providing mismatches for Bowers. On the Colts, this is possible behind Pittman and ahead of Downs.
Sleeper Pick to Keep in Mind at Each Position
Quarterback: Spencer Rattler, University of South Carolina
Everyone knows who Spencer Rattler with years of starting experience at Oklahoma before South Carolina. To call him a fantasy football quarterback sleeper from the 2024 NFL Draft is a bit of a stretch. However, how often are we considering “the QB7″ of any draft as a legitimate fantasy football option? That’s what Rattler may be behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., and Bo Nix. Rattler isn’t a day-one starter at the NFL level. Though smaller than a typical starting quarterback (6’0”, 210 lbs), Rattler has a strong arm that could benefit from developing into a more accurate passer. If he ends up somewhere as a possible next-in-line guy, he’s an enticing dart throw in the middle of Superflex dynasty rookie drafts.
Running Back: Kimani Vidal, Troy University
Kimani Vidal is a player I didn’t know much about until the last few months. I can’t honestly say I watch much Troy University football. However, Vidal is worth watching. He is 5’8″ and about 215 lbs which compares to that of Blake Corum (Michigan) who will undoubtedly go much higher. He’s by no means the fastest back, but he’s strong, hard to bring down at times, and has experience as a pass catcher. If Vidal can get running behind a better offensive line at the pro level, he’s shown he can handle the workload with an extremely notable 781 carries in college. That includes 528 in 28 games over his last two seasons.
Wide Receiver: Jacob Cowing, University of Arizona
The 2024 NFL Draft has much larger wide receivers than that of last year’s. Remember the size concerns about players like Zay Flowers, Josh Downs, and Tank Dell? The same can be said about Jacob Cowing whose 5’8″ and 170-pound frame is much smaller than higher-ranked players in this class. With the right opportunity, though, Cowing can be a hidden gem in points-per-reception fantasy football leagues. Cowing could be a reliable possession-based receiver (85 and 90 receptions in 2023, and 2024) who scores a ton of points out of the slot. That, however, could also limit how much time he spends on the field.
Tight End: Ben Sinnott, Kansas State University
It’s hard to consider any tight end in the 2024 NFL Draft class a true sleeper when they’re all extremely overshadowed by Brock Bowers. So, I’m taking this opportunity to let you know Ben Sinnott is my TE2 of the class. Again, don’t expect the TE2 of 2024 to produce like the TE2 of 2023, at least not right away. However, Sinnott is a versatile, pass-catching tight end who will only get more action with improved blocking. Though in two more games, and in a different conference, Sinnott logged just seven fewer receptions and 38 fewer yards than Brock Bowers in 2023. Production is production! If Sinnott ends up getting drafted in Round 3, that would be extremely encouraging.