NFL players are officially back on the field! Over the next several weeks, fans will be treated to the "debut" of some of their rookies while seeing their favorite teams take the field for the first time in months.
With the preseason in full swing, fantasy draft season has just begun. Leagues will be drafting every single day from now until NFL Kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 5. If you still have some time before Draft Day, it's the perfect time to start preparing. There's no better way to get ready for your draft than simulating the real deal through a mock draft.
2024 PPR Rankings
Top 250 Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
Mock drafts give you invaluable "practice reps" that will allow you to head into your draft with a sound draft strategy. With modern tools such as FantasyPros' Draft Wizard and Sleeper's Mock Draft lobbies, mock drafts can be completed in minutes. By the time Draft Day rolls around, you can have countless practice sessions under your belt.
For this mock draft, we'll be breaking down the pick-by-pick analysis of a team drafted from the No. 6 slot in a 12-team, Non-PPR league. The Sporting News' rankings were consulted throughout the draft process. The final results of the team are shown below. You can see how the entire draft played out by checking out the draft board.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Football Standard, Non-PPR Mock Draft 2024: 12-team league results
The rosters in this league consist of the following: 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1 D/ST, 1 Kicker, 5 Bench
Round 1 (1.06): Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
With Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson off the board, Breece Hall is an easy pick in this spot, especially in a Non-PPR league where two receivers are in lineups. The scarcity of dominant running backs and depth at wide receiver in the middle rounds is what is driving this philosophy.
Hall is one of the few true difference-makers at running back. He is incredibly talented and does a little bit of everything for the Jets' offense. Speaking of, Hall was able to thrive in an offense that featured Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian, and Tim Boyle. Thanks to this revolving door of quarterbacks, Hall was provided with just one goal line carry last year. With Aaron Rodgers under center, it's wheels up for Hall and the Jets.
Round 2 (2.07): Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
We continued to lean on running backs in Round 2, selecting Kyren Williams. Some drafters are doubting Williams following the arrival of Blake Corum, but Williams is set up to thrive once again in 2024.
Thanks to an injury, we were able to see what Williams' production would look like in a "timeshare". Williams missed four games last season with an ankle injury. As a result, Williams played 60 percent of snaps and handled 49 percent of the Rams' rush attempts across the entire year. He was still the RB3 even though he missed out on a significant number of opportunities and touches.
This is not a perfect projection but illustrates that Williams can be an elite asset when he is not dominating the rushing work in totality. In a standard league, a running back of Williams' caliber is a phenomenal pick in Round 2.
2024 POSITIONAL TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY
QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
Round 3 (3.06): Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel is an elite fantasy asset in all formats. But his efficiency, YAC ability, and rushing work significantly improve his value in standard leagues. Last season, Samuel was the WR8 overall and the WR4 on a per-game basis.
Heading into 2024, his outlook doesn't change much. He should continue to be put in situations to thrive thanks to Kyle Shanahan's crafty offensive scheme. Expect Samuel to rip off explosive plays regularly while tacking on 40-50 carries if he stays healthy. He will be a key piece of San Francisco's offense, an offense that fantasy managers should want to invest in. There's still some uncertainty as to whether Brandon Aiyuk will be on the team, but Samuel's stock will only rise if that's the case, adding even more value.
2024 FANTASY AUCTION VALUES (PPR & STANDARD)
Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
Round 4 (4.07): DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia offense is another offense that fantasy managers should be scrambling to grab pieces of. This is all thanks to a revamped scheme under Kellen Moore, who has been a fantasy godsend in recent years.
Kellen Moore (new Eagles OC) has produced a top-20 Fantasy WR in each of his past five seasons⤵️
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) June 23, 2024
What might Moore do for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in 2024?
Most-recently, Moore created a high number of "layup" targets for Keenan Allen and CeeDee Lamb in the slot. pic.twitter.com/aJuM0w5w1h
Moore has been more than willing to lean into the trendy usage of pre-snap motion. Pre-snap motion has been the key to unlocking wide receivers in fantasy football. In Moore's offense, the receiver who has benefitted from motion has been in a "power slot" role. This has been CeeDee Lamb and Keenan Allen in recent years. Smith has reportedly been taking a high number of slot snaps this offseason which is promising for his chances of seeing those layup targets.
Round 5 (5.06): Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
After sufficiently addressing running back and wide receiver, it was time to fill out some of the holes on this roster. Thankfully, a quarterback who is capable of finishing as this year's QB1 was still on the board in the middle of Round 5.
Anthony Richardson is the epitome of an upside play in fantasy. We're talking about a guy who scored 17.7 fantasy points in a game where he played 18 snaps. Before suffering a season-ending injury last season in Week 4, Richardson was absolutely dominant. In fact, he led all quarterbacks in fantasy points per dropback.
Richardson demonstrated that he can seemingly rack up 40+ rushing yards and find the endzone at will. If he can stay on the field, he will contend for the QB1 throne.
Round 6 (6.07): Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Some people may be shocked to hear that Evan Engram finished with the second-most receptions in a single season by a tight end with 114 last year. He plays a crucial role in the Jaguars offense as Trevor Lawrence's safety blanket. He will continue to act in this capacity, but Jacksonville's offensive coordinator Press Taylor shared that there's room for Engram's role to grow in the vertical passing game which would raise Engram's ceiling.
Engram will once again provide reliable weekly production as a high-level target earner. If he is able to absorb some of the deep and endzone targets left behind by Calvin Ridley, his fantasy impact could grow this season.
Round 7 (7.06): Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin's overall fantasy production was rather pedestrian last year, finishing as the WR32. He was flex-worthy but was not a significant asset until the tail end of the season. This was a step back for Godwin considering he was consistently a reliable WR2 in past years.
Godwin's regression perfectly coincides with a reduction in slot usage. He ran just 32 percent of his routes from the slot last year. This is significantly lower than the 50-60 percent that has been typical for Godwin. As a result, his catch rate and yardage production took significant hits. It was no coincidence that his production spiked late in the year when he started running more routes out of the slot again.
Godwin is now in line to return to his role as Tampa Bay's primary slot receiver. This should provide him with layup targets and an easier path to fantasy production. Expect a bounce-back year in 2024.
2024 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QB | RB | WR | TE | Each Team
Round 8 (8.07): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
The upside swings in the middle rounds begin with Brian Thomas Jr. Trevor Lawrence's newest weapon is a dynamic receiver with a nose for the endzone, and he showed that he's capable of being a playmaker at the NFL level in his preseason debut.
Brian Thomas Jr.’s first NFL catch is a highlight one 🔥
— PFF (@PFF) August 10, 2024
pic.twitter.com/NLfHbZep1b
Thomas finished his final collegiate season with 17 touchdowns and 11 receptions of 30+ yards. He is already running with the ones and should make his presence felt as a deep threat early in the year.
Round 9 (9.06): Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson Jr. is one of the most egregiously underrated running backs in fantasy football. Drafters are nervous about Austin Ekeler's presence in the backfield, leading to an ADP for Robinson that sees him drafted as an RB3.
But what sort of threat does Ekeler pose? His primary role in Washington will come as a pass catcher. But we have seen Robinson thrive in a split backfield where he was not the primary pass catcher. Just last season, Robinson finished as the RB22 in an offense where he played 45 percent of snaps and earned a 7-percent target share. As long as Robinson remains the goal line back, an RB2 season is realistic in a high-paced, Kliff Kingsbury offense.
Round 10 (10.07): Curtis Samuel, WR, Buffalo Bills
Similar to Deebo Samuel, Curtis Samuel's value in standard leagues is boosted by rushing work. Samuel has a history with Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady dating back to their time in Carolina. When the two worked together with the Panthers, Samuel played a "joker" role where he was given 41 carries and earned 97 targets. This led to a WR25 season for Samuel.
Samuel has been lining up all over the formation in training camp, a good indication that he'll reprise his do-it-all role. In an offense led by Josh Allen and no clear pecking order among wide receivers, I don't mind betting on the versatility of Samuel.
Round 11 (11.06): Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Zach Charbonnet presents a unique set of circumstances. On one hand, he offers a well-rounded skill set and worked into a nearly split backfield with Kenneth Walker last season as a rookie. On the other hand, the Seahawks coaching staff has continuously praised Walker this offseason, often discussing his three-down skill set.
At a minimum, Charbonnet is one of the premier running back handcuffs to own in fantasy football. If Walker goes down, Charbonnet will be the workhorse in an offense that should improve with Ryan Grubb calling the shots. However, there is still a scenario where Charbonnet provides some standalone value in a committee.
Round 12 (12.07): Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
Rashid Shaheed is the final "swinging for the fences" pick of this draft. To this point in his career, Shaheed has thrived as a downfield burner who can create a touchdown out of thin air. He will continue to play this role in his third NFL season, but he is also expected to handle more responsibility within the Saints' offense.
With Michael Thomas out of the picture, Shaheed will be a full-time player this season. This opens the door for him to get looks in the shallow and intermediate portions of the field as opposed to just deep shots. He has the athletic gifts and talent to thrive with more opportunities, making him a very intriguing breakout candidate this year.
Rounds 13 & 14 (13.06 & 14.07): Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills D/ST
Unless forced to, the preference is typically to not draft a defense or kicker. Streaming defenses have long proven to be a viable strategy by simply targeting opponents of bottom-tier offenses. Regarding kickers, there are consistently kickers who emerge from the depths to finish as high-end options. Brandon Aubrey is a prime example of this. He was undrafted last year but ultimately finished as fantasy's top kicker.
For the sake of this draft, I consulted Sporting News' kicker and defense rankings. I was able to land quality options at both positions. The Bills come in as our D/ST6 and Aubrey is ranked as our K1.
Mock Draft Review: Did the Robust RB strategy lead to a championship roster?
RB-RB starts are not nearly as popular as they were just a few years ago. But when two candidates to finish as elite fantasy options present themselves in the middle of Rounds 1 and 2, it's hard to pass up in this format. Even with the RB-heavy start, I'm happy with how this team turned out. There are players who have the potential to be elite fantasy options across the board.
If I could change one thing about this team, it would have been to wait longer at tight end. After seeing that Jake Ferguson and David Njoku lasted until Round 9, I feel that my team would have benefitted from waiting on the position. But other than this, I believe that this is a team that would be primed to make a playoff push.
At the end of the day, mock drafts serve as a place to test out different draft strategies and get a feel for how the draft will shake out. Every manager should complete a handful of mocks before Draft Day. Make the mistakes in your mock drafts, not in the real deal.
