If you’re reading this, you know it’s never too early for a fantasy football mock draft, even mere hours after the end of the Super Bowl. Luckily for you, FantasyPros has you covered with its already-updated Draft Wizard ready to go.
Below is a run-down of one such mock draft for standard-scoring fantasy leagues.
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Early Fantasy Football Mock Draft
Round 1
1.01 – Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
Despite missing seven games, Justin Jefferson still managed to eclipse 1,000 yards, and that was without having his starting quarterback for most of the season. He was a top-five receiver in the games he played and, barring injury, is in line for a big season again. He’s a safe top pick.
1.02 – Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA)
Few believed that Tyreek Hill could top his numbers from 2022, when he totaled 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns. Yet, he did just that in 2023 when he totaled 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns and finished as the second-highest-scoring receiver in fantasy leagues. He does turn 30 before the 2024 season, but he’s not showing signs of slowing down.
1.03 – Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
While Christian McCaffrey is getting up there in age, he’s still producing at an elite level, including last year when he scored 21 times. All accounts are San Francisco will run it back with this current group that made the Super Bowl, which means you can fire up McCaffrey in your fantasy drafts.
1.04 – CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
No matter who the player is, topping a career year is tough. Lamb had such a career year in 2023 when he totaled over 1,700 yards and 12 touchdowns to finish as fantasy’s top receiver. Lamb is healthy and does have his quarterback coming back, so the stage is set for another big year, even if he doesn’t quite match what he did last year.
1.05 – Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
If Bijan Robinson can total nearly 1,500 yards and eight touchdowns in what many considered a down year, imagine what he could do with a year of experience and a better quarterback. Expectations were sky-high for his rookie season, and while he didn’t exactly become a league winner, he still showed that he could lead your fantasy team.
1.06 – Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
It’s been a rough two years for Jonathan Taylor and his fantasy managers. He’s played in just 21 games out of a possible 34 and hasn’t come close to totaling his league-winning numbers from 2021. But he has the entire off-season to get healthy and will have quarterback Anthony Richardson back in what should be a run-heavy offense in 2024.
1.07 – Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson had similar 2023 seasons and now have a similar outlook in 2024. Both are expected to get an upgrade at quarterback — in Hall’s case, getting Aaron Rodgers after the latter’s torn Achilles injury kept him out last season. Not many running backs can run and catch enough to be a league winner, but Hall is one of them.
1.08 – Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)
The first Lion off the board is their top receiver. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a career year with over 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns and notched over 100 receiving yards in half of his games. The band is back in Detroit, including offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, which means St. Brown should have another big year.
1.09 – Kyren Williams (RB – LAR)
The title of least likely to appear in the first round of a 2024 mock draft goes to Kyren Williams. The 2022 fifth-round pick flew under the radar the entire off-season before and wasn’t even named the starter until the 2023 season started. But when he was, he took off, rushing for over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns despite missing a quarter of the season. Any Rams running back is valuable under Sean McVay, and Williams is no different.
1.10 – Sam LaPorta (TE – DET)
For the first time in years, Travis Kelce is not the top tight end off the board. Neither is George Kittle or Mark Andrews. That title now belongs to Detroit’s Sam LaPorta. LaPorta ended his rookie season not only as fantasy’s top tight end but a top-12 player overall. LaPorta being taken in the first should not surprise you.
1.11 – Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
The third Lion taken in the first round might also be a potential league winner. Jahmyr Gibbs totaled over 1,200 yards and scored 11 times in his rookie season to end 2023 as a top-10 fantasy back. If Gibbs is used even a fraction more than he was — when he totaled 182 carries and 52 receptions — he’ll have no problem justifying his first-round selection.
1.12 – Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
Ja’Marr Chase is about as automatic as it gets when it comes to fantasy points. He’s topped 1,000 receiving yards in all three seasons of his career and averaged nearly 10 touchdowns per season. With Joe Burrow expected to be back from injury in 2024, Chase should be a WR1 once again.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft Summary
Rounds 2-3 Summary
The next round of this mock draft didn’t look much different than the first. One other tight end was taken with Mark Andrews selected with the 13th overall pick, but it was all running backs and receivers for the rest of the second round. This includes second-year players De’Von Achane and Puka Nacua. The quarterbacks started in Round 3, with Josh Allen being the first off the board, followed by Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson a few picks later.
Rounds 4-6 Summary
In an odd sight, we see quarterback Patrick Mahomes taken in the fourth round. In some ways, it’s justified, as Mahomes was just the eighth-highest-scoring fantasy quarterback in 2023. However, it’s expected that Kansas City will try to bolster the lackluster receiving options in the off-season, so his current draft position could be a steal.
Mahomes did seem to start a little bit of a run, as there were six quarterbacks taken in the rounds following Mahomes. By the end of the sixth round, there were 10 quarterbacks taken, which means you’ll need to get your starter before then, or you’ll be streaming.
Other veterans who have dropped a round or two are tight ends Travis Kelce and George Kittle. There was a time when both were locks to be taken in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts (I drafted both of them that high in the same league not that long ago!), but due to age and just more competition for fantasy points, both are still on the board this late.
Round 7-9 Summary
The middle of this mock draft was where teams loaded up on depth at running back and receiver, as there was just one non-running back or receiver taken in these next three rounds (that being Brock Purdy in the seventh). Despite the run, there are still solid options at this stage of the draft, including Drake London and George Pickens, both top pass catchers on teams that are expected to upgrade their quarterback room.
Round 10-12 Summary
This part of the draft is to fill out your starting lineup. There were three quarterbacks taken along with eight tight ends, with the latter representing most of the starters in this particular league. It speaks to the still-widening gap between the elite tight ends and everyone else that there were none taken after Kittle and Trey McBride in the sixth round until the 11th. But there are still bargains that late as tight ends that finished in the top five of fantasy scoring at the position (Evan Engram, David Njoku) were both still available.
There were also just four running backs taken in those rounds. The position pipeline will fill again after the NFL Draft, but it goes to show how little veteran running backs are valued, whether in real life or in fantasy leagues.
And for the annual ‘Taken Too Early’ pick, I chose the Baltimore defense in Round 12, a full round before the next defense was drafted. But with a defense that’s ranked in the top eight in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) in three of the last four seasons, they’re as close to a sure thing on defense as it gets.
Round 13-15 Summary
The last few rounds are where you pick up whatever else your roster needs. For most, that means waiting on defense and certainly the kicker toward the end. Case in point: every selection of the last two rounds was either a kicker or a defense. The only exceptions were receiver Curtis Samuel and running back Jordan Mason.
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