Fantasy football’s allure never wanes, and the thrill is ever-present with the rise of best ball leagues. Even now, as we embrace and look forward to the summer time, diehards are already drafting for the 2024 fantasy football season, eager to leverage the latest roster shifts and fresh talents from the draft. That means it’s time to talk fantasy football best ball draft targets.
As the new NFL league year starts with the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft we’ve got fresh starts for veterans and rookies alike. It’s the prime moment to dive into drafting. Whether you’re honing your strategy or embarking on your first best-ball journey, my essential list of prime best-ball targets will steer your draft strategy on course.
Get ready, best ball excitement on Underdog Fantasy is about to hit fever pitch with the launch of Best Ball Mania V.
This article is simple: a handful of my favorite best ball targets with a brief analysis for each one. There are one to four per position for a total of ten players.
Fantasy Football Best Ball Draft Targets
Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray (ARI)
Kyler Murray was the QB11 in points per game and 10th in expected points per game after returning from his torn ACL injury in 2023. His 18.9 fantasy points per game were very close to Brock Purdy. He finished as a top-12 QB in 57% of his games, the seventh-highest among QBs in 2023.
The Cardinals QB has been closer to his floor than his ceiling the last two seasons. He’s a candidate to jump back up into top-five conversation, considering he averaged 22 points per game from 2020-2021. Murray still averaged over 30 rushing yards per game last season.
The Cardinals are a sneaky team to take a major leap forward in Jonathan Gannon’s second season, especially after they equipped Murray with the No. 4 overall pick, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., in the 2024 NFL Draft. His best ball ADP is QB9.
Deshaun Watson (CLE)
Woof. There’s no denying that Deshaun Watson has played poorly in Cleveland. However, 2023 was better than 2022. Watson hit nearly 18 points per game in his five full starts and was a top-12 fantasy QB in three of his six games played. He ran the ball effectively in all his starts, averaging 28.4 rushing yards per game. Watson also went 5-1 as Cleveland’s starting quarterback. He’s not Joe Flacco, but this offense can be very fantasy-viable for a gun-slinging QB with his weapons of Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy.
As somebody who was “in” on Watson last season, I feel horrible backing him again for 2024. But as I have learned from my 2023 Courtland Sutton fade (after selling the farm for him in 2022), I can’t let my emotions or prior takes get in the way when the price doesn’t match a player’s upside. Simply put, Watson is super cheap (QB22 ADP) even after being discounted last season. Like it or not, there’s a pretty easy path for him to accrue a 20 points-per-game pace in 2024. Flacco averaged nearly 22 points per game.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon (HOU)
I love Joe Mixon landing spot with the Texans. Houston checks off all the boxes for Mixon to be a full-blown bell cow, despite what his detractors will say about his lack of efficiency. The dude scores fantasy points because he scores TDs and catches passes. He’s also light years ahead of Dameon Pierce.
However, I do fully recognize Mixon’s role is the appealing part of him in Houston, which can sometimes end in disaster when drafting fantasy running backs. If his ADP gets too high, I will be out. However, Mixon signed a three-year, $27-million contract extension that includes $13 million guaranteed after being traded. This suggests the team is very high on him as their featured RB. Given his best ball ADP as the RB15, I am extremely bullish on drafting Mixon, who I have ranked as my RB9. Mixon was RB12 in points per game and RB5 overall through 18 weeks in 2023. He played all 17 games and finished eighth in RB snap rate (69%). The former Sooner also ended the year fourth in red zone carries.
Mixon joins Kyren Williams and Christian McCaffrey as just one of three RBs to finish as a top-36 RB in every single game played last season.
Check out the full breakdown of Mixon’s new landing spot here.
Zamir White (LV)
The NFL Draft came and went, and the Raiders invested zero high draft picks into RBs. This is a win for Zamir White, especially with Las Vegas bolstering their IOL with Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. In Round 3, they also drafted OT Delmar Glaze.
The only RB they drafted was New Hampshire’s Dylan Laube in Round 6. Laube’s intriguing as a do-it-all running back. He produced from the get-go at UNH with a 23% dominator rating, showcasing his early proficiency as a receiver with four receiving TDs and 259 receiving yards. The elite pass-catching production didn’t go unnoticed and aided the 5-foot-10 and 206-pounder to get drafted. White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah round out the current Raiders depth chart. If Laube can show out as a pass-catcher, we could see him usurp Abdullah in that role.
But White is in the driver’s seat as the early down RB1 in this offense after he showed last season filling in for an injured Josh Jacobs. In White’s four starts, he averaged 14.1 fantasy points and just under 100 rushing yards per game while logging just under 70% of the offensive snaps and 23+ touches per game. Works in his favor that Antonio Pierce is returning as the head coach.
Devin Singletary (NYG)
He’s a starting RB who always exceeds expectations. The new Giants’ RB1 will be a screaming value all draft season long (current ADP RB35). He never finished worse than RB35 in PPR through five seasons. Last season under Brian Daboll in Buffalo, Singletary was the RB20 on 228 touches.
Singletary has virtually no competition for targets. Behind him on the Giants depth chart are second-year RB Eric Gray (2023 5th-rounder) and 2024 5th-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. I like Tracy as a sleeper to upset Singletary down the stretch, but he just switched to RB during his final year at Purdue. Singletary’s role to open the season will be more than worth his RB35 price tag, even if he sputters out during the second half of the season.
Roschon Johnson (CHI)
I can’t help but think the better value in the Chicago backfield will be Roschon Johnson, who should be the primary receiving back. If D’Andre Swift were to get hurt (he stayed healthy last season), Johnson would be slated for some massive upside. So, although Johnson is technically a “loser” without a clear path to the RB1 role, the discount on his new ADP (RB55) will be one to target as a priority handcuff.
Again, what is the chance Johnson at 219 pounds is the Bears’ goal-line back in 2024? As a rookie, Johnson had six carries inside the five-yard line. Only D’Onta Foreman had more (seven) on the Bears. I expect Khalil Herbert to be traded (he’s in a contract year) and “RJ” to potentially push Swift for the starting RB1 role. He could have the edge as a receiver and red-zone rusher. The rookie caught 34 of 40 targets (24% target rate per route run) in his first year. We also can’t forget that Johnson dealt with a concussion that hindered his growth as a rookie. Bears RBs combined for nine top-24 finishes in 2023. Swift finished as a top-24 RB in 50% of his games last season.
We know this Bears offense has the chance to be exciting in Caleb Williams’ first season. Johnson is by far the cheapest access point.
Wide Receivers
Michael Pittman Jr. (IND)
Michael Pittman Jr. proved his alpha status all year long in the Colts offense with 109 receptions (seventh-most) on 156 targets, accumulating over 1,100 yards. Like his teammate Josh Downs, he had bad TD production with only four TDs. Even so, in 16 games, he racked up nearly 200 fantasy points (WR15 overall), which averages out to 12.2 points per game as the WR19.
Pittman Jr. commanded nearly 1300 air yards (33% air yards share), with a 30% target share to boot, the fourth-highest among all WRs. Pittman Jr. comes with a super-high floor that could be further unlocked with better TD variance in 2024 should Anthony Richardson take this offense a step further in year two. Pittman Jr. had the red-zone targets, but just didn’t get the red-zone TDs to fall his way.
Case in point, Pittman Jr.’s top-24 rate ranked ninth among WRs last season, but he only had two top-12 finishes based on the lack of TDs. He also had only one “bust” game.
The Colts drafted Adonai Mitchell in the second round of this year’s draft, but I don’t expect him to eat into Pittman’s targets. If anything, he is just an upgrade over Alec Pierce and boosts the overall offensive output. More TDs overall for the Colts will bode well for Pittman in 2024.
WR21 in early best ball ADP. Egregious.
George Pickens (PIT)
George Pickens is the name to call out here, given he greatly benefits as the newly entrenched WR1 in the Steelers’ offense after the Diontae Johnson trade. Yes, Pittsburgh drafted Roman Wilson in Round 3, but Pickens’ constant ascension the past two seasons with flashes of top-12 upside suggests he is on the cusp of a true third-year breakout.
Veteran Russell Wilson also offers much more upside than Kenny Pickett, given that he is a threat to throw the ball downfield (eighth in deep ball rate in 2023). During the first five weeks of the 2023 season with Johnson sidelined, Pickens was the WR13 in fantasy, averaging 12.8 points per game (19th). He recorded a 43% air yards share and a 24% target share during that span. He also averaged nearly 80 receiving yards per game.
WR29 in early best ball ADP.
Tight Ends
Evan Engram (JAX)
After missing chunks of games as a member of the New York Giants, Evan Engram has been a bill of health in Duval County and was extremely consistent on the Jaguars in 2023.
He posted a team-high 23% target share, catching 114 balls for 963 yards and four TDs. He was the TE6 in points per game (10.2) while finishing first in receptions and targets at the position. His TE8 ADP is egregious, given the team’s decision to replace Calvin Ridley with “can’t command targets” Gabe Davis. Considering Engram only had four TDs last year, and Ridley led the NFL in end-zone targets, expect positive TD regression for the Jaguras’ TE1.
I wouldn’t anticipate the addition of first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr, on the perimeter to impact Engram too substantially, given they are competing for completely different targets in the Jaguars offense.
Tucker Kraft (GB)
Tucker Kraft commanded a whopping six targets (18.2%), catching three receptions for nine yards and a touchdown with multiple red-zone looks in the Packers’ postseason finale. Fellow rookie tight end Luke Musgrave was involved early on but was still drastically behind Kraft in snaps (85% vs. 28%).
The sample size we have seen from these two TEs when both are active has been Kraft dominating the snaps and playing time over Musgrave. So that’s the way I would rank them heading into the 2024 season. Kraft singles, baby! He’s been severely overlooked by the early best ball drafters as the TE30 off the board.
More Best Ball Draft Advice
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