NFL training camps are set to begin in July, and just like the players on the field, the key to any successful season is preparation.
The same can be said for fantasy football. Whether you have the first overall pick or the last of the first round, having a sense of who will be available in each round is key.
I’ll be doing mock drafts throughout the summer, offering scenarios and feedback for each position, starting with the No. 1 pick. The point of these mocks is to prepare for the unexpected.
The mock drafts will assume that 12 teams are in the league with the following roster construction: quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end), defense, kicker and seven bench spots. It is a 16-round snake draft in a half-point-per-reception (half-PPR) league. We will mix in 10- and 16-team drafts at some point, as well as a Superflex and non-PPR (standard) draft.
If you read my draft guide, you know I’m not a fan of drafting kickers and defense if it’s not necessary. I’d rather add a few running backs who could end up being a starter in the event of an injury. However, for the sake of this exercise, I’ll round out each draft by doing so. Remember, do not draft either before your final two picks!
Most important of all, be creative with your mock drafts. Do not take the same players in every mock. Your favorite sleeper is probably someone else’s, too.
The draft is just the start of the season. If you’re drafting early, work the waiver wire to your advantage if any major injuries arise. If you’re a fantasy nerd like me, turn on notifications from your favorite NFL insider for breaking news around the league. But the draft is where you build the foundation of your roster, and the goal is to have as deep a roster as possible.
Let’s get started with the second mock draft of the 2024 season.
(See also: No. 1 pick)
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 2: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Round 2, Pick 11: Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 3, Pick 2: Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Round 4, Pick 11: DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 5, Pick 2: Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
Round 6, Pick 11: Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Round 7, Pick 2: Christian Kirk, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 8, Pick 11: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Round 9, Pick 2: Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
Round 10, Pick 11: Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
Round 11, Pick 2: Antonio Gibson, RB, New England Patriots
Round 12, Pick 11: Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos
Round 13, Pick 2: Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 14, Pick 11: Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Round 15, Pick 2: Kansas City Chiefs D/ST
Round 16, Pick 11: Evan McPherson, K, Cincinnati Bengals
Observations:
The consensus No. 1 pick in the fantasy football community is Christian McCaffrey. The second pick is where the debate begins. CeeDee Lamb was the top receiver in fantasy last season, and there is no reason not to expect that to be the case once again this year. The Cowboys added nothing to the receiver room, and the ground game is suspect with Ezekiel Elliott back as the lead back. Dak Prescott is going to throw it a ton, and Lamb is going to be on the receiving end of most of those passes.
Landing an elite receiver like Lamb allows me to take the plunge on Derrick Henry and Isiah Pacheco with my next two picks, both of whom do not offer much in the pass game. Now a part of one of the league’s best offenses, King Henry has the potential to finish with 10 to 15 scores this season. Pacheco, a holdover from my previous mock, is also a lead back for an elite offense and now has less competition for touches. Getting out of the first three rounds with two running backs might be the norm for me this season with the lack of elite running backs.
DeVonta Smith is the perfect target at WR2, finishing as a top-20 fantasy receiver the last two years. A.J. Brown gets much of the glory, but Smith is a near lock for another 1,000-yard season. Waiting for a tight end is my usual strategy, but Trey McBride was on many of my rosters in 2023 and he was a great midseason find. Once handed the starting job, McBride was one of the most consistent tight ends despite finding the end zone just three times. McBride figures to remain heavily involved in the Cardinals’ pass offense. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he catches 100-plus passes after tallying 81 a year ago.
Quarterback is another spot I typically like to wait before drafting, but the point of these mock drafts is to see how things shape up in various scenarios. Health has always been the concern with Joe Burrow, but when he’s on the field, there’s no denying he’s one of the game’s best. Burrow was QB4 in fantasy points per game from Week 5 to Week 10, averaging more than 22 points per game.
With tight end and quarterback addressed so early, the focus is squarely on building depth throughout the entire roster. I mentioned Elliott earlier, and with little competition for touches in the Cowboys’ backfield, the potential is there to land a RB2 in the eighth round. Courtland Sutton is the top receiver on a Broncos team likely to be trailing a lot this year.
Rashid Shaheed is the No. 2 option for the Saints, another team that figures to trail often this season. He’s shown big-play ability when given opportunities. This is another situation where there isn’t much competition for targets. Antonio Gibson and Jaleel McLaughin are two pass-catching backs who can be thrusted into starting roles at any given time.
Landing Dallas Goedert and Brock Purdy in Rounds 13 and 14 were best-player-available picks. There is no reason both should not be drafted in the first 100 picks. The depth on this team is incredible with those last two picks, also giving us trade ammunition if necessary.
This roster has the making of a championship contender. Landing an elite receiver in the first round and backing it up with two running backs is my strategy this year when drafting in spots 2-5. I have McBride as my TE3, and there is a realistic chance he is TE1 when it’s all said and done. My bench isn’t as strong with the early selections of a tight end and quarterback, but I was fortunate to have some of my favorite late-round targets fall to me.
What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.
You can do your own mock draft in seconds by clicking here.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox