Looking toward the 2024 season, fantasy football drafts are fast approaching. Redraft is the most common format of fantasy football played by the casual player to the top analysts. I recently hosted a fantasy football mock draft with some of these industry experts, looking at the classic 1QB Redraft setting. It was a 12-round Points Per Reception (PPR) draft done on the Sleeper app. These experienced analysts included:
- Adam Rank – Fantasy Host, NFL Network.
- Lindsay Rhodes – Host, “Bleav Fantasy Football Show”
- Colin McTamany – Senior Writer, Fantrax
- Sam Wagman – Staff Writer, Footballguys
- Alfredo Brown – Host & Analyst, Footballguys
- Kate Magdziuk – Editor, Yahoo Fantasy; “Locked on Dynasty” podcast
- Brendon Booth – Analyst, Player Profiler & Fantasy Football Advice Network
- Rachel – Writer, In-Between Media; Founder, UNWIND
- Seth Woolcock – Founder/Editor-in-Chief, In-Between Media; Host/Writer, BettingPros
- Michelle Magdziuk – Editorial Researcher, NFL Network
- LaQuan Jones – Analyst, NFL Network
- Nate Hamilton – Editor/Social Media, “Gambling.com”
In this article, I will evaluate Sleeper Average Draft Position (ADP) trends throughout the draft, their correlation to current rankings/projections and the diversity of builds created in these settings.
(Roster construct: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex)
2024 Fantasy Football Mock Draft (Redraft) | 1 QB, PPR
Early Rounds (1-4)
In 1QB fantasy football leagues, the early rounds of a draft lay the foundation. Primarily consisting of core running backs and elite wide receivers, these rounds set the tone for each team’s build. Adam kicked off the draft with Christian McCaffrey, the 1.01 on all expert rankings and Sleeper ADP. In 2023, McCaffrey saw an impressive 2,023 total yards and 21 touchdowns. With an average of 24.5 fantasy points per game last year, drafters at the 1.01 spot would be wise to snatch up “CMC.” By acquiring McCaffrey, they anchor their team with the best security blanket there is in fantasy football. Alfredo, Kate, and Michelle also sought to secure their teams with elite running backs in the first round, taking Bijan Robinson (1.05), Breece Hall (1.06), and Jahmyr Gibbs (1.10), respectively.
The Rachaad White Debate
Going into 2024, Rachaad White is an interesting running back to consider. There are mixed feelings on whether or not he will be able to repeat his RB4 overall stats from last year. White saw the same number of rush attempts as CMC at 272, but his efficiency was much lower at 3.6 Yards Per Carry (YPC) compared to CMC’s 5.4.
LaQuan took White as his team’s RB1 at the 3.11 pick. Being the 12th running back off the board, White went a little earlier than his Sleeper ADP of 40.5. However, this selection was later than his current Footballguys‘ ranking as the ninth running back and FantasyPros‘ ranking as the 10th running back.
Is there a concern with White’s efficiency? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafting Bucky Irving this year in the fourth round of the NFL Draft is telling. With a back like White, the drafter must discern whether or not to leverage volume as opposed to efficiency. Typically, in a classic redraft PPR setting like this, there is a tendency to favor volume, and that’s what LaQuan did here.
Waiting & Stacking
In this classic 1QB-type setting, it’s common practice to wait on both quarterback and tight end unless you can pick up one of the elites. Kate took the first quarterback off the board, Josh Allen, at the 3.06, and Seth plucked the second with Patrick Mahomes at the 4.04.
Allen is the indisputable QB1 going into this season on all expert rankings and holds a Sleeper ADP of 22.0. With 24.2 fantasy points per game in 2023, Kate is locking her QB spot with a sure thing. To stack with Allen, Kate picked up running back James Cook at the 4.07 to have him as her RB2. Stacking is a common practice in fantasy football. This practice consists of pairing a quarterback with one or more offensive players from the same team. Seth’s grabbing of Mahomes completed a stack with his third-round pick of Travis Kelce at the 3.09.
Taking the first tight end off the board with Sam LaPorta at the 3.08, I couldn’t pass up drafting the best tight end of 2023. I couldn’t ignore LaPorta’s 11 total touchdowns. Rounding out the elite tight ends taken in the early rounds, Michelle selected Dalton Kincaid at the 4.03, Colin drafted Mark Andrews at the 4.10 and Lindsay snatched Trey McBride at 4.11. McBride is ranked as the third-highest tight end on both Footballguys’ and FantasyPros’ rankings and possesses a Sleeper ADP of 43.4. In 2023, McBride was the Arizona Cardinals’ top target leader with 106 targets.
Receiver is King
When drafting in full-point PPR fantasy football leagues, it is universally agreed that receiver is king. Every reception a receiver hauls in garners the fantasy manager one point. With top receivers CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill both having over 1,700 receiving yards and 100 receptions in 2023, it’s not surprising they were the first two receivers drafted off the board. Lindsay picked up Lamb at the 1.02, and Colin grabbed Hill at the 1.03.
Twenty-seven receivers were taken in the draft’s first four rounds, further bolstering this position’s importance in a PPR setting. Brendon took advantage of this by going all-in with four receivers taken in his first four picks. Picking up Amon-Ra St. Brown, Chris Olave, Malik Nabers and Zay Flowers, Brendon prioritized having multiple potential WR1s on his squad. While other drafters worked on filling other positional needs, Brendon took advantage of wide receiver value.
Tee Higgins & Tank Dell: A Couple WR2s To Target
Let’s take a closer look at a couple more receivers going into this season. Tee Higgins was drafted at the 4.01 by Nate as the 21st WR off the board. This was earlier than his ranking by FantasyPros as the 28th receiver and 27th by Footballguys. In the 2023 season, Higgins saw 11.1 fantasy points per game and holds a Sleeper ADP of 55.6. Listed as the WR2 on the Cincinnati Bengals depth chart, he is similarly serviceable as a WR2 for fantasy football teams this season. Pairing him with Garrett Wilson, Nate has two solid receiving options in his receiver room and can expect reliable fantasy points from both of them.
Higgins’s Bengals teammate Ja’Marr Chase was taken by Sam at 1.04 as the third receiver off the board. Wanting to also grab his WR2 early, Sam picked up second-year talent Tank Dell at the 4.09 as the 26th receiver off the board. This positioning correlates with the expert rankings. FantasyPros ranks him at 32 and Footballguys has him at 31. Although Dell’s 2023 season was cut short due to a fractured fibula, he still managed to put up 15 fantasy points per game. With a lot of upside potential, Dell will likely make significant contributions to the high-octane Texans offense this year with C.J. Stroud at the helm. Sam guaranteed security in his receiver room with these two choices.
Middle Rounds (5-8)
The middle rounds of fantasy football drafts are where managers finish filling their starting positions and start adding depth to others. Eight of the teams filled their quarterback positions in these rounds. Jalen Hurts went at 5.03 to Colin, Anthony Richardson at 5.04 to Sam, Lamar Jackson at 5.10 to Michelle and C.J. Stroud at 5.12 to Nate. LaQuan snatched Kyler Murray at the 6.02 to stack with his RB2 James Conner whom he took at the 5.11.
At the 6.11, Lindsay drafted Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. In 2023, Prescott had 4,516 passing yards, averaged 20.7 fantasy points per game and finished the season as the third-best quarterback. Despite this incredible finish, Prescott has been falling on draft boards and was taken as the eighth quarterback here. Not letting this value pass by, Lindsay secures her quarterback position with a reliable, seasoned veteran. Rounding out the middle section for quarterbacks, I took Joe Burrow at the 7.08, and Alfredo took Jordan Love at 8.08. This draft spot for Love is consistent with his Sleeper ADP of 85.4. Ranked as the 10th best quarterback by both Footballguys and FantasyPros, Love was in lockstep on this board, as Alfredo selected him as the 10th quarterback off the board.
Mid-tier tight ends also came off the board in these rounds, with George Kittle at the 5.05 by Alfredo, Jake Ferguson at 6.01 by Nate, Kyle Pitts at 6.09 by Sam, Evan Engram at 8.06 by Brendon and Brock Bowers at 8.12 by Adam. Bowers was drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft as the 13th overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. This was an unusually high draft spot for a tight end, but Bowers remains one of the best prospects at the position that we’ve seen in years.
Rookie Tight Ends & RB2s
Seeing 714 receiving yards in his 2023 season at Georgia, Bowers is often compared to LaPorta. It’s extremely rare for a rookie tight end to splash on the NFL season and perform like LaPorta did last year. Can this phenomenon happen again in 2024, but for Bowers? It’s interesting to note that in his last college season at Iowa in 2022, LaPorta gained 657 receiving yards. This is lower than Bowers’ production in his final season. It’s important to point out that these were different college offenses and strength of schedules, though.
Many of the drafters in this mock shored up their running back rooms in these rounds by drafting their RB2s in the middle rounds. Along with the aforementioned Conner by LaQuan, I took Aaron Jones at the 5.08, who I am high on coming into this year. Though he had a disappointing finish as the 37th overall running back from the 2023 season, Jones should have a much-improved season with his new team, the Vikings. Minnesota has new quarterbacks in Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy, who will likely resort to short dump-offs as they acclimate to the Vikings’ offense. In addition, this team has historically relied on utilizing the running back position, and I don’t anticipate that changing this year.
Differentiation
During these rounds is also when we start seeing fantasy managers differentiate the identity of their builds. They do this by planting their flags on some of their “my guys” for the season. Michelle took one of her favorite running backs, Zack Moss, as her RB2 at the 7.10. Previously with the Indianapolis Colts, Moss produced 794 rushing yards and 192 receiving yards in the 2023 season. He finished 31st overall of all running backs. He is now with the Cincinnati Bengals on the heels of Joe Mixon‘s trade to the Houston Texans. Though Moss shares a backfield with Chase Brown, Michelle has faith that Moss is the clear RB1 by taking him where she did.
Much to my chagrin, Kate sniped me when she drafted Raheem Mostert at the 7.06. Mostert finished the 2023 season as the RB5 overall. He accomplished this by “vulturing” an astonishing 21 total touchdowns. Notwithstanding a backfield that also includes De’Von Achane and rookie Jaylen Wright, it’s undeniable what Mostert was able to produce last year, averaging 17.8 fantasy points per game. He is a red-zone monster. Showing that each manager builds their team differently, Mostert is Kate’s RB4. Depending on matchups, Kate may choose to put him in her flex spot if this were a team she managed in-season.
Picking up Zamir White at the 7.05, Alfredo drafts a solid option for his RB3. White is someone who is picking up steam as we approach the 2024 season. Despite the team bringing in Alexander Mattison from the Vikings in the offseason, White is listed on the Las Vegas Raiders’ depth chart as the RB1. Suggesting this might be one of his favored “guys,” Alfredo drafted White a few spots higher than the current Sleeper ADP of 83.7.
Zero RB
Going all-in on the Zero RB style of drafting, Brendon continued building his team without a running back throughout the middle rounds. Pummeling with his wide receiver streak, Brendon picked up Christian Kirk at the 5.07, Terry McLaurin at the 6.06 and Diontae Johnson at 7.7. Colin also utilized the Zero RB strategy in this draft. He waited to take his first two running backs until David Montgomery at the 6.10 and D’Andre Swift at the 7.03.
Seth went on a wide receiver streak in the middle rounds, optimizing the PPR format. Taking established veterans Stefon Diggs at the 5.09 and Keenan Allen at the 6.04, Seth is leaning on experienced talent. Both of these players are also on new teams this year: Diggs with the Houston Texans and Allen with the Chicago Bears. Striking a balance between veterans and younger players, Seth next drafted second-year talents Rashee Rice at the 7.09 and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the 8.06.
Late Rounds (9-12)
The late rounds of a fantasy football draft are for adding depth, primarily to the running back and wide receiver positions. Drafting Jaylen Warren at the 9.02, Lindsay monopolizes the Pittsburgh Steelers backfield. She paired him with her previously-drafted Najee Harris, who she took at the 7.02. Some NFL teams operate in a Running Back by Committee (RBBC) style in which they utilize multiple running backs as opposed to having one “workhorse” running back.
Which method will the Steelers employ this year? Warren proved last year that he’s more than just a “backup.” Both Steelers backs finished the 2023 season with similar fantasy output: Warren with 11.06 fantasy points per game and Harris with 11.05. To corroborate how evenly matched Warren and Harris are, expert rankings have them ranked closely together for 2024. They are listed 24th and 25th by FantasyPros and ranked 22nd and 25th by Footballguys, respectively. By having both of these running backs on her team, Lindsay prevented the other drafters from having any part of the Steelers’ backfield.
Michelle doubled down on Los Angeles Chargers wide receivers by taking both Joshua Palmer at the 10.03 and Quentin Johnston at the 12.03 in these late rounds. During the offseason, the Chargers organization moved on from veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. They also moved on from running back Austin Ekeler. What will the Chargers offense look like in 2024?
With a lot of changes made this offseason, it is intriguing to consider the potential. When you add rookie Ladd McConkey and these two receivers, Palmer and Johnston, we don’t know how the target share will shake out from Justin Herbert. By taking both of these players, Michelle adds depth to her team and increases her odds of getting it “right” with one of them.
Quarterbacks & Tight Ends
Two of these mock drafters waited to fill their quarterback position until these later rounds. Brendon took Brock Purdy at the 9.07 and Adam took rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at the 10.12. Both of these are viable starting quarterbacks in fantasy. As the second-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Daniels saw 3,812 passing yards and 1,134 rushing yards in his final college season. If Daniels can put up similar numbers at the NFL level, Adam’s fantasy team would be a contender. Meanwhile, in only his second year in the NFL, Purdy took the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl and had fans worldwide rooting for him. With a quarterback like that, Brendon’s fantasy team has a shot.
In this 1QB setting, it comes down to personal preference if a fantasy manager picks up a second quarterback or second tight end in the draft. Many elect to stick with just one for both positions. In this particular draft, LaQuan grabbed a second quarterback with rookie Caleb Williams at the 10.02, Seth took Tua Tagovailoa at the 12.04 and Kate picked up Jared Goff at 12.07. Having a second quarterback on the bench ensures the manager has someone to put in on bye weeks. Other managers may choose to stream alternate options when their starter has his bye week.
As previously stated, taking a second tight end is also based on personal preference. One example of this was LaQuan picking up Dallas Goedert at the 11.11. With a Sleeper ADP of 103.8, this was a value grab for a tight end who averaged 9.7 fantasy points per game last year. Pairing Goedert with T.J. Hockenson, whom he drafted at the 9.11, LaQuan ensures he has a tight end to start until “Hock” is fully back from injury.
Final Thoughts
Doing a mock draft like this, looking at the 1 QB PPR Redraft format, is beneficial for all fantasy football managers. We can see the ADP trends and evaluate how they correlate with expert rankings. It’s also interesting to observe the creativity and strategy incorporated in making unique builds. By employing industry experts in a fantasy football mock draft, we can see how experienced players pivot and adjust to how the draft board falls. Aside from all of these takeaways, there’s always fun to be had in a draft with other fantasy football enthusiasts.
I encourage you to go have some fun in a draft room near you!
See full draft results here.
Thank you for reading my latest fantasy football mock draft article! Hit me up on Twitter @tootsiepop6 for more fantasy fantasy football and entertainment content!
*Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch – USA TODAY Sports*
