NFL Free Agency and trades have changed the landscape of the fantasy football world. Kirk Cousins is now throwing to Drake London and Bijan Robinson with the Falcons. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley is assisting on the tush push in Philadelphia.
Moves create opportunities in fantasy football and opportunities create advantages. Finding the advantages and values at the right draft spot is essential to having a winning season. On the other hand, taking the wrong player at too high of a pick can be devastating to your season too.
Using Underdog’s Average Draft Position (ADP), let’s look at some of the best fantasy football picks at their current cost.
The Best Fantasy Football Picks Right Now
Christian McCaffrey (RB, San Francisco 49ers) | 1.2 ADP
If you’re the type of manager who likes to go with a hero-RB approach and have one of the first few picks, then you will want to go with Christian McCaffrey. Coming in as the top running back off the board in early 2024 best ball drafts isn’t taking anyone by surprise. In 2023, he averaged 5.4 Yards Per Carry (YPC) for a total of 1,459 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. The former Stanford Cardinal also added seven touchdowns on 564 receiving yards. There isn’t another player that has dominated their position like McCaffrey has when healthy over the last five years.
The 49ers’ offense has been successful with McCaffrey as their RB1. He will be 28 years old when the season begins and doesn’t look to to slowing down. Kyle Shanahan will look to add pieces to improve this offense and the opportunities for McCaffrey to continue as one of the top running backs in the NFL.
Bijan Robinson (RB, Atlanta Falcons) | 5.6 ADP
Looking for youth and talent at the running back position is key to winning. Picking Robinson as your running back is a great start to winning in 2024. Robinson is coming into his sophomore season in the NFL. In his rookie year, he averaged 4.6 YPC, totaling 976 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He also had 487 receiving yards and four touchdowns on the receiving side.
With the addition of Cousins at quarterback, look for Robinson to get more receptions out of the backfield this season. With new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson calling the shots, I expect Robinson to start living up to all the hype that followed him into the NFL.
Tyreek Hill (WR, Miami Dolphins) | 3.3 ADP
Tyreek Hill, aka “Cheetah,” is ready to run away as the top wide receiver in 2024. His speed is still there and ready to go at the flip of a switch. In his two seasons with the Dolphins, Hill has seen 170 and 171 targets, respectively, while going for 1,700 receiving yards in each of those years. In the past two years, he has averaged 10.3 Receiving Yards per Target (RYPT), showing he still has the explosiveness to get down the field.
The Dolphins have numerous weapons on their team. However, it is clear that Hill is the weapon of choice. Their offense is built around speed, and Hill is the definition of it. Look for The floor is a top-five wide receiver if healthy, with the upside of the top overall player in fantasy. That’s worth the ADP of 3.3.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, Detroit Lions) | 7.6 ADP
Going into his fourth season, Amon-Ra St. Brown looks to have another great year. St. Brown finished the year as Points Per Reception (PPR) WR3. Right now, he is being drafted as the WR5. In just his third season, the former USC Trojan finished the year with career-highs of 164 targets for 119 receptions and 1,515 receiving yards. Jared Goff has continued to increase his targets to St. Brown since his rookie season. Look for Goff to continue to trust his No. 1 target and for St. Brown’s targets to increase again in 2024.
Lamar Jackson (QB, Baltimore Ravens) | 42.7 ADP
If there is a quarterback that can do it all, it’s Lamar Jackson. Going into his second year with offensive coordinator Todd Monken, look for Jackson to be more patient as the season progresses. The two-time Heisman Trophy winner had 3,678 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns in 2023. He also had 821 rushing yards with five touchdowns. That’s almost 300 more rushing yards than Josh Allen and 216 more than Jalen Hurts.
The Ravens have added Derrick Henry to the backfield, which could reduce some of Jackson’s rushing touchdowns. However, Jackson won his first NFL MVP in 2019, when Mark Ingram had over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Henry should help this offensive become more efficient overall. At this ADP, don’t let him slip by.
Patrick Mahomes (QB, Kansas City Chiefs) | 48.0 ADP
In 2023, Patrick Mahomes‘ passing numbers decreased to the lowest since 2019. However, what can you say when he took his team to the Super Bowl and led them to another championship?
The Chiefs are already working to strengthen the wide receiver room by adding Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Look for them to do more during the NFL Draft with another loaded receiver class coming into the league. Mahomes always finds a way to bounce back and surprise everyone. With Andy Reid in the equation, look for him to be back on top sooner rather than later. With an ADP at 48, the value is there if you can get him at this spot.
Mark Andrews (TE, Baltimore Ravens) | 55.0 ADP
Mark Andrews only played in 10 regular season games due to an injury to his fibula. Still, in those 10 games, Andrews was a force to reckon with. He had 45 receptions for 544 yards for a 12.1 Yards Per Reception (YPR) and six touchdowns. As he moves forward in the second season of this Monken-called offense, look for him to get more of a defined role. Jackson trusts his tight ends, and you see that every time Andrews takes the field with him. If you like to have stacks in your best ball or redraft lineup, this might be one you can pull off. Taking Jackson in the fourth round and Andrews in the fifth would be a steal.
George Kittle (TE, San Francisco 49ers) 71.3 ADP
If you’re the type of fantasy football manager who looks for consistency in players, then George Kittle is the tight end you want. In 16 games he had 65 receptions for 1,022 yards (15.7 YPR average) with six touchdowns. His Underdog Fantasy ADP is TE7. However, I have him closer to the TE5 for this year. I will be looking at him somewhere around his 56.4 ADP.
Going into the draft, it is important for you to have an idea of where you rank players. Take time as the offseason progresses to make your rankings and/or tiers to see where they come out. You might see something that no one else is, and that might be the key to a fantasy football championship season.
Thanks for checking out my article on the “Best Fantasy Football Picks Right Now.” Please feel free to share your input and follow me on Twitter/X, @sdcochran99.
*Photo Credit: Sam Navarro – USA TODAY Sports*