Welcome to the QB List 2024 Ultimate Fantasy Football Draft Guide! This article can be your one-stop shop when preparing for your drafts this season. I am going to be taking the time to dive into my draft strategy for this season, breaking down which positions I love and which ones I like to wait on. I will dive into some options in every round at every position that should provide you with a guide on how to navigate each round of your fantasy drafts regardless of your approach. If you are still looking for more, fret not; this article will also include a quick round-by-round cheat sheet with my favorite players in each round based on FantasyPros ADP as of August 17th. The reason I am using FantasyPros ADP for a draft guide is that it aggregates ADP across the most popular fantasy football platforms so that you can find the best advantage in your drafts.
I also have my latest Top-300 rankings available on QB List, and they will be updated on August 22nd with all of the latest news, injuries, and things you need to know!
Draft Strategies
When it comes to drafting this season, there are a few things I am looking at when navigating what positions to draft and when. While some of my strategy depends on what pick you have in the draft, my strategy at running back this year is pretty much the same, no matter where you are drafting. If you can get one of the top six running backs, you take them. After that, let the draft come to you. Never reach, especially at the running back position. In most cases, it’s too volatile, and there are better options within a few picks. The only other guideline I follow is in the second half of drafts, where I make sure to draft my favorite running back handcuffs.
My strategy at wide receiver is usually just – yes. I want all the wide receivers, and I will figure out the rest later. In 2024, I am adjusting that slightly. If I am drafting early in round one, I wait until the second round to take my WR1, opting to grab an elite running back in the first round. If I am drafting late, then I usually double-tap the wide receiver position unless a running back from the top six of my running back rankings falls to me.
Important Guidelines
1. Come with a plan but be prepared to blow it up.
The second your draft starts, you have a zero percent chance of predicting exactly what will happen. It’s important to be prepared for all of your top options to be gone at one point or another. In those instances, you can make or break your team, depending on how you react. At the start of every round, you should evaluate who is off your board, gauge what your top tiers at each position look like, and be prepared with a couple of names from each position that you are confident drafting.
2. Know Your League.
This can be looked at in a number of different ways. First and foremost, know your leaguemates tendencies. Are they homers, and do they draft all your local team’s players? Do they love rookies? The tendencies of your league mates will always provide you with opportunities if you know them in advance. Second, how active is your league? Are you going to be able to make trades if you go with the best player available and load up on a specific position? If so, then more doors are open to you each round; if not, then you need to be more strategic in the middle rounds. Finally, and the most obvious, know your scoring. There are so many new and innovative ways that fantasy football is scored, and any small scoring detail can turn into a significant advantage or disadvantage.
3. Rounds 1, 2, 5 and 9 are crucial.
These rounds have been instrumental in all of my drafts thus far. Rounds one and two set the tone and an overarching strategy for the rest of your draft. My strategy in these two rounds is either double-tapping the wide receiver position or going with one running back and one wide receiver. In the second round, specifically, if Marvin Harrison Jr. falls to you, you take him. Round five is one of the final premier player rounds in the draft. It is a great round to course correct before you head into the abyss of handcuffs, late-round quarterbacks, tight ends, and dart throws. What I mean by course correct is evaluating your roster and finding your most significant need. Is it a position you waited too long on (quarterback or tight end), or is it depth? Round five is where you can fix those things. Finally, round nine. Round nine is full of potential league-winners, players with high ceilings at a value price. It’s a great round to get your guy and take some risk.
4. League Rosters and Scoring
I’m assuming a Redraft, 12-team single QB league, PPR scoring, and some version of 2 RBs/3 WRs/1 Flex in your starting lineup for this draft guide. Half PPR is close enough, but standard leagues should shift their draft targets toward touchdown scorers.
5. Early rounds should be WRs. Late rounds should be RBs.
The wide receivers that can serve as viable options for your fantasy rosters dry up by round 10-12. Outside of that, you would need a fair number of injuries for those players to see the field. From round nine on, you can get plenty of viable running back options. Additionally, the late-round running back options are far more likely to see success in any single season. Think of Kyren Williams and Raheem Mostert last season.
6. ADP is based on Fantasy Pros PPR data.
Again, I am using FantasyPros ADP for this draft guide because it aggregates ADP across the most popular fantasy football platforms, including ESPN, Sleeper, NFL, and RTSports drafts. Yahoo is half PPR by default, so keep in mind any potential ADP differences if drafting on Yahoo. But these guidelines will still work on any platform.
7. Every draft and every league are different.
I always do my best to consider all possible draft scenarios, but you may find that parts of this guide don’t work for your league, and that’s okay! If you have questions or need more information, never be afraid to reach out to me on X/Twitter at @Marco_NFL.
8. General notes on how to use this Draft Guide:
- This outline is meant for a redraft, 12-teamer H2H PPR league with 16 rounds. It still applies to most variants, but obviously, it’s not a one-size-fits-all.
- I have purposefully left some holes because drafts are fluid creatures that need affection and constant attention to nail down just right.
- I do not repeat names for multiple rounds, instead just listing them for the first round I look for them. It makes for a cleaner sheet.
- Don’t follow this so rigidly that if Josh Allen falls to the fifth round you ignore him, nor do you ignore that you may have to reach an extra round from these targets at times.
- These aren’t the only players I’m looking to draft, but they are the ones that I’m hoping fall to the right place.
- I highlighted my favorite players for each position in green inside their tables. Keep in mind this isn’t included in the master chart at the bottom as it would complicate things too much.
Let’s dive in!
Running Back
Of course, running back is one of the more critical positions in fantasy football. One of the biggest reasons for that is not just the value of a top-12 running back, but your approach to the position can structure your entire draft. When I evaluate running backs, I decide on my approach once I know where I am drafting. If you have a top-six draft pick this season, I love the Hero RB strategy. Essentially, you’re locking up your top running back in the first round and then waiting on the position until much later. If you fall outside of that range, you have a couple of viable options at your disposal, but I lean on a Zero RB strategy where you wait to look at running back until after round five while loading up on other positions.
Hero RBs: Breece Hall, Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson
Now, some fantasy managers think the options at Hero RB are more numerous than this group, and I will touch on that group of players below, but for now, Breece Hall, Christian McCaffrey, and Bijan Robinson stand apart from the rest. The workhorse running back has become a unicorn in fantasy football in recent years, and this tier of players is those unicorns. Robinson was the lowest finisher of the group last season (RB9), but he did that with just two carries inside the five-yard line. He still earned 300 total opportunities, and 86 of those were targets, a higher value touch in PPR leagues. He now gets Kirk Cousins, a new head coach, and a new offensive coordinator. Hall was a revelation last season, returning from his torn ACL to finish the season as the RB2 overall while leading the league in receptions amongst all running backs. McCaffrey is not one we need to spend a ton of time on, but he did end the season with the third most receptions among running backs. I point this out because one of the biggest differentiators in this group to the Almost Hero RBs is their ability to see a full complement of carries AND contend to lead the position in receptions.
Almost Hero RBs: Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, Travis Etienne
The almost Hero RB tier is filled with players who should undoubtedly be in the top-ten at the position, but aren’t quite as elite as the three running backs I listed above. They have a history of being some of the best in the league, and every player in this group has an easy path to 280-300 opportunities. Not only that, but they are all also on offenses that should be improved in 2024. After this tier, some options have one of these two things but rarely both; they all have a few question marks that make me want to lean toward the wide receivers in their draft range. This tier wrap gets you through the first two rounds of most 12-person drafts.
I know that there are a lot of other running backs that go in the first two rounds that I haven’t listed above, including Jonathan Taylor, Kyren Williams, Derrick Henry, and Isiah Pacheco. While all of these running backs are fantastic players, at this point in my running back rankings, I would rather draft the wide receivers available in this range than draft these running backs in the second round. I have just enough of a question mark around these players at this draft cost that you likely won’t find them on many of my teams this year.
Zero RBs: D’Andre Swift, David Montgomery, Rhamondre Stevenson, Najee Harris, Austin Ekeler, Javonte Williams, Brian Robinson Jr., Tyjae Spears, Chase Brown
I find myself going with a Zero RB approach in a lot of my drafts, and for me that means I don’t take a running back in the first five rounds. What I usually end up doing is drafting wide receivers in rounds one and two, taking a tight end somewhere between rounds three and five, and then taking another couple of wide receivers to fill out my first five rounds. So heading into Round 6, I have two elite wide receivers, an elite tight end, and two very strong wide receivers, giving me a huge point ceiling each week in PPR leagues. Then, I start looking to fill my running back spots as early as Round 6, as that is when I feel the value start to be there for the position again.
Of course, this means following the ADP trends, so keep an eye on how ADP either shifts on your own site that you are using, or if players start skyrocketing up the draft boards as starters are named. That being said, you can see that starting in the sixth round, there are plenty of great options, as these players all occupy picks 63 to 115. They are not without questions, but that is why they fall as far as they do in drafts. In my rough projections, I have D’Andre Swift, David Montgomery, Rhamondre Stevenson, Najee Harris, and Javonte Williams all eclipsing 220 touches. That brings a high floor for managers who have punted the position. The remainder of this group all project for 200 total touches, assuming an entire season of health. Not only do they have the volume to remain fantasy-relevant, but they are also an injury away from inheriting even more volume on both running and passing downs. Outside of Swift and Montgomery, the only other concern would be their scoring opportunities, which is already baked into their post-round five ADP. The one player who just misses the criteria here is James Conner. If Conner makes it into round six in your league, he will be immediately a part of this group (current ADP: 55).
Zero RB RB2’s: Gus Edwards, Jerome Ford, Trey Benson*, Zach Charbonnet, Jaylen Warren, Tyler Allgeier, Khalil Herbert
To clarify, this does not mean I have these players all projecting in the top 24 at running back, but they are players I am happy to have served in the RB2 spot in my lineup based on the WR-heavy draft strategy we applied in the early rounds. They each have an ADP between picks 109-201, according to FantasyPros (Rounds 10-17). Now, that is an enormous range, of course, but this is the part of the draft where you are filling needs and getting YOUR guys. The acquisition cost won’t ever kill your team in this range if you miss and yet you can still find reliable options with upside to outperform their ADP. You may notice a trend with this group: running backs locked into a timeshare on offenses that will be running the ball more times than half of the league. Some of these players could be considered handcuffs. The reason I separate them is because they are all likely to see touches regardless of whether their backfield mate misses time.
There is one name I am earmarking with the asterisk on this list, similar to the group above and on the same team: Trey Benson. Benson is the player on this list who could be a genuine league winner IF James Conner were to miss time. While Benson has all the physical tools, I still expect Conner to lead this backfield in touches for most of the season, so he is currently in a timeshare just like a lot of the other players on this list, but I think he has the highest upside if he were to start getting a higher volume of touches.
Deep League Handcuffs and Dart Throws: Bucky Irving, Ray Davis, Roschon Johnson, Braelon Allen, Audric Estime, Will Shipley, Dylan Laube, Eric Gray, Louis Rees-Zammit, Sione Vaki
This tier may be for the real fantasy football degenerates out there; I’m an analyst for those folks, too! 12-team leagues will flirt with rostering these guys, and they all make great options for a final selection or two if you have a deeper bench. Every player in this grouping has an ADP from pick 207 and beyond, according to FantasyPros. Bucky Irving and Ray Davis, specifically, are easy picks if their cost stays relatively low from now until your drafts (currently 207 and 219). Both should see the field in week one and fill similar roles for their offense. Irving and Davis are early down grinders who have all the skills to stick in the NFL. They also share a backfield with Rachaad White and James Cook, respectively, who were a combination of inefficient and unlikely to be used inside the five-yard line.
The rest of this group are handcuffs who may not see the field with any consistency without an injury. Suppose they do get the opportunity in 2024, though, they could explode into the fantasy football season. Braelon Allen stands apart from the rest for my drafts. If he were to fill in for Breece Hall, Allen would be a top-20 option at the position that will be available late in your drafts. For those of you not familiar with Louis Rees-Zammit and Sione Vaki, take some time to add them to your post-draft watch list at the very least. The Chiefs have a hodge podge of players behind Isiah Pacheco, and Rees-Zammit is a 23-year-old rugby superstar with power and speed. He could find himself thrust into meaningful snaps if Pacheco misses time. Vaki is a player I absolutely loved in the draft process out of Utah. Vaki played safety, and some running back in college and proved to be a versatile weapon. The Lions have a lot of competition, and Gibbs and Montgomery are not losing any steam heading into this season. If either were to miss time, Vaki would be a great option as a player who can make an impact on all three downs.
The table below will go over all the targets I’m looking to draft at this position, given their current ADP. A reminder, I can’t list every single player. This is my personal outline of players who I’m targeting. It means there are many I skipped over because they aren’t a good value in my personal view (I’m not a fan of Davante Adams, for example), or it’s not the position I want to target at that time (early QB, for example). Players highlighted in green are my favorite players to target at their ADP.
Wide Receiver
When it comes to wide receivers, I am taking them early and often. I love drafting in the middle to late first round because of the ability to load up on wide receiver talent. The truth is the strategy stays mostly the same if you go Hero RB or Zero RB. In the first five rounds, I am taking at least three top-end wide receivers. This leaves some flexibility for one of the one-off positions like quarterback or tight end if the value is right or someone falls lower than expected, and if you went Hero RB, you also took a running back in one of the first two rounds. I always prefer to fill my FLEX spots with wide receivers as well, especially in full-point PPR leagues. So generally speaking, my rule of thumb is draft as many wide receivers as you can, if you find yourself not knowing who to draft then draft a wide receiver, and once your draft is over, stack your watch list with more wide receivers.
Given my strategy at the position, it’s safe to say I have a lot of players I’d like to target here. However, there are two special mentions I have at the position that are screaming values, and those are Marvin Harrison Jr. and Dontayvion Wicks. A rookie wide receiver going in the second round doesn’t feel like a value, but it is. Harrison Jr. is a Ja’Marr Chase-level prospect, and while he doesn’t get to play with CJ Stroud (his college quarterback), he does get a healthy Kyler Murray. I expect 150 targets in his rookie season, and you should too. Wicks is a perfect combination of talent and value in drafts that is too hard to pass up. Currently going in the 15th round, Wicks has a chance to lead Green Bay in all receiving categories this season. Jordan Love has a lot of young talent at his disposal, but they all have question marks. Wicks is the most complete player in that room and can be used all over the formation. The benefit here is that if he hits, he wins you the league; if he doesn’t, you lose absolutely nothing.
Quarterback
When it comes to quarterback, I rarely snag the known elite commodity at the position. Doing so forces you to lose out on wide receiver and running back, and that is not a trade-off I am okay making. In the first five rounds, there are only two players I am okay taking at their current ADPs, Lamar Jackson and Anthony Richardson. That being said, they are going in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, and there are quite a few pass-catching options I would much rather take over them, if available. So while I’m open to taking Jackson or Richardson if the draft happens to play out that way, I generally find myself drafting quarterback later, as I believe the real value at the position comes in rounds 7-12. This does mean sacrificing the chance at drafting a player who could be the QB1 overall, most likely, but you will still be able to draft a more-than-capable player in that range while ensuring you have elite talent on the rest of your roster. This season, rookies Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams come to mind as some of my favorite quarterbacks to target, and they are available in the ninth round. They both provide rushing opportunities that will elevate their floor for fantasy football, and they have the ceiling to be top tier quarterbacks, even in their rookie campaign. There is some more risk built in here, but you can always draft a vet later if you are concerned to back them up and give you a safe floor.
Tight End
This year, tight end is an exciting position to draft, providing value throughout the draft. There are good options in nearly every round this season, which is not something we are used to seeing. While he is too pricey for some, I don’t have a problem drafting Sam LaPorta in the third round. You may be drafting him close to his ceiling, but the chance he hits that ceiling is high. To add to that, I prefer the value at wide receiver in rounds four and five to the players available in round three, so LaPorta emerges as my favorite player to target in the third round.
The issue is he is going early, and you may miss out on him. If you are forced to go elsewhere, you are still landing in a good spot when considering any of the tight ends available in rounds 4-8, especially. The eighth round does present a tier break where the value resets from being strong to virtually breaking even in the 10th round. There are still plenty of players to like, but the list of players I am happy with after round eight thins out drastically. I’m definitely going to be trying to draft one of the first nine names on the list below (down to Pat Freiermuth).
Kicker & D/ST
I will keep this brief. You may be tempted to take one of these positions in rounds 12, 13, and 14. DON’T! Round 15 is the absolute earliest to consider either a kicker or a defense, assuming a 16 or 17-round draft. Your final three rounds are the time to pull the trigger, and not a second earlier. For how you should prioritize these positions, check my Top-300 Rankings, and make sure to check back on 8/22 when they get their next update!
If you are following this advice and will be picking a defense at the end of your draft, I recommend also checking out our recent Best Matchups for Defenses, Week 1-4 article by Darian Hudock, which will give you a great baseline of how to draft for a streaming defense strategy.
The Perfect Draft
Here are a couple of ways that your draft could play out by following this draft guide. For context, this is a redraft, 12-team, PPR league with a 3WR lineup. First up, my personal favorite this season, the Zero RB Strategy.
If you want to take a running back early to get yourself an elite option at the position, here’s another way your draft could play out using the draft guide:
Okay, now go back to the top and remember rule number one. Good luck, and let’s get those titles!
Cheat Sheet
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurtwasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)