2024 Fantasy Football Mock Draft, 1.0

Every fantasy draft is horrifyingly ridiculous in its own way. If he gathers the same group of draftsmen twice, and selects them in the same order on the same day, he will get radically different results each time.

Of course, in a mock draft, no one involved actually has to accept the results, so the level of ridiculousness is even higher. At best, player selection is a non-binding approval.

Over the weekend, 10 Yahoo affiliated fantasy managers conducted their first mock exercise of the season.

However, we recommend not to take these results too seriously for the following reasons:

A) I have only played 8 rounds.

B) There are still four months until the NFL regular season opener.

C) Dalton del Don, as usual, once again tried to tell everything about himself. Of course he did.

Our group's first attempt at evaluating the 2024 player pool started out as you'd expect, but quickly took a turn in some unexpected directions. Let's take a look at them in turn, discussing notable picks along the way. Note that Yahoo's default settings apply here (half PPR, one QB, flex).

round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey (Aaron Tan)

2. Breece Hall (dalton del don)

3. Tyreek Hill (Dan Harris)

4. Bijan Robinson (Kate Maggiuk)

5. CeeDee Lamb (Mauricio Castillo)

6. Justin Jefferson (Andy Behrens)

7. Puka Nacua (colin brennan)

8. Jamar Chase (matt harmon)

9. Amon Ra St. Brown (Jorge Martin)

10. Jonathan Taylor (scott pianowski)

A classic flashy look-at-me pick by Del Don is at the top. Hall's selection broke Dalton's record of more than 100 consecutive fantasy drafts in which he has spent first-round picks on starting pitchers (all of whom are currently on the IL).

It's clear that Hall is a great back who is coming off a great season, leading all players at his position in targets (95), receptions (76) and receiving yards (591). But in six straight games against Tim Boyle and quarterback Trevor Siemian, he had 43 of his catches and 283 of his yards, so maybe he'll be the main guy on Aaron Rodgers' passing team. Maybe we shouldn't assume that. game. The issue is unresolved. New York will have to rely on the neglected Packers for key receiving roles this season. Rodgers now has reliable downfield options at his disposal. It's unlikely Hall will be targeted 25 times in two consecutive games, as happened via Siemian in Weeks 16 and 17 last year.

That's not to say Hall can't or won't finish as an RB2 (or better). He'll definitely be in the first round. But he will need to earn fantasy points in a more traditional way. Without a doubt, a 10-12 touchdown season is a possibility.

Nacua isn't decided this early in most drafts, but Collin simply panicked. Don't judge him too harshly. He looked overwhelmed and frightened throughout this mock battle.

round 2

1. Garrett Wilson (piano)

2. Jahmil Gibbs (Jorge)

3. Saquon Barkley (Harmon)

4. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Colin)

5. AJ Brown (Behrens)

6. Kyren Williams (Mo)

7. Chris Olave (Kate)

8. Nico Collins (Dan)

9. Drake London (Dalton)

10. Derrick Henry (Aaron)

Henry has a good chance of scoring 20 or more touchdowns this year as the unwavering lead in Baltimore's offense. It felt like he stole the last pick of the second round. Dalton obviously should have taken Henry instead of Rondon, but this guy's ego won't allow him to take a proven player this early in the draft. As always, Del Don's vanity is his greatest weakness.

If you think Harrison's nomination was unusually early…well, let's be honest, this was probably the sane, most chalky thing Colin ever did in this mock. MHJ has no glaring weaknesses as a receiving prospect, and he's stepping into a situation where he could easily see 150 targets as a rookie in Arizona. I would still choose Brown over Harrison 1,000 times out of 10, but I understand the enthusiasm.

round 3

1. Travis Etienne Jr. (Aaron)

2. Josh Jacobs (Dalton)

3. Rathard White (Dan)

4. Malik Nabers (Kate)

5. Sam Laporta (MO)

6. Isaiah Pacheco (Behrens)

7. Josh Allen (Colin)

8. James Cook (Harmon)

9. DK Metcalf (Jorge)

10. DJ Moore (piano)

It's no surprise that LaPorta, last year's TE1, was selected as the starting tight end off the board in 2024. The more important detail is that they are currently waiting until the third round to draft that position since the top tier is no. Only one man for a long time. Travis Kelce has finished as the No. 1 overall TE in six of the last eight seasons and hasn't ranked outside the top three in this ranking since 2015, dominating the rankings for an inordinately long period of time. If you prefer a future Hall of Famer over Laporta, that's clearly defensible.

The same expected volume argument can be made for Neighbors that exists for Harrison, so it wouldn't be a complete shock to see him land in this draft district. With Yahoo's current WR ranks, there's no clarity on Nabers' issues. For some he is a teenager, for others he is in his 40s. Your willingness to take him this early comes down to your comfort level with the Giants' seemingly scary QB situation. If there was a player in the draft who always considered Nabors to be a third-round pick, I would never take him.

round 4

1. Davante Adams (Piano)

2. Travis Kelce (Jorge)

3. Brandon Aiyuk (Harmon)

4. Amari Cooper (Colin)

5. Devon Ackerne (Behrens)

6. Stefon Diggs (MO)

7. Najee Harris (Kate)

8. Deebo Samuel (Dan)

9. Cooper Kupp (Dalton)

10. Mike Evans (Aaron)

Last fall, Achan appeared like a glitch in the game, gaining 518 scrimmage yards and Seven House calls for 3 weeks in a row? And remember when everyone was comparing him favorably to Jamaal Charles or Chris Johnson or both?

Achane seems to be overshadowed these days, as Miami drafted a Day 3 running back and extended 32-year-old Raheem Mostert's contract through 2025.

Please take a moment to reflect on your experience with Achane.

He's so great, guys. Personally, I'm still a strong believer in Achane. Especially this season's meatier version. He's certainly looking to reach double-digit touches each week in an offense that maximizes his speed and big-play ability.

Before moving on to the next round, we must remind you once again to ignore Colin's selection. Again, he just exuded fear. I'm sure he just blurted out the first name he heard. He tried to draft DeMarco Murray at No. 3 and we didn't let him. Unfortunately, Colin wasn't ready for the big stage.

round 5

1. DeVonta Smith (Aaron)

2. Jalen Hurts (Dalton)

3. CJ Stroud (Dan)

4. Patrick Mahomes (Kate)

5. Lamar Jackson (MO)

6. Michael Pittman Jr. (Behrens)

7. Joe Mixon (Colin)

8. Jaylen Waddle (Harmon)

9. Terry McLoughlin (Jorge)

10. Kenneth Walker (piano)

In a draft filled with mediocre players from outside the industry, the quarterback run would probably hit a round or two early, but these are definitely the right names. Any of these four quarterbacks could knock Josh Allen off the top of the leaderboard. Each receiver is surrounded by multiple quality receivers, but Allen will be working with the least interesting receiving room Buffalo has had since 2019.

round 6

1. Trey McBride (piano)

2. George Pickens (Jorge)

3. Anthony Richardson (Harmon)

4. Dalton Kincaid (Colin)

5. Alvin Camara (Behrens)

6. Aaron Jones (Mo)

7. Tony Pollard (Kate)

8. Mark Andrews (Dan)

9. Tank Del (Dalton)

10. Keenan Allen (Aaron)

In fantasy, you can generally see value in old men in all sports. Aaron built a roster with perhaps the highest average age in the league, while also selecting a group of players to coach them who remained exceptionally productive: Henry, Evans, Allen. I don't hate the cost of his 30's. It's often good business to let other managers pay the tax on rising players while you minimize the buzz and acquire established stars.

A related note: Despite the fact that Aaron himself is the youngest manager in this mock, he begins the draft the same way his grandparents once did, drafting three consecutive running backs (McCaffrey, Henry, Etienne). Such a beautiful old soul.

round 7

1. George Kittle (Aaron)

2. Lasi Rice (Dalton)

3. Jaden Reed (Dan)

4. Zai Flowers (Kate)

5. D'Andre Swift (MO)

6. Kyle Pitts (Andy)

7. Zamir White (Colin)

8. David Montgomery (Harmon)

9. Joe Burrow (Jorge)

10. James Connor (piano)

If Rice had fallen any further, I might have taken him this round, but that's because of fake sincerity. None of us have any knowledge of the legal and/or league discipline that Rice may face regarding his alleged role in a multi-vehicle high-speed crash in late March (or the recent assault allegations). You can't even talk to authority figures. Just guessing based on insufficient information.

If you think fantasy experts sound hopelessly profound when we try to discuss complex medical situations…well, you're right. But when the non-lawyers among us start speculating about legal issues, we are in perhaps the most dangerous and nonsensical state of affairs. I wouldn't do that.

However, I can If Rice had had the productive and uneventful offseason the Chiefs had hoped for, I'm confident that everyone would consider him a solid third or fourth round pick. You could say that. He averaged 8.9 targets and 78.0 receiving yards per week over the last 10 games, including the playoffs.

Still, if you just want Rice's name on the no-draft list, I get it. Totally understandable.

When Rice, Reed, and Flowers all came off the board before my picks, I chose to do something very unusual for me. I chose a tight end that wasn't from Iowa and wasn't Travis Kelce. Let's see what happens. I don't promise to do that outside of a simulated environment. I'm not one of the hardcore Pitts fanatics, but I will admit that he had over 1,000 receiving yards in one season with a semi-competent quarterback (late-career Matt Ryan). We should all be interested in this year's Kirk Cousins, Pitts, London, and Robinson collaboration.

One final thought about the seventh round: If you're drafting to keep Montgomery and you're really going to drop him this far, he's a dirty steal. He led all backs in carries inside the 10-yard line (41 yards) and inside the 5-yard line (27 yards) last year, and it goes without saying that he converted those chances at a high rate. A six round bye between Gibbs and Montgomery feels like too much.

round 8

1. Austin Ekeler (piano)

2. Ramondre Stevenson (Jorge)

3. Tee Higgins (Harmon)

4. Nick Chubb (Colin)

5. Marquis Brown (Behrens)

6. Calvin Ridley (MO)

7. Diontae Johnson (Kate)

8. Raheem Mostert (Dan)

9. Roman Odunze (Dalton)

10. Brock Purdy (Aaron)

Let it be on record that Del Don is the only pitcher in the draft who drafted a receiver who was actually projected to start the season as the team's projected No. 3 WR — and Dalton did just that. Two degrees. He defeated Tanque Del in the sixth round and took on Roma Odunze in the eighth round. Christian Kirk, Jordan Addison, and many others are still sitting in the dressing room, unwanted.

(As a Bears fan, my best hope is that Odunze turns out to be the phantom thief.) He's also a near-perfect prospect. primitive root profile. If Dalton gets anything right in this mock, let's hope it's Rome. )

If you're wondering whether waiting on quarterback is still a viable approach, consider the options left to two managers who have done it in this mock: Pianoski and I . Names left on our board include two of last year's top five overall QBs (Dak Prescott and Jordan Love), the guy who led the league in passing yards (Tua Tagovailoa), and this game. One of the best two-way players (Kyler Murray). I can certainly understand the appeal of an upper-tier quarterback, but I don't think anyone would panic if they whiffed on elite players in a 10-team league.

And certainly, under no circumstances should anyone panic over a mock exam. *Ah* Colin *Ah* Because we are not making any permanent commitments regarding these things.