• Wide receivers dominate the top of the draft: Half of the league drafted a wide receiver in the first three rounds of the draft, while there were only 13 quarterbacks, running backs and tight ends combined.
• Only one running back in the top-12: Typically the first round of rookie drafts have several rookie running backs, but this year there was only one running back in the first two rounds, and the third round landing spots weren’t ideal.
• Two quarterbacks above the rest: While six quarterbacks were selected within the first 12 picks of the NFL Draft, two of them stand out from the rest.
Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
With the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, here is the most recent version of my dynasty rookie rankings for single-quarterback, PPR leagues. Superflex rankings and a dynasty trade value chart are coming later this week.
Last updated: 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 30
1. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals (WR1, Round 1-Pick 4)
Harrison is the clear top pick in single quarterback leagues.
- Harrison was arguably the safest pick in the 2024 NFL Draft because he has very few weaknesses in his game.
- He has the best release of the class and is the best route runner.
- Our draft guide compares him to Davante Adams, but Harrison is bigger.
- Kyler Murray has typically supported one fantasy star, including Larry Fitzgerald, DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and Trey McBride.
- Six of the last seven wide receivers picked in the top five posted top-30 fantasy performances as a rookie, including Ja’Marr Chase finishing WR5 in 2021.
- The top 30 should be his floor in redraft leagues. He might be the only rookie in this draft class that is in the majority of fantasy starting lineups in Week 1 of this season.
2. WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants (WR2, Round 1-Pick 6)
Nabers was the second wide receiver off the board with a bright future in New York.
- Nabers is a very well-rounded wide receiver with the ability to play both on the outside and in the slot.
- He was the highest-graded wide receiver last season among those in the Power 5 with a 93.1 grade. He received the highest grade from the slot at 92.6 and the third-highest grade out wide at 85.1.
- The Giants haven’t seen a receiver exceed 800 receiving yards since Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard in 2018.
- Nabers would have been the top receiver for the Giants regardless of the offseason losses, but with Saquon Barkley off the roster and the potential retirement of Darren Waller, Nabers should have over 100 targets as a rookie.
- Ideally, Nabers would have a better quarterback situation as a rookie, but plenty of elite receivers have put up great numbers without a great quarterback, and there is always a chance Nabers has better quarterback options as soon as 2025.
3. WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears (WR3, Round 1-Pick 9)
Odunze deserves the third spot in dynasty drafts despite having a lot of target competition.
- Our draft guide calls him a super-sized Chris Olave, and he is the best contested-catch receiver in the class.
- Over the last two seasons, no wide receiver in college football had more deep targets or deep receiving yards.
- His 1,639 receiving yards were the most by a Power Five wide receiver last season. His 88.8 PFF receiving grade when lined up out wide was the highest among all Power 5 receivers.
- Odunze’s dynasty value took somewhat of a hit landing in Chicago who has D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, making the Bears receiving rooms one of the best in the league.
- Allen just turned 32 years old last week and won’t be a long-term obstacle to Odunze’s fantasy success, but Moore is only 27 years old, and ideally would remain in Chicago for the next few seasons.
- The San Francisco 49ers last season and Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles the year before showed a good team can maintain two top-15 fantasy wide receivers.
- While other wide receivers will be better options in redraft, Odunze’s talent and long-term potential keep him as the third-best option.
4. TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (TE1, Round 1-Pick 13)
Bowers was the clear-cut top tight end of this draft class.
- Bowers’ 94.1 career receiving grade in the NCAA was the best for any Power 5 tight end of the last 10 years.
- Kyle Pitts, Dalton Kincaid, T.J. Hockenson, Sam LaPorta and Jake Ferguson are five more tight ends who are among the top-15 in career receiving grade in the NCAA who all finished among the top-13 fantasy tight ends last season.
- Bowers could have moved up these rankings with a better landing spot, but he surprisingly landed with the Raiders.
- Las Vegas took Michael Mayer with the 35th overall pick of the 2023 draft. Mayer’s 90.8 receiving grade in college was the ninth-best.
- Mayer is more of a well-rounded tight end while Bowers is more of a receiver, so if anything this greatly hurts Mayer’s fantasy value and only somewhat hurts Bowers.
- The Raiders ran more than league average last season, and their new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy comes from the Chicago Bears who were the fourth-most run-heavy team last season.
- Las Vegas added Gardner Minshew II in free agency and didn’t address the position in the draft.
- Despite all of this, tight ends who are talented enough can overcome their situation for fantasy football purposes. Trey McBride was an example of this last year, starting the season behind Zach Ertz and without Kyler Murray.
5. WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (WR4, Round 1-Pick 23)
Thomas was the consensus WR4 heading into the draft, and his landing spot was strong enough to remain WR4 in my rankings.
- Thomas has a rare combination of size and speed. He finished above the 80th percentile among wide receivers in both height and 40-yard dash time.
- He has the opportunity to be the top outside threat in Jacksonville after the team was unable to re-sign Calvin Ridley.
- While Jacksonville has strong options for receivers in the middle of the field with Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram, Ridley was WR18 last season, including five weeks as a top-10 fantasy receiver.
- Arguments could be made for wide receivers who were picked later and landed with more consistent quarterbacks, but the talent gap was enough for me to leave Thomas ahead given how well Trevor Lawrence has played at times, and the Jaguars similarly having a need at receiver heading into the draft.
6. RB Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers (RB1, Round 2-Pick 46)
Brooks is the clear top running back who should get picked in dynasty leagues.
- He was the top running back on our big board, on consensus big boards, and was the only running back selected in the first two rounds.
- Ten running backs were selected in the first four rounds, but some of the landing spots were the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams. All five teams had running backs who ranked in the top 10 of PFF offensive grade last season.
- The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers added big-name running backs in free agency who were at one point top-three running backs by PFF grade.
- This leaves Brooks, Ray Davis to the Buffalo Bills and Bucky Irving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only running backs drafted with anywhere close to a good landing spot. The other two backs weren’t picked until the middle of the fourth round, and the Bills and Buccaneers have established starters.
- Brooks is the most likely running back of the group to have a big contribution in his rookie season.
- Second-round running backs have been no sure thing, as Zach Charbonnet didn’t contribute much for fantasy managers last season, and neither did Breece Hall or James Cook in their rookie seasons.
- Brooks is the best running back option, but he is still the best of a weak running back class, allowing him to fall ot the middle of the first round.
7. QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (QB1, Round 1-Pick 1)
Williams was the first overall pick and is in a better situation than most quarterbacks taken at No. 1 overall.
- His wide receiver trio of D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze is one of the best receiver units in the NFL.
- Despite how highly Williams is thought of, a reason he and the rest of the first-round quarterbacks are relatively low is that most dynasty managers in single-quarterback leagues have a quarterback who can be their fantasy starter for years to come.
- C.J. Stroud, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Anthony Richardson, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa are 13 quarterbacks who are 29 years old or younger who are variable fantasy starters.
- While Caleb Williams is a better dynasty option than some of the quarterbacks on that list, there is more value to gain at other positions.
8. WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (WR6, Round 1-Pick 28)
Worthy was picked by the Chiefs with the 28th overall pick and lands in the best-case scenario for him.
- While some of the wide receivers drafted on Day 1 ended up with a solid option at quarterback, none of them ended up with Patrick Mahomes.
- The Chiefs have plenty of players in the wide receiver room, but Worthy can certainly find a spot among the Chiefs starters.
- Rashee Rice leads the depth chart but is in legal trouble. They added Marquise Brown, who will followed by Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Justyn Ross.
- None of those players have the speed that Worthy possesses.
- Andy Reid is very familiar with incredibly fast receivers, including Tyreek Hill and DeSean Jackson. Those are big shoes to fill up to, but if Worthy hits, he could hit big in this offense.
- Worthy has ranked higher on other big boards, but despite the excitement for his speed and landing spot, there is still some concern.
- Rice posted a top-five PFF receiving grade among rookie wide receivers of the last five seasons, joining Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua and Terry McLaurin. Even when Travis Kelce retires, Worthy might not be the top receiving option for Kansas City even if he plays well.
- Worthy ranked 69th on our big board with 13 wide receivers ahead of him. The landing spot and high draft stock move him up significantly, just not as high for me as others have him ranked.
9. WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers (WR7, Round 2-Pick 34)
McConkey is another wide receiver picked in the late first or early second round landing with an elite quarterback and a team that needed a wide receiver.
- Since Justin Herbert was drafted by the Chargers in 2020, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett represented 60% or more of the Chargers receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. None of them are currently on the Chargers roster.
- They didn’t add any wide receivers in free agency, with Hayden Hurst and J.K. Dobbins as the closest receiving replacements at tight end and running back.
- McConkey joins Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston where he should be able to play in the slot and potentially lead the team in receiving.
- The Chargers have a new offensive coordinator in Greg Roman. His slot receivers have consistently played better and given more opportunities compared to the league average compared to his outside receivers compared to the league average. This includes when he worked with Jim Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers a decade ago.
- Los Angeles might continue to look for upgrades at wide receiver in future seasons, but as long as McConkey remains their slot receiver, he should maintain his value.
10. WR Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills (WR5, Round 2-Pick 33)
Coleman was selected with the first pick in the second round and could be the Bills’ best outside wide receiver.
- He is a bigger wide receiver who is very athletic for his size, which helped him score 18 touchdowns over the last two seasons despite being held to under 800 receiving yards each season.
- The Bills lost four of their five top wide receivers from last season and only brought in Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins,
- Buffalo has plenty of players who can make plays in the middle of the field, including wide receiver Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid, but Coleman should be the Bills top outside wide receiver this season.
- The Bills were the best landing spot for any wide receiver in the draft given their loss of players, including Stefon Diggs, and having an elite quarterback in Josh Allen.
- While Coleman is in a great position for 2024 compared to other rookie wide receivers, it wouldn’t be surprising for Buffalo to add other better options in future years, moving Coleman to second or third on the depth chart.
11. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (QB2, Round 1-Pick 2)
Daniels was the second quarterback off the board and should be greatly helped by his rushing production.
- Daniels achieved a 91.5 PFF rushing grade throughout his college career, which is the best among Power-Five quarterbacks over the last decade, joining Lamar Jackson, Anthony Richardson and Caleb Williams.
- He similarly has the most avoided tackles while Jackson and Jalen Hurts ranked in the top five. His passing shouldn’t be overlooked either, as he has the best mechanics of any passer in the class.
- The Commanders added offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kyler Murray was a top-12 fantasy quarterback in points per game all four seasons Kingsbury was his head coach, including his 2019 rookie season.
- Every quarterback with 100 or more rushing attempts in the last decade has averaged at least 18 fantasy points per start, a number that should easily be in reach by Daniels.
- While Daniels is ahead of WIlliams in my redraft rankings, he’s lower in my dynasty rankings because typically quarterbacks with extraordinary rushing abilities stop being fantasy starters earlier than quarterbacks who are excellent passers.
12. WR Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers (WR8, Round 1-Pick 31)
Pearsall is a physically gifted receiver joining a crowded 49ers receiving room.
- Pearsall ranked in the top quartile for wide receivers in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuffle, vertical jump, broad jump and three-cone drill.
- His player comparison was Julian Edelman, and he could fit right in as the 49ers’ slot receiver even with all of the weapons the 49ers have on offense.
- Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have both been the subject of trade rumors. The 49ers have the second-worst cap situation next season with multiple starters slated to hit free agency including Aiyuk. Samuel has cap hits north of $24 million this season and next.
- The 49ers also have Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle who remain elite players but are in the back half of their careers.
- Pearsall might be the fifth-best option on offense this season, but it should only be one or two more seasons before he’s a top option in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
