Managers have to get a bit creative in 2024 Fantasy Football drafts if they are selecting outside the top 8 overall because you'll miss out on the first tier of wide receivers and on the top-three running backs. Luckily for me, I see a 1A at wide receiver with Garrett Wilson and A.J. Brown. So at No. 10 overall, I was guaranteed one of these players. In a full-point PPR format, they become even more valuable to my roster build. I started this draft with Brown and decided that my second-round pick must have reception-based upside even if I don't go with a wide receiver. Jahymr Gibbs filled that role for me perfectly.
In Round 3, I took one of the players most undervalued vs. my rankings in Travis Kelce. I think there's a very good chance we look back at the 2024 season and say why were we letting Kelce fall to the late-third round?! Kelce saw his snap share plummet in 2023 due to injury but he's 100% healthy now. He scored just five touchdowns after averaging double-digit touchdowns in the three seasons before that. The middle of the field is going to be more open than it has been for Kelce since Tyreek Hill was in Kansas City with the addition of speedsters Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown.
After drafting just one receiver in the first three rounds -- and Kecle -- I wanted to lean heavily on some receivers. D.J. Moore has been one of the NFL's most dominant separators for years now and gets the best quarterback he's ever played with -- by far. McLaurin has a shot to see 150+ targets in Kliff Kingsbury's fast-paced system with no target competition in sight. I was really excited about grabbing both players and still landing a quarterback I have ranked as QB5 all the way down in Round 6.
Here's how my team came together from the 10th pick:
1.10: A.J. Brown, WR, PHI
2.03: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET
3.10: Travis Kelce, TE, KC
4.03: D.J. Moore, WR, CHI
5.10: Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS
6.03: Kyler Murray, QB, ARI
7.10: Chase Brown, RB, CIN
8.03: Rome Odunze, WR, CHI
9.10: Jerome Ford, RB, CLE
10.03: Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR
11.10: J.K. Dobbins, RB, LAC
12.03: Josh Downs, WR, IND
13.10: Taysom Hill, TE/QB, NO
14.03: Wan'Dale Robinson, WR
With Nick Chubb set to begin the season on the PUP list with no real return date in sight, and with Cleveland releasing D'Onta Foreman upon final cutdown day, Ford looks ticketed for a massive role in Week 1 behind a top-10 offensive line with a head coach who has designed some of the best run games we've seen over the last several years. To get a player like that in Round 9 leads me to believe this could be my league-winning pick. Ford was efficient last season and with a little more touchdown luck, he can serve as a high-end RB2 for me until Chubb returns.
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Soft tissue injuries are tricky and although the Lions seem unconcerned about Gibbs' hamstring injury, he's a risky pick because of it. What makes Gibbs even riskier is that he's being attached to Round 1/2 draft capital despite sharing a backfield with David Montgomery. In 2023, Montgomery racked up 13 rushing touchdowns. If Gibbs doesn't eat into that total in 2024, I'll end up regretting this pick.
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Murray jumping into the elite tier of QB scoring will determine how far this team can go. Now that he's one year fully removed from the ACL, I expect Murray's rushing numbers to go up. Ultimately, his season will be decided by the impact of Marvin Harrison Jr. If MHJ's addition can vault Murray into the 35-touchdown range, coupled with the impact of Trey McBride taking another step, Murray can take this team to the next level for me.
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