Fantasy Football 2024: Breaking Down Updated Mock Draft and Mobile Cheat Sheet
Just a few weeks remain before the 2024 NFL campaign kicks off, which puts the fantasy football world right in the heart of mock draft season.
This is when you can start putting your research and strategizing into real-time practice. While you can't carry these mock rosters forward with you, you can absolutely take the information gleamed from their assembly.
This is also when you can see how experts handle their own mocks, which is what we're doing here. We'll lay out the first five rounds from a recent mock from the Yahoo Sports crew and analyze some of the more interesting selections before closing with cheatsheet-style positional rankings.
12-Team, Half-PPR Expert Mock
Round 1
1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF
2. Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA
3. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL
4. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ
5. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN
6. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN
7. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET
8. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
9. A.J. Brown, WR, PHI
10. Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ
11. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR
12. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND
Round 2
13. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI
14. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET
15. Chris Olave, WR, NO
16. Derrick Henry, RB, BAL
17. De'Von Achane, RB, MIA
18. Drake London, WR, ATL
19. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR
20. Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI
21. Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC
22. Mike Evans, WR, TB
23. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, JAX
24. Davante Adams, WR, LV
Round 3
25. Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, SF
26. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF
27. Nico Collins, WR, HOU
28. Sam LaPorta, TE, DET
29. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, IND
30. Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR
31. Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA
32. Malik Nabers, WR, NYG
33. DJ Moore, WR, CHI
34. DK Metcalf, WR, SEA
35. DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI
36. Amari Cooper, WR, CLE
Round 4
37. George Pickens, WR, PIT
38. Zay Flowers, WR, BAL
39. Alvin Kamara, RB, NO
40. Stefon Diggs, WR, HOU
41. Trey McBride, TE, ARI
42. Josh Allen, QB, BUF
43. Josh Jacobs, RB, GB
44. Rachaad White, RB, TB
45. Tank Dell, WR, HOU
46. Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI
47. Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL
48. Travis Kelce, TE, KC
Round 5
49. James Cook, RB, BUF
50. Christian Kirk, WR, JAX
51. Dalton Kincaid, TE, BUF
52. Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS
53. Chris Godwin, WR, TB
54. Keenan Allen, WR, CHI
55. Aaron Jones, RB, MIN
56. Tee Higgins, WR, CIN
57. Jayden Reed, WR, GB
58. Kenneth Walker III, RB, SEA
59. Joe Mixon, RB, HOU
60. Mark Andrews, TE, BAL
Notable Mock Selections
Garrett Wilson, Puka Nacua crack the first round.
Mocks are such a valuable research tool, because no two draft rooms are the same. Even with experts on the draft dial, this mock yielded several surprises, including going away from the run on running backs you'll often find at the end of the first round.
Just four ball-carriers went off the board among the first dozen draft picks, allowing pass-catchers like Wilson and Nacua to crack the opening round. Jahmyr Gibbs, often a first-round pick, was snatched up quickly in the second round, but Saquon Barkley, who also makes regular appearances in the back end of the first round, wasn't taken until the 20th pick.
Marvin Harrison Jr. opens the second round.
Harrison, a first-round rookie, looks about as NFL-ready as a first-year receiver can. It's still a little eye-opening to see him go this early.
Running backs felt like the values in the second round, yet Harrison went above all but four ball-carriers in the draft. He also easily outranked Drake London, Mike Evans and Davante Adams, who all have reasons to be excited about their outlook.
Josh Allen reaches the fourth round.
Elite quarterbacks have a tendency to drop in expert mocks, as seemingly everyone ascribes to the theory that you can wait on the position. At a certain point, though, having a top player at such a premium position has its obvious perks. And that point was cleared long before Allen was taken 42nd overall.
That's a ridiculous discount on someone who not only paced fantasy football in points last season, but had a nearly 40-point edge on No. 2, per FantasyPros. Even if you're questioning the strength of the Buffalo Bills' receiving core or are skeptical that Allen can run for 15 touchdowns again, it's hard to see this selection as anything other than a major bargain.
Cheatsheet PPR Rankings
Quarterback
1. Josh Allen, BUF
2. Jalen Hurts, PHI
3. Lamar Jackson, BAL
4. Patrick Mahomes, KC
5. Anthony Richardson, IND
6. C.J. Stroud, HOU
7. Joe Burrow, CIN
8. Kyler Murray, ARI
9. Dak Prescott, DAL
10. Tua Tagovailoa, MIA
Running back
1. Christian McCaffrey, SF
2. Breece Hall, NYJ
3. Bijan Robinson, ATL
4. Jonathan Taylor, IND
5. Saquon Barkley, PHI
6. Jahmyr Gibbs, DET
7. Kyren Williams, LAR
8. Travis Etienne Jr., JAX
9. Isiah Pacheco, KC
10. De'Von Achane, MIA
Wide receiver
1. CeeDee Lamb, DAL
2. Ja'Marr Chase, CIN
3. Tyreek Hill, MIA
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET
5. Justin Jefferson, MIN
6. Garrett Wilson, NYJ
7. A.J. Brown, PHI
8. Puka Nacua, LAR
9. Davante Adams, LV
10. Chris Olave, NO
Tight end
1. Travis Kelce, KC
2. Sam LaPorta, DET
3. Mark Andrews, BAL
4. George Kittle, SF
5. Trey McBride, ARI
6. Dalton Kincaid, BUF
7. Jake Ferguson, DAL
8. Evan Engram, JAX
9. Kyle Pitts, ATL
10. Brock Bowers, LV