Fantasy Football Today: Player outlooks for every first-round draft pick by consensus PPR rankings

2024 fantasy football the season is coming and the fantasy football Today’s team drafted its initial player outlooks for the entire player pool prior to training camp. Things will change on the injury front, in free agency and possibly on the trade market, but the Fantasy Football team led by Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings and Dan Schneier has created player prospects based on the 2024 projection, June ADP (average draft position) and where these players fell off the board in our mock (and real) drafts during May and June. We will use FFT’s consensus PPR rankings (rankings from Jamey, Dave, and Heath) to evaluate player by player in the first round (12-team leagues) of their drafts.

*These consensus rankings will be updated by June 10.*

Round 1

“The consensus No. 1 overall pick across QB formats remains McCaffrey, who has averaged at least 21 PPR points in each of his last two seasons. In fact, of the 27 regular-season games McCaffrey has played with the 49ers , he’s hit at least 21 PPR points 17 times (63% of his games) and at least 30 PPR points five times (nearly 20% of his games), if there’s a concern, it’s that McCaffrey is 28 years old and coming off a career. 417).The previous season McCaffrey had over 400 touches in a year was 2019, and he followed that up with two injury-plagued seasons. probably Elijah Mitchell, with a 9th round pick or later.” -Dave Richard

“Lamb has become one of the best wide receivers in the world. NFL last year and we are shopping for a repeat. We’re not opposed to signing him as early as 1.02 in a revamped PPR league and he’s also an easy top-five pick for a Dynasty startup. It’s rare for a player’s volume and efficiency to increase like that, but Lamb saw 25 more targets in 2024 and somehow also produced more yards per target. His 135 receptions led the NFL and even that might sell him short. From Week 8 onwards, Lamb averaged 12.6 targets per game and was on pace for 156 receptions in a full season. The Cowboys have added no competition for targets and appear ready to rely on Lamb like no other wide receiver in the league this season.” – Heath Cummings

“Hill is a first-round pick in every quarterback league and is in the discussion for No. 1 overall. Since joining the Dolphins, he has 401 more receiving yards than any other player in football. Hill completing Age 30 might scare some Fantasy managers away, but he showed no signs of slowing down last year, setting career highs in targets, yards and yards per game. His 10.5 yards per target and 15.1 yards per catch were high. his best marks since 2018. In Dynasty leagues, Hill’s age matters a little more. He falls to WR8 in this format and is a sell for any team that isn’t a true contender in 2024.” – Heath Cummings

“There are some Fantasy managers concerned about Jefferson this season, and rightly so. He has a new quarterback in rookie JJ McCarthy or Sam Darnold, with Kirk Cousins ​​leaving for Atlanta, and that could be a problem. he should once again be considered a top-five Fantasy receiver across all leagues, with the benefit of being the No. 1 player at his position. He’s worth drafting with a top-five overall pick. Last year, Jefferson played the last four games. with Nick Mullens, and Jefferson was still dominant. He had 44 targets for 30 receptions, 476 yards and two touchdowns, and averaged 22.1 PPR points per game during that span. Jefferson is capable of producing with almost any quarterback in Kevin O’Connell. offense, and Jefferson should once again have a breakout campaign in 2024. He has averaged at least 17.1 PPR points per game in four consecutive years, including each of the last two seasons of at least 20.2 PPR points per game. – Jamey Eisenberg

“It’s almost impossible to draft Hall very high in Fantasy Football this year. We’re comfortable with him already at No. 2 overall, with Christian McCaffrey being the only player all of our experts agree should be drafted ahead of him. as the RB2 overall last year despite coming off an ACL injury and scoring just five rushing touchdowns. He should be fully healthy to begin 2024 and Aaron Rodgers’ return should create more scoring opportunities. big plays, with a run and catch of 50+ yards in each of his first two years in the league. A revamped offensive line and better quarterback play should mean fewer plays where he is tackled behind the line of scrimmage. I’d be surprised if Hall is the most valuable fantasy player this season.” -Heath Cummings

“Chase should once again be considered one of the best receivers in Fantasy, and he is worth taking with a first-round pick across all leagues. Chase is coming off the worst season of his career in 2023, but still averaged 16.4 PPR points per game. Part of that was Joe Burrow missing the final seven games of the season with a wrist injury, but Burrow is healthy entering training camp and still put together career-best seasons in goals (145) and receptions (100), and he also succeeded. added 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 20.2 PPR points per game in 2022, and that’s the kind of upside he had once again in 2024 with Burrow healthy. After Christian McCaffrey came off the board first overall, you could argue Chase. could be the first receiver selected from the group of CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Most likely, Chase will be selected fourth out of that group (ahead of St. Brown), but he could still do it. he was a top-five overall pick across all formats.” -Jamey Eisenberg

1.7: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions

“St. Brown has established himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL and is worthy of being drafted in the first round in every league. He should be considered a top-five wide receiver this year, along with CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, and St. Brown could go sixth overall this season In 2023, St. Brown averaged a career-high 20.7 PPR points per game and scored at least 16.7. PPR points per game in each of the last two seasons, St. Brown averaged 155 targets, 113 receptions, 1,338 yards and eight touchdowns, and got a big raise this offseason with a four-year, $120 million extension. , including $77 million guaranteed. Jared Goff should continue leaning on St. Brown in 2024, and he’s a great player to select first on your Fantasy roster. Jamey Eisenberg

“The enthusiasm surrounding Robinson led to first-round Fantasy draft capital in Year 1 in almost every league and format. Those who drafted Robinson were disappointed with his production, as he finished with the 17th-most Fantasy points per game (PPR).Former Falcons play caller Arthur Smith only provided Robinson with the 25th most touches among all RBs as a rookie. red zone and in the passing game, and the expectation is that new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will do just that Zac Robinson joins the Falcons after working on the Rams staff and fresh off a 2023 season where Kyren Williams. led all RBs in touches per game. Offense are the two main factors that explain why Bijan Robinson is being drafted in the same range or earlier (mid to late first round) than he was as a rookie. of the few players who can challenge Christian McCaffrey as the rookie. Highest scoring non-QB in 2024.” – Dan Schneier

“Brown is a consensus top-six wide receiver, worthy of a first-round selection in PPR leagues. While the rest of the Eagles’ offense struggled at times, Brown was their consistent alpha, setting a career high with 106 receptions. The only downside was his low touchdown total, but we hope that was just a blip, not something that will carry over to 2024. His 2,883 receiving yards since arriving in Philadelphia trail only Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb and his long-term contract. deadline ties him to Jalen Hurts and the Eagles for the foreseeable future should expect the 27-year-old to be one of the best wide receivers in football for at least the next three seasons. -Heath Cummings

“Gibbs enters his sophomore campaign looking to build on his productive rookie season in 2023. We like Gibbs as the No. 1 running back in all leagues, and he’s worth drafting late in the first round. As a rookie, Gibbs was a star, averaging 16.1 PPR points per game, including six games with at least 21.5 PPR points in his final 11 contests. Only seven running backs saw more targets than Gibbs’ 71, and his 52 receptions. were tied for ninth at the position. General manager Brad Holmes said in May that Gibbs should “see more carries” this season, which could come at the expense of David Montgomery, who outscored Gibbs 219-182. If he can get more carries than Gibbs, he should still have a chance at 250+ total touches and Gibbs has scored 11 total touchdowns in 2023 (10 carries). -Jamey Eisenberg

“For the second year in a row, Wilson is one of the most common picks in Fantasy Football. Let’s hope his quarterback stays healthy. We’re drafting Wilson late in the first round in full PPR leagues and in the second round everywhere else. The 24 The Kid The 10-year-old caught passes from Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White, Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle and Chris Streveler in his first two NFL seasons. He somehow surpassed 80 receptions and 1,000 yards in both seasons under center. , 100 receptions and 1,500 yards are possible. Most notably, you should expect Wilson to score a 6.2% touchdown rate, while Wilson has scored just 2.2% of his career touchdowns and a few more this season. Wilson is a top-10 WR in the Dynasty who could jump into the top five with a hot start to the season. Heath Cummings

“Taylor had a turbulent 2023 season due to injuries and a contract dispute, but he found his footing starting in Week 7 when he earned a starring role in the Colts’ offense. Down the stretch, Taylor averaged just under 100 total yards per game (99.4) despite missing a three-game stretch from Weeks 13-15. With Anthony Richardson back at QB, Taylor should see more leads. open runs with defenses responsible for the QB’s running ability. a locked-down RB1 and will be drafted in the second half of Round 1 in most Fantasy leagues.” – Dan Schneier