Fantasy Football Today: Player outlooks for every fourth-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 prospects for the entire player pool prior to training camp. Things will change when it comes to injuries, free agency, and possibly the trade market, but the fantasy football The team led by Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings and Dan Schneier created player outlooks based on 2024 projection, June ADP (average draft position) and where these players fell off the board in our mock (and real) drafts until May and June. We will use FFT’s consensus PPR rankings (rankings from Jamey, Dave, and Heath) to analyze player by player in the fourth round (12-team leagues) of their drafts.

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

Round 4

“Moore should once again be considered the Bears’ No. 1 receiver, but he may not be as productive as he was in 2023. This season, consider Moore a No. 2 Fantasy receiver, and he’s worth picking in the fourth round of the in most leagues last year, Moore averaged a career-best 16.9 PPR points per game, but he was the focal point of the passing game with 136 targets. This season, the Bears added Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, and both will lead. a lot of targets, which should impact Moore. We also have to see how Moore adjusts to a rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams, who was the No. 1 overall pick. NFL Draft. Moore should still be productive, but don’t be surprised if he sees a decline in production this season with the new additions to Chicago’s receiving corps. He should definitely be drafted as a starter in most leagues, but don’t look for him on Draft Day based on his performance in 2023.” -Dave Richard

“We see Smith as a No. 2 Fantasy wide receiver, worthy of a pick around the 2-3 turn in PPR leagues. In leagues that reward less than a point per reception, he shouldn’t be drafted before the fifth round. Smith struggled with consistency last year, failing to reach 10 Fantasy points in six of his 16 games, but by season’s end, his production wasn’t far off from his 2022 season. Perhaps most worryingly, three of his biggest games occurred when Dallas Goedert was out. If AJ Brown and Goedert remain healthy, it may be difficult for Smith to add value to his ADP. a borderline WR1 in the Dynasty leagues. Heath Cummings

“Allen has been the best quarterback in fantasy football over the past four seasons, but he’s not our consensus No. 1 QB in 2024. This offseason, the Bills lost Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis from their receiving corps and replaced them with Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. They also kept Joe Brady as offensive coordinator. Under Brady, Allen averaged 2.5 fewer pass attempts and 18 fewer yards per game. That didn’t matter last year because Allen threw for 15 touchdowns, but we don’t want to count on any QB repeating that kind of atypical season. Allen deserves consideration after the first quarterback is selected in your Fantasy draft, but don’t look for him this year. He’s only worth a first-round pick in leagues where you can start more than one quarterback.” – Heath Cummings

“Andrews should once again be considered one of the best fantasy tight ends in 2024, and is worth picking as early as the fourth round in most leagues. Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce will likely be the first two tight ends selected in most formats, and Andrews should come off the board next or potentially behind Trey McBride. In 2023, Andrews had another stellar campaign with 13.5 PPR points per game, but missed the final six games of the regular season with an ankle injury. Championship Game, and Andrews should be fully healthy for training camp. He should once again be Lamar Jackson’s No. 1 target, and Andrews should be considered the best fantasy tight end this year. – Jamey Eisenberg

4.5: Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens

“Jackson, who won his second MVP award in 2023, comes into this season as the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback across all leagues. He’s a worthy third-round selection in one-quarterback leagues and is a top-five overall selection first in the Superflex and Last year, Jackson set career highs in completions (307), pass attempts (457) and passing yards (3,678), and also added 24 passing touchdowns with just seven interceptions as a rusher with 821. yards and five touchdowns on 148 carries. There aren’t many quarterbacks who can perform like Jackson, and now Baltimore’s running game should improve with the addition of Derrick Henry and hopefully the healthy return of Mark Andrews and the receiver’s continued growth. Sophomore Zay Flowers improves Jackson’s passer performance. Jackson should be selected among the top four quarterbacks this season with Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen. Jamey Eisenberg

4.6: Stefon Diggs, WR, Texans

“In full PPR leagues, we are comfortable drafting Diggs as a low-cost WR2 as early as the end of the fourth round. While that may seem low for a player of Diggs’ caliber, there are three things working against him. First, it seemed like a a little like he’s lost a step in 2023. Last year, Diggs’ yards per target, yards per reception, and yards per game were his lowest grades in Buffalo Two, he’s no longer in Buffalo and has a lot more competition for targets. in Houston with Nico Collins and Tank Dell already there and in sync with CJ Stroud Finally, Diggs will turn 31 in November, which gives more credence to the idea that he was slowing down last year and there is still potential. for him to add value, but there is also a risk that he will no longer be a must-have wide receiver. -Heath Cummings

“After serving an early season suspension, Kamara has proven to be one of the best value picks in all of Fantasy Football in 2023. He has been even more productive in PPR formats, as Kamara led all RBs with an impressive 6.62 targets per game, and that played a huge factor in him finishing with the third-most fantasy points per game. Despite the return of check-down artist Derek Carr at QB, Fantasy managers are skeptical about a repeat of his production in 2024 – he comes off the board around 50th overall. as a Rounds 4-5 pick, however, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has installed a zone blocking scheme that perfectly suits Kamara’s skill set as a runner and Kamara may have even less competition for targets in 2024 now that the Saints went from. Michael Thomas. He is an excellent buy in PPR formats.” – Dan Schneier

“Mixon was traded from Cincinnati to Houston this offseason and will be the Texans’ starter in 2024. Mixon should be considered a high-quality No. 2 fantasy running back across all leagues, and is worth drafting as early as the Round 3 End in Houston was a great landing spot for Mixon, who has averaged at least 15.7 PPR points per game in each of the last four seasons. The Texans’ offense should be explosive with CJ Stroud at quarterback, and Houston is above average. Offensive line Mixon should have a chance to score double-digit touchdowns (he’s averaged 13 touchdowns per year over the past three seasons) and should be a factor in the passing game (he’s had 112 receptions over the past two seasons). little competition for touches, which is ideal. As he ages at 27, Mixon should have a chance for a big season with his new team in 2024. – Jamey Eisenberg

“We target Achane in the fourth round of full PPR leagues and rate him as an RB2. But that doesn’t tell the story of one of the big wild cards of the 2024 Fantasy season. Achane was the most efficient running back in football last year, averaging 7.7 yards per touch and scoring once every 11.8 touches. We know there is some regression coming from these numbers; in 2023 they were all losses and the Dolphins gave him just 20 combined touches in back-to-back, must-win games to end the year. With Raheem Mostert back and Jaylen Wright added, it’s fair to wonder if Achane sees a big increase in work. Still, his type of efficiency usually leads to more work and this offense gives him an advantage in winning the league. -Heath Cummings

4.10: Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals

“From Week 8 through the end of last season, McBride led the Cardinals with 8.5 targets per game. This coincided with Zach Ertz getting hurt and Marquise Brown falling out of favor with the Cardinals’ offense, but there is a lot of hope for McBride to get close to that mark in 2024. Not only did the Cardinals lead the NFL in tight end targets per game at 10.5, but they were fourth best at 9.9 per game in the first seven weeks before McBride really broke out. The hope is that Marvin Harrison Jr.’s arrival won’t affect McBride’s target too much, keeping him squarely in the mix as a top-five fantasy tight end, especially in full PPR. The fourth round seems like the right time to put him in this format, with a pick a full round later, without PPR.” -Dave Richard

“This should be a big season for Pickens, who is entering his third year in the NFL. He’s worth drafting as early as the fourth round in every league. Pittsburgh traded Diontae Johnson to Carolina, and now Pickens gets a quarterback upgrade on Russell Wilson or Justin Fields in four games last year when Johnson was injured, Pickens had two games with at least 22.7 PPR points We expect Wilson to start most games, and he threw 10 touchdowns to Courtland Sutton in. 2023. And Wilson was good for. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett at the end of his tenure in Seattle Wilson should help make Pickens a solid No. 2 fantasy receiver across all leagues with a chance to be a top-10 pick. offensive coordinator for the Steelers, and Smith wasn’t good for Drake London the last two seasons in Atlanta. But with Smith as offensive coordinator at Tennessee in 2019-20, AJ Brown caught 122 passes for 2,126 yards and 190 touchdowns in 30 games. . Pickens should be the focal point of Pittsburgh’s passing game, and this should be a standout campaign in 2024.” – Jamey Eisenberg

4.12: Tank Dell, WR, Texans

“Dell was one of the most pleasant surprises in all of Fantasy Football as a rookie in 2023. Despite his diminutive size, Dell proved to be a separator against NFL coverage at all three levels of the field and the Texans didn’t limit him to just slot snaps. He led the Texans WR group in target share and fantasy points per game before breaking his fibula late in the season. Dell recovered on time and is already participating in OTAs. the mix, but his relationship with CJ Stroud was so advanced in 2023 that Dell should be able to return value on his sixth-round Fantasy draft capital in 2024.” – Dan Schneier