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Scott Engel provides a comprehensive look at a fantasy football draft in late June, featuring top fantasy football experts in a 14-team league format.
Fantasy football season has already started on major platforms such as SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, where a big early draft week included league drafts featuring top experts and industry companies. The Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association (FSGA) experts leagues drafts were the centerpiece of a big final week of June on the channel.
Picking from the 11th spot, I participated in the 14-team FSGA American Conference draft, a one-point PPR league with a scoring system that features one point per reception and four points for a TD pass. It is a one-QB format with three starting WRs and one flex spot among the 18 roster slots. Expert drafts such as this one are held early so fantasy players can get an advance look at who notable analysts are targeting and see what their strategic stances might be.
Here is the review and recap of my draft, with analysis on all of the skill-position picks so you can get a feel for my approach and absorb what may help you in upcoming drafts. This rundown also highlights many of the key players I will be targeting in 2024. I drafted one of two teams represented by RotoBaller, and also include a section on the squad managed by SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio hosts Real Talk Raph and Josh Hayes. The RotoBaller Radio duo drafted from the No. 3 slot. The draft site and room was run by RealTime Fantasy Sports.
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Fantasy Football Draft Recap And Analysis: 2024 FSGA American Conference
Round 1
Jahmyr Gibbs: Admittedly, I have concerns about the shared workload and lost TDs to David Montgomery. But Gibbs reminds me of Jamaal Charles, who was incredibly efficient while threatening to let loose with his upside every time he touched the ball. When drafting against 13 other expert teams, I had to treat this draft like a high-stakes league and gun for a higher ceiling type, and the emerging Detroit star fit the bill ideally. Puka Nacua and Garrett Wilson were the top alternatives.
Late in the first round, you can possibly go with either Gibbs or Wilson as preferred upside targets, and decide who you want more between the two promising options. Puka Nacua was also on the board and it was no surprise that he was taken with the next pick. I may have opted for Wilson over Nacua in an experts or high-stakes draft environment.
Round 2
Josh Allen: When looking at the draft in retrospect and where the other top-shelf QBs were taken, you can make a good case that I went for Allen too early. But he has finished as a top-2 fantasy QB in each of the last four seasons and is a safe pick for elite production, even without Stefon Diggs. The ex-Buffalo WR fell off in output last year and Allen still ended up as the QB1 overall.
I did mull over taking Kyren Williams as a luxury RB2 type, but was not going to go for De'Von Achane when I already had another similar model of RB in Gibbs, who is more of an upside than volume target. Chris Olave was the best available WR and another strong consideration, yet I chose to opt for the best QB in fantasy football with the aggressive move.
The Bills superstar has been an axis of many of my winning teams over the past four years. When you have a great desire to land a specific player, don’t be afraid to draft him earlier than others might, especially when trying to stay ahead of other savvy fantasy leaguers.
Round 3
DK Metcalf: He is coming off a season that may have frustrated fantasy players at times, but Metcalf could see his production pick up more under new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb. The Seahawks’ alpha WR recorded only three 100-yard outings and scored three of his eight TDs in one game last season. Mike Macdonald, however, has confirmed that the plan is to move Metcalf around more and find paths for him to exploit defenses in new and various ways. A return to fantasy WR1 range could be ahead in 2024.
Round 4
Aaron Jones: Last season, including the playoffs, Jones reeled off five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances and scored three touchdowns in one game against Dallas in the postseason. The longtime Packer, who is now a Viking, is 29 years old, yet I strongly believe he will deliver a very good RB2 season if injuries are not a significant challenge again. Jones showed during the final push of last season that he still possesses excellent RB traits such as vision, patience, power, and breakaway ability, qualities that can still mark him as a viable fantasy option in 2024.
I could have went for promising WRs such as George Pickens or Malik Nabers to pair with Metcalf at this point. Amari Cooper and rebound target Tee Higgins were other WRs on the radar. Looking back on the draft flow, it would have made a lot of sense to go with the WR, but I was thinking that the RB2 types I preferred would be gone by the time my next pick came around.
Round 5
Calvin Ridley: The former Falcon and Jaguar was another higher-profile source of fantasy frustration last year, with only four 100-yard games and a stretch of not catching a TD pass in eight of 10 games from early October through mid-December. It was Ridley’s first year back after a layoff, though, and Will Levis will start letting it rip even more as a passer this year. Ridley can reemerge as a No. 1 WR for his team and I can foresee him producing at a quality fantasy WR2 level.
opportunity + cost alone make calvin ridley and easy smash at his current #underdog adp price pic.twitter.com/CLpOPpYbmC
— Ray G (@RayGQue) June 21, 2024
Round 6
Kyle Pitts: Even the less intense fantasy players know that Pitts is potentially headed for the best year of his career working with Kirk Cousins. If I did not take his Jaguars receiving mate Ridley in the previous round, Evan Engram might have been the pick at this spot. The Atlanta TE is more of an upside type, though, and was a good value pick by this point. I wasn’t really considering anyone else at this slot and may have waited another round for the TE1 if Pitts was drafted ahead of my slot.
Round 7
Keon Coleman: This pick could work out well enough as a possible and obvious pairing with Allen. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, the rookie should at least be a frequent TD target until he gets more comfortable within the flow of the offense. I just don’t see Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir as consistent playmakers, and Coleman has a path to a healthy target share from a top-notch QB in his first NFL season.
Round 8
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Some will tease me for drafting two Seahawks WRs because of my allegiance, yet the result was not by design, and I just couldn’t pass on Smith-Njigba here. I have been both reading and hearing that “JSN” is possibly headed for a breakout season in his second NFL campaign.
Tyler Lockett will still be in the mix as an important WR for Seattle in real life, but Smith-Njigba might be on the verge of surpassing him in productivity this year. JSN is capable of challenging defenses at all levels, much like Doug Baldwin used to, and he is in a good spot to start surging in the Ryan Grubb offense.
Berry on Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba: "JSN is freakin unbelievable. Between coming off the hamstring coming out of the draft and then the hand injury, where he is now compared to where he was this time last year: holy cow, guys, holy cow. It's really cool." https://t.co/04KbvWHAev pic.twitter.com/lnB596nx0t
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) June 7, 2024
Round 9
Gus Edwards: I was actually eyeing Edwards for Round 8, and will gladly take him for good RB depth. The expectation is that the ex-Raven will top the depth chart for a team that will be very focused on the ground game, and Edwards is a proven goal-line area finisher.
Rounds 10 And Beyond
I drafted Josh Palmer in Round 10 and Quentin Johnston in Round 11. Again, landing two WRs from the same team was not planned, but gives me a good shot to have one of the most productive Chargers pass-catchers on the roster. … Ray Davis might provide some respectable TD production in his rookie year. … The Dallas defense opens the season with decent matchups against the Browns and Saints. … Levis was worth the late flier as a No. 2 QB, as he flashed some promise last year and will have a deep receiving crew in 2024. … My final round pick was TE Jelani Woods, who has sleeper potential as an athletic target and possible TD option for Anthony Richardson.
“A big-bodied tight end that can run the vertical routes, run the shallows, run the deep cross. It’s awesome to see. Obviously, he’s a matchup for a defense that they gotta be prepared for.”
— #Colts HC Shane Steichen on Jelani Woods pic.twitter.com/DKkdVgbGxU
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) May 30, 2024
RotoBaller Team Raph/Josh Highlights
You could make a case for Tyreek Hill as the No. 1 WR overall, as he has finished as the WR2 in three of the past four seasons. If CeeDee Lamb is WR1 overall, Hill is 1A. … Taking James Cook over Josh Jacobs and Rachaad White was an interesting move in the second round, as both of the RBs left on the board may be headed for more touches and TD chances. … I am a fan of the D'Andre Swift pick in the third round, as he is set to become a busy lead RB for Chicago and may deliver the best season of his career so far.
Christian Kirk in Round 4 and David Njoku in Round 7 were solid picks. … Raph and Josh waited on a QB, and both Jayden Daniels and Tua Tagovailoa have the promise to come through as QB1 types. Drafting both back-to-back is taking a shot that at least one will deliver as hoped and can mitigate the risk factors. … Jaleel McLaughlin (Round 10) and Demario Douglas (Round 11) were two nifty later-value targets.
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