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Who are the established fantasy football veterans you should not overlook on draft day? Scott Engel highlights proven players to target for your fantasy team.
Fantasy football was made to be fun. For many players, drafting upside targets is exciting and compelling. Watching draft picks who rise to fantasy prominence is one of the most rewarding experiences possible.
In the quest to land younger players who are highly promising, many fantasy performers with quality seasons behind them either are bumped down draft boards or are regarded as players with lower fantasy ceilings. Overlooking proven players, though, can be a misstep at any point in the draft. Established fantasy producers are very important to success, too, and can be key players on a championship-bound roster.
This is a rundown of veteran NFL players who are already well-known in fantasy circles, yet don’t strike anyone as inspiring picks when compared to other players in their draft range. I feature guys who either might be perceived to be due for a falloff, past their primes, or drafters think they just won’t turn out to exceed any past production or current projections. Don’t pass these players up when you have the chance, though, as some could either come through with another fine season or turn out to be good value picks.
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Fantasy Football Draft Cheat Sheet Checklist: Veteran Targets
Quarterbacks
Dak Prescott: The Dallas passer is now 31 years old, but that certainly is not yet “old” for a QB. Last year, he passed for a career-best and NFL-high 36 TDs, while finishing as fantasy QB3. Prescott was also first in Red Zone Passing Attempts (109) and Pressured Completion Percentage (65.8%) and he finished third in the league in passing yards (4,516). His receiving crew was not significantly altered at all, which means a similar heavy passing load is likely ahead in 2024.
Prescott is not being outright disrespected with an ADP of 9 at QB on Sleeper. That ADP is lower on some other platforms, though. He gets a lot of flak in the real NFL world, but in fantasy football, the ninth-year man is a very good pick if you can take him outside of the top nine.
Aaron Rodgers: I don’t expect Rodgers to reemerge as an elite fantasy QB. The last time we saw him play regularly, it was evident that consistent levels of elite play no longer seemed possible. The four-time NFL MVP is 40 years old and coming off an Achilles injury. Yet, Rodgers can still likely make all the throws he needs to while continuing to challenge defenses with what he has left. He is being drafted as QB20 and can provide at least a respectable fantasy return as a No. 2 Superflex option.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry: The newest Raven is certainly not a gamble or risk heading into the 2024 fantasy football season. But some fantasy drafters might pivot away from taking Henry when considering him vs. another option or two in the second round. The dreaded 30-year-old running back label has been applied to him, and such a well-established fantasy warning sticker can prompt thoughts that this will be the year when Henry starts to show true signs of decline.
Those who pass on the longtime Titans star when getting an opportunity to draft him as a top-10 RB will miss out on a move to the league’s top rushing offense. Henry will also share the backfield with the best quarterback of his career. Lamar Jackson’s tremendous rushing abilities will ensure that opposing defenses won’t be able to key on the RB frequently, as was the case during Henry’s Tennessee days.
The two-time NFL rushing yardage leader keeps himself in tremendous shape and I would not let him slip by due to the new offensive environment and the potential for some more standout performances. Opponents will have much trouble handling the Henry/Jackson duo, and we should see more consistency from the standout RB this season. In 2023, he logged five outings with less than six PPR points, which is not going to happen with Baltimore.
Jackson might steal some TD chances, sure, yet Henry will get enough of his own as defenses will have to account for both of them near the goal line. We certainly know he is capable of ripping off a long TD run at any time, too.
Alvin Kamara: According to current ADP reports from Sleeper, Kamara is the 16th RB off the board in PPR formats. He remains willing to take on a heavy workload and should still be effective and productive. Last season, Kamara finished third in fantasy points per game at RB (17.9) and caught 75 passes (second among RBs) after two consecutive seasons of not cracking the 60-reception barrier.
The 29-year-old ranked 46th among RBs in juke rate and 27th in evaded tackles last season, according to PlayerProfiler, so there are definite signs that he is not the same runner anymore. Kamara, though, is still a very productive pass-catcher (top five at RB in yards per route run, catch rate, and target share). Kendre Miller might start to swipe away some rushing attempts, but the more established veteran will still function as a versatile fantasy producer. He is no longer a league-winning pick, yet remains a respectable draft target in the 15-20 range at RB.
Aaron Jones: Durability and age are the fantasy concerns surrounding Jones. Hamstring and knee issues were the latest injuries to pop up last year, as Jones played in 11 regular-season games. He finished with a flourish, though, reeling off five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances, including the playoffs, highlighted by three TDs vs. Dallas in the opening round. This 29-year-old still runs with power, elusiveness, and breakaway ability. He remains a threat as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
#Vikings OC Wes Phillips on Aaron Jones as a weapon in the pass game, his goal line usage, and Jones’ football IQ: pic.twitter.com/SCd98A3AqG
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) July 31, 2024
Take the shot on Jones as the 18th RB off the board and back up the pick with some quality depth at the position if you can. Ty Chandler is the essential fantasy insurance target.
Raheem Mostert: We all know De'Von Achane is the much sexier fantasy option, and Mostert is 32 years old, which seems to scream “avoid, avoid!” Consider, however, that he has only registered 100-plus rushing attempts in four NFL seasons. Mostert may not stack up 20-plus scrimmage TDs again, but he remains a goal-line ace on a top-flight offense. Sign me up for more double-digit TDs from the 26th RB off the board in Sleeper drafts.
Austin Ekeler: I don’t expect this former fantasy superstar to rise back to the RB1 range. I do think Ekeler will be out to prove that he is not quite done. Jayden Daniels might rely on his pass-catching RB quite often, as Ekeler will show he can still deliver some PPR goods. Last season, he ranked sixth among RBs in yards per catch (8.5). The ex-Charger is being drafted outside of the top 30 at his position and is a viable target for a flex position payoff.
Wide Receivers
Mike Evans: His ADP at WR is 15 and I have seen him taken a few spots later than that. Evans will be 31 years old when the season starts, yet that is not the true falloff age at WR in many cases. The late, great Mike Tagliere of FantasyPros used to conduct annual studies that marked the real WR decline age as a year or two later. I still believe in those findings, although nothing in fantasy sports is absolute.
Evans developed a strong rapport with Baker Mayfield and I will gladly take him again as a fantasy WR2, expecting nine to 11 TD catches. This is a highly proven, safer target in his draft range. While taking an upside guy is more fun, I will go with a known producer who is still writing a potential Hall of Fame story.
Amari Cooper: This WR may be slightly undervalued, as evidenced by his ADP of 29 at WR. Cooper is coming off two consecutive 1,100-plus yard seasons, and he caught eight-plus TD passes in 2021 and 2022. In five games played with Deshaun Watson last season, the seventh-year man finished with 90-plus receiving yards four times. You can land Cooper as a fantasy WR3, and he has a fantasy WR2 upside. If Watson regains much of his old Houston form, the ceiling could be high.
Terry McLaurin: In each of the past four years, McLaurin has finished with 1,000-plus yards and 75-plus receptions, despite the Commanders’ spotty play at QB. He has not caught more than five TD passes in those seasons, though, holding the fantasy appeal down. The arrival of Daniels at QB should spark some interest in drafting the sixth-year WR in a value range. The ADP of 33 at WR marks McLaurin as a very intriguing target. He will be heavily utilized by the rookie passer.
Diontae Johnson: He was the big acquisition of the offseason as the Panthers looked to bulk up the receiving corps for Bryce Young. In two of the past three years, Johnson has caught 85-plus balls. In 2021, which was Ben Roethlisberger’s final season, he finished with 1,161 yards and eight TDs. We should see the ex-Steeler regain fantasy respectability after two seasons of dealing with Kenny Pickett, and he is a very good value target as the 43rd WR off the board.
Bryce Young 🎯 Diontae Johnson
(🎥 @Panthers) pic.twitter.com/ldKZ7TerPU
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) July 30, 2024
Tight Ends
Mark Andrews: The Baltimore TE is being taken as the fourth player at his position in many drafts, as younger players like Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride have moved ahead of him on ADP reports. Dalton Kincaid is also being picked ahead of Andrews in some drafts. A Week 11 ankle injury cut his 2023 fantasy season short, but as noted by FantasyPros, he was fourth in scoring at TE until then. Andrews is 28 years old, which is not a negative numerical tag at all at TE. If any of the younger guys don’t produce as hoped, another top-3 finish at the position should certainly be attainable.
Like new teammate Derrick Henry, Andrews doesn’t have a startling ADP attached to him, but he is not regarded as an exciting pick when compared to other draft targets in his range who are perceived to be on the rise.
Tight End PPG leaders (removing games with <15% of snaps)
1. Mark Andrews - 12.2 PPG
2. Sam LaPorta - 11.5 PPG
3. Travis Kelce - 11.5 PPG
4. TJ Hockenson - 11.4 PPG
5. George Kittle - 10.7 PPGIsaiah Likely as starter: 12.1 PPG
Draft the Ravens TEs and you’re set.
— Chris O'Brien (@17gamepace) July 31, 2024
Noah Fant: He is just 26 years old. Fant, though, already has played for five seasons and many fantasy players no longer view him as having much statistical promise. Last year, he had to share targets with Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson. Both of those TEs are no longer in Seattle, and new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is expected to amp up the attack. Fant will still be a fourth option for Geno Smith overall, yet he may be ticketed for more key catches and TD chances, marking him as a worthy TE2 pick outside of the top 20.
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