While the NFL regular season has come to a close and redraft fantasy leagues have wrapped up for the year, the dynasty football calendar is rolling over to begin anew. Today, I used the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator to complete a 12-team, 1 QB dynasty startup mock draft, which I picked from the 1.07 spot.

Here are a few quick takeaways from this process:

• There are different strategies you can take in a startup draft. Some people eschew youth altogether and build rosters to win now, while others will take the opposite approach and ignore anyone over the age of 26. My approach to player age is that it is a data point and not a deal breaker in the first 100 picks. Later on in drafts, I am more likely to favor youth, however.
• The changing of the guard at tight end is upon us. Since 2016, Travis Kelce has been the gold standard at the position, but T.J. Hockenson, Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride are ready to step up and be considered for TE1.
• If you want Breece Hall in a dynasty startup, you will need to be drafting in the top five, and there is a good chance he doesn’t make it past the third overall pick. Hall could very well be the dynasty RB1 heading into 2024.
• Finally, get as many Green Bay pieces as you can. The Packers are relatively cheap, but this offense is young and explosive. Jordan Love and company will be tough to handle in the coming years.

12-Team Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: 1 QB (2024)

Pick 1.07: Christian McCaffery (RB – SF)

With Bijan Robinson and Hall off the board, Christian McCaffery becomes a nice consolation prize, and he makes for a strong foundational piece on a dynasty roster. He is coming off a season where he set career highs in rushing yards (1,459) and total touchdowns (21) as he is tied to one of the best offenses in the NFL. Playing for Kyle Shanahan ensures McCaffery will be a threat to finish as the overall RB1 in any given season, and his 24.7 PPR points per game were three full points higher than the RB2. The only downside is that McCaffery turns 28 in June, but I expect two-three more seasons of elite production.

Pick 2.06: Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)

A year ago, Puka Nacua declared for the NFL Draft after catching 48 passes for 625 yards at BYU. Now he is being considered for Rookie of the Year (ROTY) honors and is one of the top dynasty assets at wide receiver. Nacua is a gifted route runner who thrived with Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, breaking rookie records for receptions and yards in his first season. While he lacks the flash of Justin Jefferson and the explosive play ability of CeeDee Lamb, Nacua shreds zone defenses, a valuable trait as the league transitions to more Cover 3 and Cover 2 concepts.

Pick 3.07: Trey McBride

From a roster construction standpoint, getting McBride here presents the opportunity to lock up the tight end position for the foreseeable future. McBride made a massive leap in his second year, finishing with over 800 yards and 81 receptions. He ended the year as the TE9 in PPR leagues, and I was encouraged by what I saw out of the Arizona offense down the stretch. With Kyler Murray healthy, I can envision a scenario where McBride will enter prime Kelce territory over the next couple of years.

Pick 4.06: DJ Moore (WR – CHI)

DJ Moore thrived in his first season in Chicago, establishing career highs in catches (96), yards (1,364) and touchdowns (eight). He was the Bears’ top option in the passing game and a fantasy championship hero with a 9/159/1 line in Week 17. He will be tied to either Justin Fields or Caleb Williams for the next five seasons, which is perhaps the best news for his dynasty value. Moore has the feel of a WR1 who has the dynasty draft capital of a WR2.

Pick 5.07: James Cook (RB – BUF)

When looking at running backs in dynasty drafts, I want to target players in high-caliber offenses, and James Cook most certainly fits that mold. After firing Ken Dorsey, the Bills gave James Cook bell-cow usage down the stretch, and he responded with 730 total yards and four touchdowns over his final seven games. Cook topped 1,000 rushing yards, as well, establishing himself as a top-10 dynasty running back. At just 24 years old, he is a nice compliment to McCaffery.

Pick 6.06: Nico Collins (WR – HOU)

I don’t expect Nico Collins to fall this far for long, so getting him as the WR3 on this team seems almost unfair. Collins shined in his third season in Houston, as the addition of C.J. Stroud paved the way for him to catch 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. While he sometimes seemed to go under the radar, Collins had three games with over 150 yards this season. He should be considered an elite dynasty asset in all formats.

Pick 7.07: Amari Cooper (WR – CLE)

I have had a bias against Amari Cooper in the past, as he was someone I considered to be boom/bust. Cooper seems to be getting better with age, however, and this past year, he turned in the seventh 1,000-yard season of his career, finishing with a career-best 1,250 yards. Cooper’s monster Week 16 performance (11/265/2) pushed a lot of teams into fantasy championships, and he should continue to be the top receiving option in Cleveland. There are some red flags as he turns 30 in June, and Deshaun Watson looks iffy as the quarterback for the Browns. Still, I prefer to build depth at receiver in dynasty leagues. If Cooper can give you two to three more 1,000-yard seasons, he is plenty useful.

Pick 8.06: Jayden Reed (WR – GB)

I strongly suggest investing in the Green Bay offense in dynasty leagues because they are young and inexpensive. With Matt LaFleur calling plays and Love turning into one of the league’s best young quarterbacks, it is wheels up for this entire offense. That is especially true for Jayden Reed, who has become one of Love’s favorite targets. Over his last four games, Reed had a 10-target game, a two-touchdown game and a 100-yard game. Get in on the ground level of the Packers before they become too expensive.

Check out our 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit

Pick 9.07: C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU)

In dynasty leagues, Stroud should be no worse than the seventh quarterback off the board. Despite modest expectations heading into the season, Stroud shredded NFL defenses in his rookie season to the tune of 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Houston offense suffered from awful injury luck this year as Tank Dell, Collins, Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown all missed games. Stroud should be even better moving forward with his full complement of healthy weaponry. Pairing Stroud with Collins also provides some nice correlation as well.

Pick 10.06: James Conner (RB – ARI)

James Conner had the first 1,000-yard season of his career as a 28-year-old in a supposedly shaky Arizona offense. Conner isn’t flashy and is almost guaranteed to miss a few games, but as a third running back on this team, he fits perfectly. He can be flexed into your lineup some weeks or be used as a spot starter. In the 10th round, that type of player is an underrated, if not safe, asset to consider.

Pick 11.07: Marvin Mims (WR – DEN)

If Conner is a safe pick, Marvin Mims is a high-ceiling/low-floor pick with hardly any type of median outcome to date. At his best, Mims can be a field-stretching weapon with big-play ability that can pop for week-winning games. At his worst, he will disappear from games altogether, leaving a gaping hole in your lineup. I am willing to bet on the talent and the fact that, at just 21 years old, Mims has room to grow.

Pick 12.06: Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

Cincinnati looks likely to move on from Joe Mixon this offseason, leaving Chase Brown as the current heir apparent. While I acknowledge that the Bengals could draft someone or bring in a veteran back in the offseason, Brown showed flashes of his game-breaking ability as a rookie. Brown is a 4.43 runner with a 92% college dominator rating, which bodes well for his outlook should Cincinnati lean into him for 15+ touches per game. Like most picks this late in the draft, I am shooting for upside with Brown.

Pick 13.07: Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL)

Jake Ferguson was as steady as they come for Dallas this year. His 71 receptions were ninth among all tight ends, and he more than capably filled in for the departed Schultz. The Cowboys boast one of the best passing games in the NFL, with Dak Prescott leading the league in completions in 2023. Pairing Ferguson with McBride locks down the tight end position on this roster for a very long time.

Pick 14.06: Jordan Love (QB – GB)

Love’s dynasty ADP will jump four to five rounds over the coming months, and he will nudge his way into the top 12 at the position in short order. Love finished seventh in the NFL in passing yards (4,159) and second in touchdowns (32). His nine games with multiple touchdowns and no interceptions led the league. This Green Bay offense is on the ascent, and I want as many pieces as possible.

The full draft board can be found here.

Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.