Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: Nico Collins, C.J. Stroud, Diontae Johnson (Fantasy Football)

While the 2024 NFL season is still months away, that doesn’t matter to dynasty fantasy football players. Now is the perfect time for a dynasty startup draft, with the NFL Draft almost here. And there’s no better way to complete a FREE fantasy football mock draft than via our mock draft simulator.

I am picking sixth in this 12-team, 1-QB, half-PPR dynasty mock draft. The lineup for this mock draft is 1-QB/2-RB/2-WR/1-TE/3-Flex and six bench spots.

Let’s see how it turned out. Here is my full dynasty startup mock draft. Below we dive into a few notable picks.

Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: 1QB, Half-PPR

Pick 3.06 – Nico Collins (WR – HOU)

No one expected Nico Collins to be the WR9 last season, averaging 14.7 points per game. He was a go-to target for C.J. Stroud. Collins led the team in target share (21.1%), target per route run rate (28%), receiving yards market share (32.5%), yards per route run (3.37), end zone targets (10) and first-read target share (27%), per Fantasy Points Data. The one-year rental of an aging Stefon Diggs doesn’t matter to me. Collins is the team’s No. 1 receiver.

Pick 4.07 – C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU)

Speaking of C.J. Stroud, let’s stack an up-and-coming Houston passing attack. Taking a quarterback this early in a 1-QB draft might seem wasteful. Yet, Stroud should only get better after a historical rookie season. The former Ohio State star joined Tom Brady and Joe Montana to lead the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, Stroud is the only one to do it as a rookie, and the Texans added Stefon Diggs to his receiving core.

Pick 8.07 – Diontae Johnson (WR – CAR)

Some will say Diontae Johnson’s fantasy value took a hit after getting traded to Carolina because of Bryce Young. However, that isn’t the case. Young struggled because the Panthers lacked a reliable weapon who could consistently separate. Meanwhile, Johnson was the WR42 in 2023 despite missing four games and catching passes from Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph on a Matt Canada-led offense. The veteran will command a heavy target share from Young, making him a value this late in the mock draft.