Jamie Calandro | Sat, Jul 27th 2024, 6:58am EDT

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard, Early Pick (2024)

Ah, standard scoring. We all thought the format was gold until PPR formats came along. I will say, though, that based on some Twitter (X?) talk there’s still a strong following to this TD-heavy format. With that info, I mocked using FantasyPros’ draft simulator from the 1.01 draft slot. Keep in mind that in this format, touchdowns are everything, so you want to target the best chances for players to get into the end zone. Here is our latest fantasy football mock draft. We’re focused on standard scoring with an early draft pick.

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard, Early Pick (1.01)

Pick 1.01: Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)

Christian McCaffrey is even more desirable in PPR formats, but he’s still my 1.01 in standard mode as well. In 2023, McCaffrey led the league in both rushing yards and total TDs and projects to have a major role in one of the best offenses once again. Don’t overthink this one.

Pick 2.12: Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF)

In retrospect, Mike Evans was probably the better pick here, but I just love Aiyuk. Even in a crowded 49ers pass-catching room, Aiyuk was still seventh in receiving yards, 15th in air yards and is entering his age-26 season. Aiyuk’s big news is the contract/holdout situation, so that will be something to monitor as the offseason progresses. However, I’m confident in Aiyuk to produce on whatever team, or whatever situation he lands in.

Pick 3.01: Travis Etienne (RB – JAC)

At face value, Travis Etienne is the kind of back you want in standard format, as he touched the ball 325 times last year and had 21 total TDs. I do need to mention, however, that it was a tale of two halves for Etienne as he saw his production dip big time in the second half while averaging six fewer touches per game. That said, there’s still really no backfield competition for touches in Jacksonville and Etienne can be treated as a bellcow RB1.

Pick 4.12: Rachaad White (RB – TB)

Continuing with the theme of heavy-touch RBs, I went with White at 4.12, knowing I’d still have a good receiver to pick from on the turn. White was not that efficient in 2023 (3.6 YPC), but he was second in the NFL in both carries and routes run en route to a solid season. The drafting of Bucky Irving adds some level of concern for red zone touches, but White should have a major role again.

Pick 5.01: Michael Pittman (WR – IND)

Michael Pittman is a bit of a polarizing pick in this format. On one hand, his floor should be sky high as the alpha in the Colts’ offense with 156 targets, 30% target share and a 33% air yards share in 2023. On the other hand, his limited touchdown production can’t be ignored, especially if the return of Anthony Richardson‘s rushing cuts into it even more. That said, Pittman fell too far in this draft for me to pass on him and he should flirt with double-digit points per game.

Pick 6.12: Christian Kirk (WR – JAC)

Christian Kirk only had three touchdowns last season and I feel like he’s being slept on as a result. Even when Calvin Ridley was healthy last season, Kirk still out-earned him in target share when both were on the field. Now that Ridley has departed for Tennessee, he’ll be replaced on the perimeter by Gabe Davis (not concerned) and Brian Thomas (not concerned). I imagine Kirk’s target rate will spike, which should lead to more scoring opportunities as well.

Pick 7.01: Jordan Love (QB – GB)

Part of me wishes I had stacked Anthony Richardson and Michael Pittman on the 4/5 turn instead of taking Rachaad White, but I’m not upset about Jordan Love as a consolation prize. Love took a gigantic step forward in 2023, finishing as the QB5 overall and throwing for over 4,000 yards. He has a bevy of weapons at his disposal (especially if Christian Watson stays healthy) and he’s not completely inept on the ground either with 272 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Pick 8.12: DeAndre Hopkins (WR – TEN)

Meh. This pick depends on a lot on how much of a step the Tennessee offense takes under Will Levis. I do like their chances of being more pass-happy than they’ve been in previous years, but Calvin Ridley is there as well. All in all, Hopkins is fine here since he’s my WR4, but I would have been a lot more concerned if I didn’t already have an established corps.

Pick 9.01: Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL)

This pick was possibly my most interesting point in the draft, as both Pitts and Dalton Kincaid were on the board. I was choosing between Pitts with a history of not scoring touchdowns vs. Kincaid, whose quarterback is notorious for vulturing touchdowns. Ultimately, I went with Pitts as his upgrade in quarterback and offensive coordinator lends a lot of hope to his chances of elevating his game in 2024.

Pick 10.12: Jakobi Meyers (WR – LV)

I’m into this pick. Jakobi Meyers quietly put together a top-24 season last year even with a revolving door of quarterbacks and playing second fiddle to Davante Adams. Nothing has changed, except that Adams might get traded, which would elevate Meyers even more. There’s also a good chance Gardner Minshew starts the year as Las Vegas’ QB1; he would be an upgrade over anyone they had last year. Meyers’ 13.3% TD rate is likely unsustainable, but it’s good to know he’s definitely a target in the red zone.

Pick 11.01: Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF)

I got Kincaid anyway! I don’t like the idea of streaming these guys, but with my roster, there’s a real chance I could flex one of these two guys. Considering all the backs and receivers were less enticing than Kincaid, I’m very happy with drafting him here. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis will leave behind 241 targets and there’s a good chance Kincaid is the primary beneficiary in the passing game.

Pick 12.12: Bucky Irving (RB – TB)

As someone who likes to go #HeroRB, I’m a little unhappy only having three so far in this draft, but there was no one here I was thrilled with. I decided to go with Bucky Irving as a handcuff to Rachaad White, as he has some upside if he wins the RB2 job. According to PFF, Irving was eighth in elusive rating in college and I’m covered if White gets injured.

Pick 13.01: Dallas Cowboys (DST – DAL)

It’s the last two rounds, which means it’s “defense and kicker” time. Dallas had 46 sacks and 17 picks last season and has favorable divisional matchups against the Giants and Commanders four times this season.

Pick 14.12: Matt Gay (K – IND)

When I’m choosing kickers, I generally like to look at three things:

Moderate to high-scoring teams
Favorable environment when winter comes
Late bye weeks

Matt Gay checks all these boxes, so I’m good with him as the “best of what’s left”.

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