Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Chase Brown, Drake London, Jermaine Burton

The NFL preseason ramps up this week, and we’re only a few weeks away from the heart of fantasy draft season. FantasyPros analysts Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice and Mike Maher continue a series of preseason roundtables by discussing QB strategy, players they’re second-guessing and offense that could be sneaky sources of fantasy goodness. And check out last week’s fantasy football roundtable for even more expert advice.

Name a player you’re bullish on for 2024 but also harbor some doubts about. In other words, which of the guys you like leaves you most concerned that you’re making the wrong call?

Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

Andrew Erickson: I feel great about Chase Brown. He’s checking off all the boxes of a year-two RB poised to make a massive leap. But the issue with his ceiling and potential RBBC status with Zack Moss comes down to pass protection. The coaching staff needs to trust him so that he can truly be a three-down workhorse.

Pat Fitzmaurice: I’ll parrot Erickson here. I’ve been banging the Chase Brown drum like Neil Peart all offseason, and early reports from training camp seem to be validating the enthusiasm. Brown has reportedly been getting more first-team reps than Zack Moss has. But the division of labor in the Bengals’ backfield is far from settled.

Although I suspect he’s a better player than Moss, Brown didn’t get enough touches last year for us to draw any definitive conclusions about how good he is. And as Erickson mentioned, shaky pass protection could potentially keep Brown off the field.

Drake London (WR – ATL)

Mike Maher: I am absolutely all in on Drake London in 2024. That is a slightly cheap take right now, considering his ECR has crept up to 21 overall, but he is about as make-or-break as they get right now.

Drafting London in the second round feels rich, but everyone is apparently seeing the same upside I am. I prefer to grab him in the late secnd or early third at the turn if I can wait that long, and I’m probably too nervous to go any higher than that. BUT: new QB, new offensive system, no Arthur Smith, clear path to targets. There is so much to like that it makes me overlook my concerns about draft capital and the potential that we’re drafting him at his ceiling.

Have I filibustered enough? I love London this year, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about how high you have to draft him if you want him.

Jermaine Burton (WR – CIN)

Derek Brown: I have loved Jermaine Burton since draft prospect season. Off-the-field issues caused a first-round talent to tumble in the NFL Draft, but I also have to admit I might have dismissed Andrei Iosivas‘ ability and the possibility that he can win the WR3 role.

Burton has the talent to seize the role, but Iosivas is the incumbent and produced when called upon last season. In Weeks 16 and 18, Iosivas played at least 70% of snaps while drawing a 21.4% target share, a 35.5% air-yard share, and a 19.2% first-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). I’ve bumped up Iosivas in my ranks while lowering Burton. As we continue to charge through training camp season, hopefully, we get more clarity about this camp battle.