Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Travis Kelce, Brandon Aiyuk, Sam LaPorta

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into some of Derek Brown’s favorite early-round fantasy football draft picks to target.

2024 Fantasy Football Draft Advice

Sam LaPorta (TE – DET): Sammy Ballgame had a rookie season for the ages. Last year, he logged the most PPR points and PPR points per game, the third-most receiving yards, and the most receiving touchdowns (tied) for a rookie tight end since 1966. He finished as the TE3 in fantasy points per game, ranking sixth in target share and YPRR, 10th in first read share, and third in FD/RR. Ballgame is in play to finish as the TE1 in 2024 and is worth paying up for in drafts.

Travis Kelce (TE – KC): Kelce had a “down season” by his lofty standards, but it was still a strong showing as he remained the TE1 in fantasy points per game. Kelce maintained electric marks in efficiency third in YPRR and second in FD/RR, ranking third in target share (21.2%) and second in first-read share (25.8%, per Fantasy Points Data). Kelce isn’t washed and remains Patrick Mahomes‘ WR1.

Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF): Aiyuk was fantastic last season as the WR16 in fantasy, with career highs in yards per reception and receiving yards. He also crushed in deeper efficiency metrics, ranking third in YPRR and second in FD/RR. Aiyuk is a player where you’re betting on talent, and the complexion of the 49ers’ offense changes to an extent depending on where you’re drafting him. I don’t want him to be my WR1 on teams, but as my WR2, I’m comfortable taking the swing. The worries with his profile are easy to see, starting with volume. As good as Aiyuk was last year, he still only ranked 30th in raw target volume with an astounding 105 targets. He also ranked only 44th in red zone targets and was the WR31 in expected fantasy points per game. There’s risk here, but as Aiyuk displayed last year, there can be reward as well.