The NFL season will be here faster than expected, and before that comes the all-important fantasy football drafting season! What better way to prepare for your fantasy football draft than completing FREE mocks with our fantasy football mock draft simulator?
This series will give you an overview of what you can expect to see no matter which first-round pick you draw. In what feels like a very strong first round in 2024, nailing your picks will be more important than ever.
Let’s dive into our approach for the fantasy football 1.04 pick for upcoming drafts. We look into the players likely to be available, those to target/avoid and a mock draft from the pick to help you prepare for your fantasy football league.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Pick 1.04
Roster Constructions to Consider at 1.04 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
When we’re drafting from the 1.04 we are all but guaranteed a strong base to start our draft with. If Christian McCaffrey should fall to us, then it’s sensible to consider a Hero RB approach. Likewise for Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall, as by the time our second pick comes around, the top-end wide receivers will be starting to run dry.
If you start with a wide receiver, which is quite likely here, then it might work out better to take a Zero RB approach through the first five or six rounds unless you believe strongly in either Kyren Williams or De’Von Achane, who could be around for your second or third round picks. Starting with two running backs at this pick would likely represent a significant reach in one or both rounds.
Players to Consider at 1.04 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
Here are players who are likely to be available when you make your selection.
- Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
- Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA)
- Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)
Players to Target at 1.04 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
If available, you should target these fantasy football players at the 1.04 draft pick.
It’s fair to question if Tyreek Hill will be as dominant in 2024 as he was in 2023, when part of his success came at the expense of Jaylen Waddle, who struggled through injuries. Still, Hill’s ceiling is incredibly high, and the further into round one we get, the more he has to be in play. In 2023, Hill had nine top-five weekly finishes in PPR leagues, and if he hadn’t ended the season with a spell of three games finishing as WR16 or lower, he could have been a league-winner.
If Mike McDaniel can find a way to get season-long consistency out of Tua Tagovailoa, then the Dolphins’ offense might finally be able to ascend to the next level. Another positive for Hill’s fantasy value is that the Dolphins’ defense lost several key pieces in free agency, and cornerback Xavien Howard was a cap-casualty. All of this should combine to make the Dolphins more pass-heavy this year.
Ja’Maar Chase continues to apply pressure to the Bengals to extend his contract now, rather than waiting, which seems to be the Bengals’ preferred move. Chase will likely cost them very close to, if not more than the $35 million a year Justin Jefferson got. Much like Lamb, Chase continues to not train while waiting for a contract, but ultimately it feels like Chase will still be on the field in Week 1.
Per Jacob Gibbs, when Tyler Boyd has been off the field over the past two seasons, Chase’s targets per route run rate rose from 24.1% to 27.6%. Chase also benefits from playing more often in the slot when Boyd isn’t on the field, similar to players like Jefferson and Lamb. This allows them to accumulate some easy catches in addition to the high-value ones they already see.
The Bengals face one of the easiest strengths of schedules thanks to finishing fourth in the AFC North last year. If Burrow can stay healthy, Chase can be an elite fantasy option in 2024.
No team in the NFL received a more significant offensive upgrade this offseason than the Atlanta Falcons. While the Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix situation is messy at best, it ensures that the Falcons’ skill position players will have adequate quarterback play this year, something that was impossible to say in the past two seasons under Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder.
Bijan Robinson out-touched Tyler Allgeier 272 to 204 in 2023 and had 78 targets to Allgeier’s 20, but was kept off the field in the red zone with 23 touches to Allgeier’s 36, including only three carries inside the five-yard line versus Allgeier’s six. Everything we’ve heard from the new coaching staff since they took over from the fantasy football demon, Arthur Smith, suggests this will no longer be the case.
Players to Avoid at 1.04 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
Here are a few potential fantasy football draft landmines that you should avoid.
Landmine might be a little strong for any player in the first round, but nevertheless, Amon-Ra St. Brown feels like a less safe pick than those who come before his average draft position (ADP). The Lions ran nuclear fission hot in 2023, and their offense looks well set for the long term.
But if Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta make second-year leaps, which is not uncommon, and Jameson Williams finally has a clean offseason, then it could eat into Brown’s volume somewhat.
The wide receivers at the top of the board all have mediocre levels of same-team competition, with CeeDee Lamb only facing Jake Ferguson and Brandin Cooks, and Chase having little to contend with outside of the oft-banged-up Tee Higgins. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson could face trickier years, but TJ Hockenson is likely to miss a reasonable chunk of the season and then have to get up to speed with a new quarterback.
Lastly, Tyreek Hill has shown he is the dominant receiver in Miami, and the only other threat in the passing game is Jaylen Waddle. Meanwhile, St. Brown faces two first-round picks and a second-rounder, all while hoping Jared Goff can keep the fire burning. St. Brown is a great pick, but not great enough to be in the tier ahead of him.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft from the 1.04 Pick
We used our FREE fantasy football mock draft simulator to show you an example of a draft from the 1.04 position. You can sync your league for free and mock draft against your fantasy football league settings in order to prepare more specifically for your draft.
Here’s how our fantasy football mock draft from the 1.04 position turned out.
Draft Advice for Every Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.01 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.02 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.03 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.05 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.06 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.07 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.08 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.09 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.10 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.11 Pick
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 1.12 Pick
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