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 a few of Derek Brown’s must-have fantasy football draft picks.

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2024 Fantasy Football Draft Advice

Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL): The Arthur Smith experiment capsized what could have been an enormous rookie season for Robinson. He ranked ninth in snap share, third in targets, sixth in receptions, and fourth in receiving yards among running backs, but he finished as the RB17 in fantasy points per game. Robinson was the RB12 in expected fantasy points per game, but his opportunity share ranked 31st, and he was also 32nd in red zone touches with Smith’s insistence on utilizing Tyler Allgeier. If Robinson receives the bulk of the high-leverage touches under the new Falcons regime, he should crush in 2024. Last year, he ranked 23rd in explosive run rate, 17th in yards after contact per attempt, and 25th in yards per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Robinson is a locked-in RB1 for 2024.

Drake London (WR – ATL): Arthur Smith is gone. It’s time for London to fly. His upside this season is massive in what should be a revamped offensive approach with Kirk Cousins under center and Zac Robinson calling plays. Last year, London’s numbers were passable but not amazing, as quarterback play held him in check. The Falcons’ quarterbacks posted the fourth-lowest adjusted completion rate and the third-lowest catchable target rate. London still posted 1.98 YPRR (32nd) while ranking 27th in FD/RR and top 25 in first read share (20th) and target share (25th). After reexamining his 2023 film, I do not doubt that the same player who posted monster numbers as a rookie is still here. London realizes his massive potential this year. Enjoy the breakout.

De’Von Achane (RB – MIA): Achane was part of the new wave of explosive young rushers that hit the scene last season. He finished as the RB5 in fantasy points per game. In the eight games he played at least 41% of the snaps, Achane averaged 14.2 touches and 113.8 total yards. Any fantasy gamer who falls in love with efficiency stats will love Achane. He was so damn good last year, ranking first in explosive run rate, third in missed tackles forced per attempt, and second in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If he can overtake Raheem Mostert (and hold off Jaylen Wright) as the team’s primary goal-line rusher, Achane could finish as a top-three back in 2024.

Trey McBride (TE – ARI): McBride was on a tear at the end of last year, and I fully expect him to pick up right where he left off in 2024, where he left off. In Weeks 8-18, among tight ends, he ranked first in weighted opportunity and target share, fourth in YPRR and missed tackles forced, and fifth in PFF receiving grade. If you extrapolated that ten-game sample over a full season, McBride would have finished with 144 targets, 112 receptions, and 1,114 receiving yards. Yes, McBride will have to contend with Marvin Harrison Jr. weekly for the team target lead, but that’s it. There isn’t another soul on the Cardinals roster that will consistently push these two with a high-end target share. McBride could easily finish this season as the TE1 overall.

Brian Robinson (RB – WAS): Brian Robinson‘s overall stat lines don’t portray how good he was last season. Robinson was the RB14 in fantasy points per opportunity and the RB22 in fantasy points per game. He also stood out in efficiency categories, ranking 22nd in explosive run rate and 13th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). In the 12 games in which he played at least 40% of the snaps, Robinson averaged 15.5 touches and 77.9 total yards per game. He quietly displayed a three-down skillset last season, proving that he can play on passing downs, ranking fifth in yards per route run and 12th in PFF’s pass-blocking grade (minimum 20 targets and 50 pass-blocking snaps). Robinson will have to fight Austin Ekeler for passing down snaps and red zone work as he settles into the RB2/3 zone for 2024.

Devin Singletary (RB – NYG): Devin Singletary steps in as the Giants’ new lead back with some big shoes to fill with Saquon Barkley‘s departure. Last year, with the Texans, he proved again that he could be a solid starting tailback in the NFL as he stepped in during the middle of the season and stole the starting job away from Dameon Pierce in Houston. In Weeks 9-18, he averaged 19 touches and 86.6 total yards as the RB21 in fantasy points per game. Singletary continues to roll along as an efficient rusher. Last year, he was 19th in explosive run rate and 22nd in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). While the Giants aren’t the sexiest landing spot, Singletary should flirt with RB2 production as the team’s bellcow.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA): Smith-Njigba’s usage last year was comical. The team neutered him into a low aDOT player when he has the skills to be so much more. When he was aligned outside, he flashed the talent that had plenty of Fantasy GMs drafting him aggressively last year. Among 81 qualifying wide receivers last season, when he was running routes on the perimeter, Smith-Njigba ranked 15th in YPRR and fourth in TPRR. Among 61 qualifying receivers with at least 40 perimeter targets, he also ranked 14th in FD/RR. With a new head coach and offensive coordinator to revamp this offense and a retooled offensive line, Smith-Njigba should flourish in his sophomore season.

Christian Watson (WR – GB): I hate to break it to the Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed hives, but when Watson was on the field last year, he remained the Packer’s WR1. In Weeks 5-13, Watson led the team in target share (17.7%), air-yard share (36.7%), YPRR (1.79), end zone targets (14), first-read share (22.3%), and FD/RR (0.081). Hamstring woes have plagued Watson for the last two years, but Green Bay investigated further into it this offseason with the hopes of getting their stud third-year wide receiver right for 2024. If Watson can finally enjoy a fully healthy season, he can fulfill the potential we have seen in spurts over the last two seasons.

Chase Brown (RB, CIN): Chase Brown remains a high-end handcuff bet for 2024 that could end up leading the Bengals in backfield touches. He has been running as the RB1 in camp plenty, and the buzz has been building. Last season, Brown was impressive on a per-touch basis, although the sample size is pretty limited (44 carries). Among 77 backs with at least 40 carries, Brown ranked 12th in yards after contact per attempt and 16th in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Brown is a player to get exposure with during draft season because the upside is there for him to outkick his ADP massively.

Jaleel McLaughlin (RB – DEN): Fully expect me to be above consensus regarding McLaughlin. Last year, he was electric with every touch he earned. Among all running backs with at least 50 rushing attempts or 20 targets, McLaughlin ranked 14th in explosive run rate, fifth in missed tackles forced per attempt, fourth in yards after contact per attempt, and fourth in yards per route run. Denver made it a point to get him involved in the passing game when he was on the field, as he also ranked first in targets per route run. McLaughlin could easily earn more opportunities this season, and the passing down back in a Sean Payton offense is a role we should covet highly. Over the last nine seasons, Payton has coordinated an NFL offense; he has never finished lower than fourth in targets to the running back position. If McLaughlin keeps Sean Payton’s trust, he could be an RB3 that vaults into steady RB2 production (especially in PPR leagues).

Fantasy Football Draft Rankings

Check out the consensus 2024 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.