5 Players I Can’t Stop Drafting In 2024 Fantasy Football
Fantasy Football: 5 Players I Can’t Stop Drafting In 2024
I’ve been drafting a ton teams over the past two months, mostly on Underdog Fantasy, and I’ve noticed there are a few players I just can’t stop drafting. Their value, their upside, and their overall outlook are just too good to pass up at their current ADP. I would love to selfishly keep these gems for myself, but decided to do the right thing and share it with the world. So here it is. The five players I can’t stop drafting in 2024 fantasy football.
Rachaad White
Rachaad White was the steal of fantasy football drafts in 2023. No one was pounding the table harder for White than me. He ended the season as a top-5 running back in PPR formats (RB10 in FPPG) after spending the summer as a round six/seven pick. Yet, somehow that all seems to be forgotten because White is once again falling to the sixth round in Underdog ADP. It doesn’t make any sense.
White is one of the NFL’s only true bellcow running backs. He simply doesn’t come off the field. White was No. 4 in snap share last season (77.4%) while accounting for more than 75% of Tampa’s backfield touches. He was second in the NFL with 272 carries while simultaneously proving to be one of the league’s best pass-catching backs. He was targeted 70 times and ranked No. 4 in receptions with 64. He’s not just a check-down guy, either. White finished top-5 in yards per reception, top-3 in total receiving yards, and led all running backs with a 91.4% catch rate.
Let’s talk about yards per carry. White catches a lot of slack for his subpar yards per carry numbers, but yards per attempt is one of the least predictive metrics for running backs. I would get crushed if I came on here and was pumping up a running back because of his yards per carry average. So we can’t push a guy down just because his yards per attempt is below average. I can confidently say that Rachaad White is a far better runner than he’s given credit for. He was a tackle-breaking machine in 2023, ranking No. 6 in evaded tackles. He was also No. 2 in yards created (PlayerProfiler.com).
The haters seem to ignore the fact that White was stuck behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines. However, the team addressed that need this offseason, spending multiple draft picks on lineman, including their first rounder. Even an average front five would be a huge win for White drafters. If he gets just a little bit more space and isn’t having to constantly shake guys off in the backfield, White could start ripping off long runs at a much higher rate. He’s an explosive back who just hasn’t had many opportunities to show that off yet.
He will get plenty of opportunity to do so in 2024, though, as he is in line for another massive workload. There is zero competition in that backfield as the team only added a day 3 running back who projects as more of a Chase Edmonds replacement than a Rachaad White threat.
The point is, White will continue to be near the top of the league in total touches. He gives us a high floor in PPR formats, plus an exciting ceiling if that offensive line gives him more space to work. Rachaad White was the steal of 2023 and he will be the steal of 2024.
Michael Pittman
Michael Pittman had his best season yet in 2023. He caught 109 of his 156 targets for 1,152 yards and four touchdowns. That was enough to finish just outside the top-12 wide receivers in fantasy football. Perhaps most impressive, is he did most of that with then-Colts backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. Minshew leaned heavily on Pittman who proved to be one of the true alpha wide receivers in the NFL. He ranked fourth in target share and fourth in receptions.
He was Minshew’s go-to guy in the red zone as well, commanding 19 red zone targets which was ninth-most among wide receivers. Weirdly, though, Pittman only converted for four touchdowns. Based on his red zone targets and overall production, he should have made several more trips to the end zone. Touchdown regression is likely to play in his favor in 2024 which could make the difference between a high-end WR2 and a mid-WR1.
Now the Colts get last year’s third overall pick Anthony Richardson back. He will lead not only one of the NFL’s best offenses, but one of the league’s fastest offenses. That’s right, the Colts were top-3 in pace of play in 2023. We know the faster an offense plays, the more plays they run, and the more opportunities to score fantasy points there are for everyone.
Richardson will lean on Pittman as his go-to guy much like Minshew did. Pittman will give his young quarterback a weapon he can trust in all quadrants of the field. He has the size to dominate in the red zone and along the boundary. He is an exceptional route runner and separator. In fact, Pittman won on more than 53% of his routes in 2023, according to PlayerProfiler. And while he’s not thought of as a ‘YAC guy,’ Pittman made some magic happen after the catch, ranking top-10 in yards after reception.
So now we have a do-it-all alpha wide receiver who is in one of the league’s better offenses, is getting a quarterback upgrade, and is a candidate for major touchdown regression (in a good way!). Yet, he’s barely being drafted inside the top-24 wide receivers on Underdog right now. He’s in his super prime at 26-years old and could absolutely finish as a top-10 wide receiver in fantasy football. I will continue to smash that “draft player” button for Michael Pittman all summer long.
Trey Benson
Trey Benson may begin the season backing up James Conner, but it feels inevitable that he will be starting games at some point. After all, Conner is 29-years old and has never made it through a full season and has played more than 13 games just once in his career. Benson is absolutely going to get on the field as a rookie. It’s not out of the question that Benson just outright takes over the backfield at some point during 2024, either, leapfrogging Conner for the RB1 job. At worst, he is one of the few elite handcuffs in fantasy football. At best, he is a league winner. Either way, he is going to have an impact and needs to be targeted in drafts.
The Cardinals are shaping up to be one of the better offenses, which will only enhance the ceiling outcome for Benson. Good offenses are where these league-winner seasons are born. And Benson has all the elements we look for: quality offense with touchdown scoring upside, a clear path to touches, size (he’s 216 lbs), and elite athleticism. Benson is shaping up to be the best zero rb target in redraft leagues this summer with the upside to break fantasy football.
Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray might be the most underrated quarterback in all of fantasy football. He is incredibly consistent year-over-year and now he’s a full year removed from the ACL injury that cost him the end of the 2022 season and the first half of 2023. Even coming off the injury, Murray performed well down the stretch. He scored as a top-12 quarterback five times, completed 66% of his passes, and ranked top-10 among quarterbacks in fantasy points per dropback. Murray’s legs looked healthy, too. He ran five or more times in seven-of-eight games and totaled 244 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He had the offense rolling, too, averaging 22.4 points per game in his eight starts. That would have slotted between the Texans at 22.7 and the Chiefs at 22.2 (FantasyAlarm).
We forget how good Kyler Murray has been in fantasy football during his career. It didn’t always look pretty in the dreadful Kliff Kingsbury offense, but Murray seemed to always get there for fantasy purposes. In his career, Murray has scored as the QB11 (rookie season), QB3, QB4, and QB7. Then upon his return from the ACL, he was the QB9 in fantasy points per game. Injury recovery aside, Murray was still playing in a brand new offense that he never practiced with prior to his return. He was rehabbing during the offseason installs and training camp.
Now, Murray has a full offseason and preseason to work with his teammates and coaches. He will also get to enjoy new weapons and a bolstered offensive line. Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. will be a major difference maker on top of last year’s breakout star tight end Trey McBride.
Kyler Murray could break fantasy football in 2024. He has legitimate QB1 overall upside. He’s got his health, great weapons, an improved offensive line, and a bad defense on the other side that should keep him throwing (and running). The konami code factor could have him scoring among the elite players at the position. Yet, you can get him at a multi-round discount compared to Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes. Even Anthony Richardson, CJ Stroud, and Joe Burrow often go ahead of him in drafts. Kyler Murray will be one of my most drafted quarterbacks in 2024. I urge you to follow suit.
Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson’s rookie season seemed to end about as fast as it began. But, man, when he was on the field, he was electric. He started four games but only made it through two healthy. In those two games, he averaged more than 25 fantasy points and scored as the QB2 and QB4. A lot of that was due to his legs. He ran for 136 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in three of his four games. It was an extremely small sample, but Richardson ranked No. 5 among quarterbacks in rush attempts per game and No. 3 in red zone carries per game. That all culminated in 0.81 fantasy points per dropback which would have ranked best among all quarterbacks.
Now healthy heading into the 2024 season, Anthony Richardson holds as much upside as any quarterback in fantasy football. He will pair his incredible rushing ability with improved weaponry around him. Remember, Richardson only played about half a game with Jonathan Taylor in the backfield last season. It will be fun to see those two pair up for a lethal rushing attack. The team also brought back wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr who had a breakout campaign in 2023. They added Adonai Mitchell in the second round of the draft and are returning Josh Downs for his second season after an impressive first year.
That sets up the Colts as potentially one of the best offenses in the NFL. Led by rookie head coach Shane Steichen, the Indy offense impressed even with Gardner Minshew under center. Richardson’s skill set compared to Minshew’s opens up so many more possibilities down the field, in the red zone, and in the run game. Richardson will also benefit from the fast pace of Steichen’s play calling. In fact, the Colts were top-3 in pace of play in 2023. The faster an offense plays, the more plays they run, and the more opportunities to score fantasy points there are.
There is no reason why a healthy Anthony Richardson can’t be a top-5 quarterback in fantasy football. He has the skill set, the supporting cast, and a sharp offensive play caller putting him in position to succeed. He will challenge the likes of Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen to be the top scoring quarterback in all of fantasy football. Yet, you can draft him multiple rounds after those guys come off the board. Anthony Richardson is the league-winning quarterback of 2024.
Who are the players you can’t stop drafting in 2024 fantasy football? Join us on Discord and let’s discuss!
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