People often debate which fantasy football draft slot is “optimal.” A top-3 pick offers the flexibility and wide range of options that could help you dominate your league. As you’ll find out, I exercised this flexibility and strayed from 2024 fantasy football ADP quite early in the draft.
Follow along as I lay out how my draft unfolded and the underlying strategy for my selections from pick 3 in this 2024 fantasy football draft.
For more Round-by-Round strategy, be sure to check out The Wolf’s 2024 Fantasy Guide! For just $10, you can support a small fantasy brand while getting the guide that pushes you over the edge!
The Roto Street Journal staff league has the following format: Half-PPR scoring (Start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 K, 1 DEF; 6 Bench Slots; 1 IR slot)
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Check out our full 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Breakdown!
2024 Fantasy Football Draft Results
HOW TO DRAFT FROM PICK 3 IN 2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL
Early Round Draft Strategy for Pick 3
After Tyreek Hill went off the board, I was left with a few elite wide receivers and the next tier of elite running backs behind Christian McCaffrey. Ultimately, I gambled on Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow being healthy for a full season.
Last season, Chase suffered through Jake Browning for seven games and still put up 100-1216-7 without a healthy Burrow for most of the season. When Burrow was on the field and fit enough to play, Chase averaged 16.2 FPPG through the first 10 weeks. With QB1 healthy and back under center, these two are ready to reclaim their spot as one of the top QB-WR duos in the league.
Although I feel good about Chase at 1.03, I may have second thoughts about passing on CeeDee Lamb and Breece Hall–something I’ll touch on at the end of the article.
Next, I continued to build my receiver core with Drake London at the 2.10. The third-year wideout is set for a breakout season after being freed from Arthur Smith’s shackles. London gets a major boost from OC Zac Robinson, another branch off the Sean McVay coaching tree, and Kirk Cousins at quarterback, representing a massive upgrade under center. London has all the tools to succeed as the Alpha WR1 in an offense waiting to explode.
I had a chance to enter Zero RB territory at 3.03 with Jaylen Waddle, Deebo Samuel, and Malik Nabers still on the board, but I’ve never felt comfortable with that strategy. Instead, I opted for Chiefs workhorse Isiah Pacheco, who has the backfield to himself after Jerick McKinnon departed.
In 2023, Pacheco saw 12-plus rush attempts in 11 games. Across those 11 games, Pacheco was on pace for 289 PPR points (17.02 ppg) for 1,307 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Additionally, he was on pace for 51 receptions for 334 yards and 3 receiving TDs on just 57 targets. Had that pace held, Pacheco would have finished ahead of Travis Etienne as the RB3, just 1.5 points behind Breece Hall.
Alongside the best quarterback in the world and improved weaponry around him, expect a monster season for Pacheco. I love this value at the beginning of the third round.
Following the third round, the group of workhorse running backs severely diminishes. However, Joe Mixon fell to me at 4.10, and it appears the Texans envision him as a true workhorse. Although Mixon has yet to practice due to quad and hamstring injuries, Mixon should have the RB1 slot locked up in one of the league’s top offenses. The veteran RB has posted 1,200 total yards and nine-plus touchdowns in three straight seasons and he’ll be expected to do the same in Houston.
“He’s a fun, fun person to coach,” Texans OC Bobby Slowik said. “From day one, showed up and absolutely worked his tail off… Workhorse. He’s an absolute workhorse, in every regard. Not just as a ball carrier. He embraces protections. He embraces the other things he can do outside of carrying the ball, as an eligible [receiver], as a decoy.”
In the past, I streamed the tight end spot. Last season, I went tight end relatively early based on camp buzz, and I absolutely whiffed by selecting RSJ love boy Darren Waller in way too many leagues. IMO, it’s key to find a stable, tight end to avoid streaming one each week, so I went with Josh Allen’s likely top-target-getter, Dalton Kincaid. The second-year stud has a real chance to lead the team in targets with a wide-open target totem pole.
As a rookie, Kincaid was overshadowed by fellow rookie Sam LaPorta but still put up a very solid 73-673-2 on 91 targets. Competing for targets against Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakur, Allen will lean on his young tight end to make plays. Kincaid has true top-three tight end fantasy upside this season.
Mid-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 3
With tight end checked off, I did not love the running backs at 6.10, although I do see some upside in Zamir White. However, I couldn’t pass up Chris Godwin with OC Liam Coen moving him back into the slot. Godwin fell off in 2023, but he saw 26% fewer slot snaps than his previous season. When he’s the primary slot receiver, he’s proved to be a top-15 fantasy WR lock. Luckily for him and the Bucs, Coen said Godwin will be placed into the Cooper Kupp-role of his offense.
I had a significant decision to make at 7.03. Do I continue to build WR depth to fill out my Flex spot or add my RB2 before the turn? I decided to buy into Diontae Johnson camp hype and roll with the former Steeler as Bryce Young’s WR1. By all accounts, Young and Johnson have built a nice rapport, while HC Dave Canales said Johnson has a featured role in the team’s offense.
Will I be kicking myself for passing on his teammate, rookie RB Jonathan Brooks, who went a pick after to Owen? Brooks could truly be a second-half league winner after he returns to 100%. Still, I feel I have a potential top-15 WR in my Flex spot, which I’m happy about.
This is why we don’t draft early, folks! With our draft taking place in late-July for content purposes, I saw immense value in Zack Moss, who appeared to be the Bengals’ locked-in RB1. However, just days after the draft, news broke that Chase Brown was leading the first-team RB reps ahead of Moss. Thus, I may have made a gigantic mistake at 8.10.
All signs pointed to Moss being the team’s undisputed bell-cow with double-digit TD upside. But, Brown was actually the one with massive upside, who went two rounds later at 10.7. Let’s pray that Moss can at least hold down early-down and goal line carries from Brown. If not, I’ll be in trouble if one of my two starters gets hurt.
I had one of my most successful fantasy seasons last year when I took Josh Allen early in drafts. I decided to punt on quarterback in this draft and see what I could grab once my starting lineup was set. I saw two rookie quarterbacks with monster upside waiting for me: Jayden Daniels at 9.03 and Caleb Williams coming back to me at 10.10.
I rarely draft two quarterbacks, but after selecting Daniels, I could not pass up the value of Caleb Williams. Daniels, who has legit league-winning upside due to his electric Konami Code skill-set, is poised to be my starter to begin the season. Then there’s Williams, who also has high fantasy upside and is surrounded by one of the best pass-catching groups in the league.
Not to mention, these two possess crazy individual talent. In the worst-case scenario, one busts. In the best-case scenario, both are legit, and I can deal one mid-season to a QB-needy team. It was a weird strategy to go QB-QB, but for some reason, it made sense.
Late-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 3
When we enter the late rounds, it’s smart to target upside. Specifically, I tend to target unknown/rookie upside, along with some overlooked veterans.
One of my favorite rookie running backs, MarShawn Lloyd, was available at 11.03. It’s clear the RSJ league did not care for Packers RB Josh Jacobs, letting him fall to 4.11. One of those reasons is the emergence and three-down skill-set that Lloyd brings to the table. There’s a chance Lloyd overtakes Jacobs at some point if the vet does not turn back the clock and if so, he will be a locked-in starter in an ascending offense. I’m not afraid of Josh Jacobs or AJ Dillon.
CeeDee Lamb was a monster down the stretch and is arguably the WR1 in fantasy this year due to Dallas’ lack of surrounding talent at the wideout spot. However, someone still has to occupy the WR2 position, and it’s Brandin Cooks. The veteran wideout did not exceed 1,000 yards last season, but he caught 54 balls for 657 yards and eight touchdowns, highlighted by a few breakout weeks. He’s a serviceable WR4/5 or Flex streamer with the potential to blow up based on matchups. There are worse WR depth picks in the 12th round.
With Samaje Perine likely the odd man out in the Denver RB rotation, shifty Jaleel McLaughlin should have third down on lock. Typically, I like to have a pass-catching RB with a solid floor on the bench and McLaughlin can be more than just a pass-catcher in this offense. He’s not stealing early-down or goal-line work from Javonte Williams and/or Audric Estime, yet he’ll certainly have a significant role in the offense.
Demarcus Robinson might be a better late-round best ball dart throw than in redraft, but with Puka Nacua already banged up and Cooper Kupp’s recent injury history, Robinson will serve as the team’s WR3 with the chance to be the WR2. Robinson was an absolute beast last season when he landed in the rotation. The vet averaged over 15 FPPG from Weeks 13 and on last season.
Rookie RB Tyrone Tracy is only behind Devin Singletary on the Giants RB depth chart. While I do like Singletary as a late-round sleeper with fantasy RB2 upside, Tracy has untapped RB upside as a WR-turned-RB in college. Tracy is one injury or slow start away from getting serious touches in this pretty gross offense. Plus, the rookie drips in elite athleticism. Solid dart throw in the 15th round.
With my final pick, I could’ve punted on kicker and defense to wait for Week 1, but I selected Ka’imi Fairbairn, who should be cemented into my starting lineup for the season. When healthy, he has one of the best legs in the league, and for the first time in a while, he’ll be linked to a top offense.
MY TEAM FROM PICK 3 IN 2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL:
- 1.03: Ja’Marr Chase, WR Cincinnati Bengals
- 2.10: Drake London, WR Atlanta Falcons
- 3.03: Isiah Pacheco, RB KC Chiefs
- 4.10: Joe Mixon, RB Houston Texans
- 5.03: Dalton Kincaid, TE Buffalo Bills
- 6.10: Chris Godwin, WR Tampa Bay Bucs
- 7.03: Diontae Johnson, WR Carolina Panthers
- 8.10: Zack Moss, RB Cincinnati Bengals
- 9.03: Jayden Daniels, QB Washington Commanders
- 10.10: Caleb Williams, QB Chicago Bears
- 11.03: MarShawn Lloyd, RB Green Bay Packers
- 12.10: Brandin Cooks, WR Dallas Cowboys
- 13.03: Jaleel McLaughlin, RB Denver Broncos
- 14.10: Demarcus Robinson, WR LA Rams
- 15.03: Tyrone Tracy, RB NY Giants
- 16.10: Ka’imi Fairbairn, K Houston Texans
IF I COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE ONE THING
Betting on Ja’Marr Chase over CeeDee Lamb or Breece Hall. The Wolf not only has both players ahead of Chase on his 2024 Fantasy Football Big Board, but he has him behind Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. That’s a massive discrepancy. But I’m a betting man, and I’m rolling with Burrow and Chase to stay healthy and explode in 2024… I hope.
FINAL TEAM THOUGHTS
Overall, I really like my team, and I especially love my receiver, tight end, and quarterback room. On the flip side, my running backs do not look as solid right now as they did on draft day. The rest of the league is lucky that we drafted so early, or else I would’ve added more stability to my RB room and created a monster.
Still, things could and should go my way, and I’ll be on the lookout for more RB depth on the waiver wire to ease my concerns. It’s title or bust for Team CJay in 2024.
