Entering a 2024 fantasy football draft with Pick 7 can be both exciting and challenging. When drafting from this position in a non-super-flex league with three starting WR slots, it’s crucial to have a solid strategy to optimize your team’s potential. Targeting at least two stud receivers within your first three picks is a wise approach, ensuring you lock in high-value players who can consistently contribute to your starting lineup.
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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 7 IN 2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL
Early Round Draft Strategy for Pick 7
Upon learning I would be selecting at 1.07, I had hoped that Ja’marr Chase or Amon-Ra St. Brown would fall to me. Sadly, neither of those came to be, so I was presented with a dilemma off the bat.
Most folks would have likely taken Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall without hesitation. I personally always prefer drafting stud receivers in the early rounds, as I view them as less risky options than their running back equivalents in terms of ADP. I am definitely in the minority of the fantasy community in passing on these potential overall RB1s in favor of Garrett Wilson. I believe we still haven’t seen his true ceiling.
In the second round, however, I was given the opportunity to take Travis Etienne over the likes of Brandon Aiyuk, Jaylen Waddle, and Drake London. While I could have potentially taken Waddle, it was a bit early, and I hoped he’d fall back to me in the third. Aiyuk has a contract drama going on at the moment, and we really haven’t seen it from London yet. With Etienne’s workload as safe as any RB in the league, I had to pull the trigger, especially after passing on Breece and Bijan in round 1.
I followed up the round 2 selection of Travis Etienne with Malik Nabers in the third round. I wanted this pick to be Waddle or Deebo Samuel; however, both were sniped earlier in the round. All reports out of Giants camp so far say Nabers is unguardable and easily creates separation. With zero legitimate competition for targets, he could be looking at an OBJ-type rookie season in the Big Apple.
Mid-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 7
Being in the middle of the draft has its pros and cons. A pro is that you never go too long without making a selection, and a con is that you may need to pull the trigger on players a bit earlier than normal. Being in the middle of the draft offers the flexibility of taking the best player available and allows fluidity when reviewing your player tiers.
After landing two receivers and one ‘Hero RB’ through the first three rounds, I was simply looking for value on my next handful of picks.
My selections of Kyle Pitts and Anthony Richardson in the fifth and sixth rounds define boom-or-bust. With Kirk Cousins in town, Pitts will now have the best quarterback he’s ever played with, and with Richardson’s rushing upside, there is serious potential for a top-three finish at the position for both of these players. These could ultimately end up backfiring, passing on safer players like George Kittle or David Montgomery, but I loved the idea of the upside of Pitts and Richardson on my squad.
In Round 7, I was firmly ready to take Jonathan Brooks, but sadly, he was taken at 7.04. I was a bit on tilt at this point and added another 2024 rookie RB to my squad in Trey Benson. I think the Cardinals offense is going to explode this year, and while I am a James Conner truther, he is long in the tooth, and Benson offers true home run ability.
Then, I started stacking WRs with upside in Ladd McConkey and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as more depth at running back with Blake Corum and Zach Charbonnet. I followed that up with a cheap Colts stack by selecting Josh Downs in Round 12 to pair with Anthony Richardson.
Late-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 7
The last two rounds should be used for your defense and kicker. However, I subscribe to the idea of not drafting a kicker for the extra position player during training camp and picking one up right before week 1. The other late-round selections should be used on high-upside players that can swing your season.
JK Dobbins was sadly sniped at 13.06, where I planned to take him. In his place, I was able to add rookie RB Ray Davis of the Buffalo Bills to the squad. Adding a cheap piece of a top offense is a great strategy this late, especially at the running back position, where we see the most instances of changing of the guard during a season. Should Davis earn goal line work, and/or James Cook miss time, you could be looking at a very startable RB2/Flex for your team. Sign me up for that in Round 13 every time.
Next, I selected Trevor Lawrence as a backup quarterback, given Richardson’s injury-plagued 2023 season. Lawrence feels as safe as any backup QB on my roster, so getting him this late was a great find.
The sack-happy Dallas DST was my selection in Round 15, followed by the immortal Trey Sermon in Round 16. Sermon is a player I just can’t quit. If you know, you know.
IF I COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE ONE THING
If I could change anything from this draft, the obvious would be selecting Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall with 1.07. It will be a long season if either of these guys reaches their potential overall RB1 ceiling.
The other spot I’m semi-kicking myself over is my selection of Zay Flowers in the fourth round, over guys like Kenneth Walker and Joe Mixon. Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb has showered K9 with praise and he seems poised to break out in a significant way this season. This could be a painful player to pass on for me in Round 4.
FINAL TEAM THOUGHTS
If I were to grade my draft based on pre-season rankings and data, I would give it a C+. Passing on the two workhorses in Round 1will shape my season, as will Anthony Richardson’s health and the presumed development of Kyle Pitts and Malik Nabers.
I would argue my team has the most upside if all players hit their perceived ceilings, but we all know this isn’t the case in fantasy football. If Aaron Rogers has anything left in the tank, Garrett Wilson could finish as the overall WR1 but it also doesn’t feel like a finish worse than WR10 is on his list of outcomes.
My overall approach with this draft was to go big or go home, and I stuck to my convictions on certain players. Time will tell, but it could be a very fun ride in 2024.
