While definitely not the draft slot I’d choose if given my pick, I don’t hate to draft from pick 8 at all in 2024 fantasy football. You’re still getting solid high-end talent in the first couple of rounds, and I like the quicker turnarounds between picks with less time for my fellow RSJers to steal my guys (spoiler: they still found a way).
The way things are generally shaking out in early drafts this year, picking at 8 and 17 is getting you two highly-rated RB/WRs, a great way to start building a roster, and you have a lot of freedom on how exactly to use those crucial top two picks.
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)
READ MORE: “How to draft” from the… 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 pick
Check out our full 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Breakdown!
2024 Fantasy Football Draft Results
HOW TO DRAFT FROM PICK 8 IN 2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL
Early Round Draft Strategy for Pick 8
In early rounds, I typically shy away from any of the position-focused strategies (Zero RB, Hero RB, etc.) and set my sights on the best available guys. Especially in a three-WR league like this one, I’m often going to lean receiver early, but with the top five picks going as expected and then Amon Ra St. Brown and Garrett Wilson going sixth and seventh, my safest bet was going RB early.
The choice came down to Bijan Robinson vs. Breece Hall, and Bijan just narrowly won the internal debate for me. The Wolf actually has Hall ranked one spot above Robinson, but this is one instance I disagree with our fearless leader. It’s no knock on Hall, but I love Robinson’s outlook this year with Kirk Cousins at the helm and Zac Robinson taking over as OC after five seasons as an offensive assistant for the Rams. Provided Bijan can distance himself from RB2 Tyler Allgeier, he should be in for a high-volume season on the ground, and his ability in the passing game will put him over the top for fantasy production.
I fully planned on going WR with pick two to balance things back out, but after Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Chris Olave went off the board, there weren’t any wideouts left that I deemed worthy of a top-20 selection. So I went with Saquon Barkley, who I’m not head over heels about by any means, but I think he’s got more in the tank and Philly is the perfect spot to take advantage of that. He’s not an RB1 anymore in my opinion, but he’s a solid RB2 and his two revenge games against the Giants will be fun with him on my roster.
Again in the third round I planned on going receiver, and again my plans changed. Deebo Samuel and Malik Nabers went right before me, and I settled on Sam LaPorta, who is a great consolation prize as one of the league’s most talented young tight ends in an offense that was high-powered a season ago and didn’t undergo a lot of change this offseason.
If you told me five minutes before the draft I’d be heading into my fourth pick without a receiver on the roster, I would’ve said you were insane. But hey, that’s fantasy football for you.
Finally with pick four, I landed on DJ Moore, who’s about as strong of a WR1 as you’ll get at pick 41. I’m not the world’s biggest Caleb Williams fanatic, but the talent is undeniable, and the Bears offense is unrecognizable from the unit that was 27th in passing offense in 2023. Moore will benefit from the attention defenses need to pay to guys like Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze and should have a WR1-worthy season.
After breaking my “no going in on one position early” rule, I was feeling pretty crazy, so I broke one of my other rules about going QB early. Most years, the difference between the fantasy QB5 and QB15 is a few points at most, so I generally try to wait it out and get an undervalued guy late. However, as the NFL continues to evolve, QBs are more valuable in fantasy, and getting a top guy can be the difference between a decent season and a championship. I’m a huge CJ Stroud fan and think he’s in for a massive sophomore season and is even the subject of some MVP talk early, so I nabbed him in the fifth round and crossed my QB need off my list.
Mid-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 8
With only one receiver through five rounds in a three-receiver league, it was obvious what my middle-round strategy had to be: collect as many solid WR options as you can and hope as many as possible pan out.
This started with Jordan Addison in the sixth, which obviously makes me nervous with a potential suspension for DUI incoming. Receiver options around this pick were slim, so I was essentially choosing between Addison and Rashee Rice, who had his own troublesome offseason as well. I went with Addison as I think he’s in a better spot to produce right away (and he’ll likely have a less severe punishment than Rice, which helps). This draft obviously took place before JJ McCarthy’s recent injury news, which may have changed my strategy at the time, but what’s done is done.
I went with Hollywood Brown next, which I was excited about after passing on Rice the round before. I think Brown and Rice could potentially produce at very similar levels in Kansas City’s offense, so the fact that I got Brown an entire round after Rice went was great. Once again, injury news changed this pick later on as Brown suffered a shoulder injury this week and could miss some time, but nothing we can do. A late July draft almost always means getting saddled with injured guys by mid-August.
I was trying to avoid going with Rome Odunze next as I already have Moore, and my thin WR group will be even thinner during Chicago’s bye week. I was choosing between Odunze and Ladd McConkey, but couldn’t talk myself out of taking the Bears rookie over the Chargers’. Odunze has way more upside, is in a much better offense, and had to be my guy here. I’ve sung some praises of McConkey recently and definitely think he could end up being the better pick of the two here, but Odunze’s ceiling was too tempting to pass up on.
With my WR group in better shape, I could finally go back to the RB well, which I did in the ninth round with Javonte Williams. Williams was definitely not 100% last year, but he still managed to put up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage, and he should have plenty of motivation heading into the final year of his rookie deal. He’ll face competition from Jaleel McLaughlin, Samaje Perine, and rookie Audric Estime out of Notre Dame, but as long as he’s anywhere near 100%, he should be the clear RB1 in what looks to be an improved Broncos offense in Sean Payton’s second year at the helm.
Even though I grabbed Sam LaPorta early, when I saw Dalton Schultz sitting there in the 10th round and I couldn’t help myself. Whether as an injury or bye week fill-in or even at the FLEX spot, if matchups dictate, I know I can use a guy like Schultz, who commands a strong target share (second on the team with 88 targets last year) in a powerful offense.
Late-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 8
Once I get past the ninth or tenth round and have my core group in place, I’m really just looking at best available and trying to find some guys I think are being undervalued. Adonai Mitchell in the 11th was one I’m really excited about and is another guy I’ve been high on this offseason. If Anthony Richardson can stay healthy in year two, I think his talent is enough to support two top wideouts in Indy, and I think Mitchell could be that second guy.
Gabe Davis is in a similar position, joining a Jags team that has a solid QB in Trevor Lawrence and at least two other guys — Christian Kirk and rookie Brian Thomas — that could eat into his workload a little, which gives context to his availability in the 12th round despite a WR38 finish last year. I’m hoping a move to a new offense helps Davis shake his “boom or bust” label and produce more consistently, even if his booms are less lucrative.
I won’t take a ton of time to go through my last four picks, because they aren’t anything too exciting. Antonio Gibson and Kendre Miller ended up as my last two bench guys, with Gibson heading to New England to back up Rhamondre Stevenson and Miller hoping to usurp Jamaal Williams’ role as the Saints RB2. Both could have some strong weeks if they can make the most of their limited early-season usage, but both could also be picks I look back and laugh at by midseason.
Finally, although I found out later on that it wasn’t a requirement in our Sleeper draft, I filled out my roster with a defense and kicker with my final two picks. Generally, I start with defense and focus on a top-10 unit with a relatively generous early-season schedule, and those numbers pointed to Philadelphia DST once the Niners, Jets, Ravens, and Cowboys were already taken.
As you know, if you followed my weekly Defense Streamer picks last season, I like to go week-by-week with defenses based on matchups, but in the draft I like to lock down a multi-week mainstay to start the season off on the right foot.
Finally, the most exciting pick of the draft, the kicker spot. I’ve always been a big fan of Younghoe Koo, not just because of his great name but because he’s one of the most consistent kickers in the league and has been since he got to Atlanta. He’s struggled for fantasy production in the past mostly due to lack of PAT volume, but I’m hopeful that will change this year with an improved offense in Atlanta.
MY TEAM FROM PICK 8 IN 2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL:
- 1.8: Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
- 2.5: Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI
- 3.8: Sam LaPorta, TE, DET
- 4.5: DJ Moore, WR, CHI
- 5.8: CJ Stroud, QB, HOU
- 6.5: Jordan Addison, WR, MIN
- 7.8: Hollywood Brown, WR, KC
- 8.5: Rome Odunze, WR, CHI
- 9.8: Javonte Williams, RB, DEN
- 10.5: Dalton Schultz, TE, HOU
- 11.8: Adonai Mitchell, WR, IND
- 12.5: Gabe Davis, WR, JAX
- 13.8: Antonio Gibson, RB, NE
- 14.5: Kendre Miller, RB, NO
- 15.8: Philadelphia Eagles D/ST
- 16.5: Younghoe Koo, K, ATL
FINAL TEAM THOUGHTS
All in all, I’m happy with how my squad turned out from the eighth overall pick. Robinson, Barkley, and Williams should prove to be good core players at running back, and I was able to go RB early while not sacrificing too much talent at receiver. I should have a top-ten quarterback and TE, and the depth on the bench is solid as well. If all goes according to plan, this squad will be gunning for an RSJ Championship in a few short months.
