I wanted to land at least one “Hero-Worthy RB” in my first two rounds. An elite RB is still the strongest edge in fantasy football, and they can rarely be found outside the Top-24.
I have also grown more fond of “Elite Onesies” (QBs and TEs), the more drafting and mocks I do, which I wish I had leaned into at quarterback here (perhaps Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes over Devonta Smith).
I’ve admittedly done about 300 Best Ball Drafts this offseason, while this was my first regular redraft league. With WRs so much more valuable in the Best Ball format, I may have been a little too aggressive with WRs early, failing to realize JUST HOW DEEP the WR position is.
Given we start 3 WRs + 1 Flex, I don’t mind that at all, and I think the drop-off at RB is far faster and steeper than compared to WRs, so I planned to resist those RBs in the Round 4-8 range, as those guys don’t seem so much better than the Round 9-11 players. Still, had I leaned into the WR depth a little more, and started RB-RB, or gone an Elite QB over D.Smith, I think my starting roster would feel a lot stronger right now.
The other tricky part with 12 is being right on “the turn.” To get the guys you really want, you sometimes have to reach 10-12+ picks, as you won’t get another shot for 24 selections. I tried to play the “value game” a little too much here, passing on guys I thought would make it back, who then didn’t (Chase Brown!)
When you’re on these book-end spots, it’s even more crucial to “get your guys.”
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!
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Check out our full 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Breakdown!
2024 Fantasy Football Draft Results
HOW TO DRAFT FROM PICK 12 IN 2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL
Early Round Draft Strategy for Pick 12
In most draft slots, I like to secure at least one Top-5 RB and one Top-10 WR within my first two picks. This gives you the flexibility to target “Elite Onesies” in Rounds 3-4 while still having a true No.1 at the multi-starter spots.
As such, Puka Nacua and Jonathan Taylor were easy clicks for me. Granted, this was before Puka’s “minor knee injury” (he’s fallen to 15th overall in my latest 2024 Fantasy Football Big Board), but I still would’ve strongly considered him at 12. Puka is still my WR8, and all seven WRs who I have above Puka have already been drafted.
Nacua’s injury isn’t expected to keep him out of Week 1, or even the prep week. He is fresh off breaking the rookie record for receptions (105), yards (1486), catches (15) & targets (20) in a game, and a single-game playoff record (182 yards). Nacua was highly efficient with his work, racking up 2.72 YPRR (6th), 105 rec (8th), and 1486 yds (4th) along with 6 TDs (27th), yielding 246 Half-PPR FPs (WR4) and 14.5 FPPG (WR7).
Yes, his performance dipped with Kupp in there. Nacua averaged 15.74 PPR FPPG vs. a whopping 21.92 PPR FPPG without Kupp in the line-up. Yet, Puka was still the Rams’ most productive WR even with Kupp active, including his 182 yards in his first playoff game. I may prefer to have gone RB-RB, but Nacua’s still an elite No.1 WR to anchor a pass-catching corps.
Meanwhile, Taylor is just two seasons removed from finishing as the clear RB1, with 2171 YFS and 20 total TDs on a massive 384 opportunities. This new Colts offense under Shane Steichen offers tons of upside. In the few games with Anthony Richardson, the Colts were 1st in pace and no-huddle rate, 3rd in average play clock seconds, and 1st in combined plays run (w/ opponents), and 7th in combined points. Even without him, the Colts ranked 12th in plays run and 11th in points. This is a RIPE fantasy environment, especially out of the backfield.
Taylor also played well once his legs were under him and saw meaningful work. From Week 7 onward, JT was the RB3 in Fantasy with 16.8 FPPG. He finished Top-12 in 56% of his games. If you combined Zack Moss’ and JT’s scoring from starts, you’d get 268.6 FPs, which would have ranked RB2 on the season. He absolutely has “Legendary Upside” at the end of Round 1.
This felt like the best way to test out my “balanced approach” (1 RB & 1 WR in two rounds). In hindsight, after Puka’s injury + seeing the WRs available in the 36-50 range, I think I’d go for an RB-RB start from Pick 11 or 12, assuming AJ Brown and Garrett Wilson are off the board.
In Rounds 3-4, I LOVE the values of Cooper Kupp and Devonta Smith. I would’ve loved them even more if I had two monster bell-cow RBs in front of them. I don’t have any issue pairing Kupp and Nacua; Matthew Stafford can definitely sustain two high-end mouths. This also balances the floor and ceiling — I’m going to have the WR1 of the Rams no matter what, and the No.2 has always been productive. Shoot, even Demarcus Robinson (WR20), Kupp (WR12), and Nacua (WR4) were all top-20 over the five weeks they were the locked-in starters!
Meanwhile, I’m expecting BIG things out of the slot for Devonta Smith. He’s reportedly taken his game to another level somehow, and has been completely unguaradable, especially with new OC Kellen Moore using motion and alignment to put Smith in advantageous spots.
Looking back, I think either an RB-RB start (e.g., Taylor + Barkley / Kyren) or locking in an Elite Round 3 QB like Lamar Jackson would’ve been the play. My WRs are the best in the league, but that might create more of a headache than I want in a redraft format.
Middle-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 12
The more I’ve drafted and studied the Redraft ADP, the more I’ve realized these middle rounds are LOADED with WR talent, regardless of the platform you draft on. For future drafts, I think RB-RB starts and/or targeting the “Elite Onesie Edges” in Round 3/4 make sense and allow you to hammer the WR Oasis from Rounds 5-10.
I began my middle rounds with Terry McLaurin and George Kittle. I love McLaurin to finally reach his fullest ceiling with Jayden Daniels, the best QB he’s ever played with, slinging the rock. Kliff Kingsbury’s system, which heavily funnels first-read targets to WR1s, doesn’t hurt, either.
Meanwhile, Kittle feels like the “last of the massive-edge TEs tier,” so I felt pressured to snag him here. There are only 5-6 guys capable of spiking for 20+ FPs from your TE spot, and Kittle is one of them (most 20+ FPs games across the past two seasons).
As seems to be a common theme of this draft, I do wish I passed on WR (McLaurin) for Anthony Richardson. He’s one of only 4-5 QBs truly capable of breaking fantasy. Even though I worry about his injury concerns, the amount of WR depth available late, plus the fact I already had three strong WRs made Terry expendable.
I didn’t mind following up with Jordan Love and his most dangerous weapon (Jayden Reed), though. He really flipped a switch around mid-season last year. Across his last 8 games, he was THE QB2, with 7-of-8 games inside the Top-12 (& above 22+ FPs):
The whack-a-mole nature of the Packers’ passing game might make Reed a nightmare in redraft. Still, with his Deebo-lite usage as a rookie, I’m confident he can carve out the highest floor AND ceiling, and he stacked up my QB1.
As mentioned, the RBs in these middle rounds seem on par with the Round 9-11 guys. I do think the edge is definitely in the WRs talent pool in this range Round 6-8 range, so setting yourself up to be able to fully dive in those early rounds (RB-RB start, or RB-WR-QB-TE) is one strong takeaway for me.
Late-Round Draft Strategy for Pick 12
The RB talent and depth shine in this Round 9-11 range. It’s why I am comfortable going Hero or even Zero RB.
I nailed down two of my favorite guys, Tyjae Spears and Ezekiel Elliott, who present a nice balance of exciting youth and veteran volume floor.
This may feel hideous, given no player has touched the ball more than Zeke, and he’s definitely on his last legs (so it would seem).
Yet, after Dallas didn’t spend a single pick on RB and only brought in Royce Freeman, Zeke’s looking like the first in line to lead the backfield of 2023’s No.1 scoring offense… and he’s going after Pick 100?!
Sure, the Cowboys are a pass-first squad, but Pollard still ranked 3rd in xFP, 6th in touches, and 7th in GL carries. That’s especially where Zeke could butter his fantasy bread – Pollard was horrendous at converting his GL carries, but Zeke has always been highly effective at the stripe. 10+ TDs are well within reach.
And just how washed is he, really? In 2023, Zeke logged a faster single-ball carrier speed than Pollard, Ekeler, and Jacobs; if the argument is “he was under 4.0 ypc,” well, other RBs who were under that clip include Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Travis Etienne, Rachaad White, and Alvin Kamara…
Ultimately, as the Patriots starter last year (Weeks 13-18), Zeke was the RB15, RB1, RB27, RB6, RB26, RB19. He was the PPR RB7 over that span. The Patriots were a DREADFUL team, and the Cowboys (again) were the No.1 scoring offense in the league.
I also like buying an even cheaper Rico Dowdle, who reportedly looks like the Cowboys’ best RB in camp so far. But when push comes to shove, Zeke’s historic production and presence will likely win out, and give you a 250-touch back in the top-5 offense after Round 9.
As discussed in my Pollard Fade section, the Titans view this backfield as a clear “1A & 1B” situation, to the point they even listed Pollard and Spears as “co-starters’ in the first depth chart of the year.
Callahan even mentioned a “hot-hand” approach when discussing the team, noting: Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot, and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth… they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don’t view either one of them as a starter or a back-up.”
Though far from a given with Pollard another year removed from his injury, if we get the same versions of the two RBs from last year, Spears will undoubtedly accrue the hotter hand far more often. The gap on nearly every efficiency metric is quite wide:
| Stat | Tony Pollard | Tyjae Spears |
| FPs / Opp | .70 (R50) | .90 (RB13) |
| Yds per touch | 4.3 (RB44) | 5.5 (RB6) |
| Yds After Contact / Att | 2.92 (RB25) | 3.15 (RB12) |
| Explosive Run Rte | 4.4% (RB25) | 7.0% (RB5) |
| YPRR | .86 (RB34) | 1.52 (RB11) |
| Avoided Tackles / Att | .18 (RB26) | .26 (RB4) |
As I already mentioned, now that I’m rounding out my bench, I want PURE upside in redraft. You have the Waiver Wire and trading to patch holes in your roster, so every single pick should be spent with the highest possible ceiling in mind.
Once we get to the Bye Week Hell and injuries strike, we will need to use the Waiver Wire to find streamers. In redraft, you want your bench to be full of the type of guys that, if things bend right, every one would be spending their top Waiver Wire Priority or $100+ FAAB on.
For the most part, this ends up being either A) Talented Rookies or B) Handcuff RBs in good offenses
The team I drafted from Pick 12 in 2024 Fantasy Football
- Puka Nacua (12th)
- Jonathan Taylor (13th)
- Cooper Kupp (36th)
- Devonta Smith (37th)
- George Kittle (60th)
- Terry McLaurin (61st)
- Jayden Reed (84th)
- Jordan Love (85th)
- Tyjae Spears (108th)
- Ezekiel Elliott (109th)
- Romeo Doubs (132nd)
- Mike Williams (133rd)
- Tyler Allgeier (156th)
- Rickey Pearsall (157th)
- Brandon Aubrey (180th)
- Troy Franklin (181st) – Cut Franklin immediately for Bucky Irving
If You Could Go Back and Change One (or Two) Things…
As you may have discerned from this post, I really wish I had started RB-RB in this draft.
No, a “Robust RB” strategy does not make sense from most draft slots. Yet, at the tail end of Round 1, I think it’s the best way to capitalize on the lack of true “Hero Worthy RBs,” while allowing you to capitalize on the amazing WR values in Rounds 3-8.
I LOVE my WRs room, but I think I could’ve loved it without Puka Nacua, and instead had a Saquon Barkley or Kyren Williams in his place.
Beyond that, just some player swaps I’d love to have made: Chase Brown over both Ezekiel Elliott and Tyjae Spears would’ve been preferred (especially over Zeke). I also cut Troy Franklin immediately for Bucky Irving, as this roster definitely needs its bench stabs to be more RB-focused. Plus, Franklin has been utterly useless throughout training camp and the preseason so far.
Final Team Thoughts, Grade, and Next Steps / Watch List
I wish I could say I love this roster, but the truth is, I don’t. I like it. It may have been the sixth or seventh best team drafted in the RSJ’s 2024 Fantasy Football Draft. I would’ve felt a lot stronger with an RB-RB start from this slot, and think I may have been suffering from a bit of “Best Ball Brain” where WRs are infinitely more valuable. Had I gone Chase Brown over Zeke, I would’ve similarly felt a lot stronger.
Nonetheless, this team may not fly right out of the gates. Yet, if I can capitalize on the chaos of the season and land some monster handcuffs-that-become-starters, this team could be poised to do some massive damage. That’s the whole thesis behind Zero-RB, and I think this “Hero-RB” modification is indeed set up well to rise with whatever tsunamis are thrown across the fantasy landscape, with my WR firepower + a big bet on Jordan Love & the Packers keeping me constantly alive this year.
