Fantasy Football 2024: Breaking Down Mock Draft and Cheatsheet

The 2024 NFL season moves closer by the minute.

If you play fantasy football and haven't ran through a few mock drafts yet, it's time to change that.

Mock drafts are one of the more valuable tools available to fantasy managers. Beyond just refreshing you on the general selection process, they also offer a chance to experiment with different strategies and see whether you can find something to add to your gameplan.

Here, we've tabbed FantasyPros' mock draft simulator to conduct an automated three-round mock draft. After, we'll spotlight a few of the biggest debates near the top of the draft board before finishing with cheatsheet-style top-10 rankings at each of the four skill positions.

3-Round, 12-Team Mock Draft

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CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 12: Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals walks across the field during mandatory minicamp at the IEL Indoor Facility on June 12, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Round one

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF

2. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL

3. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN

4. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL

5. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ

6. Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA

7. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN

8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET

9. A.J. Brown, WR, PHI

10. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR

11. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND

12. Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI

Round two

13. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET

14. Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ

15. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR

16. Derrick Henry, RB, BAL

17. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI

18. Davante Adams, WR, LV

19. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, JAX

20. Josh Allen, QB, BUF

21. Chris Olave, WR, NO

22. Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA

23. Drake London, WR, ATL

24. Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC

Round three

25. Josh Jacobs, RB, GB

26. De'Von Achane, RB, MIA

27. Rachaad White, RB, TB

28. Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, SF

29. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, IND

30. Nico Collins, WR, HOU

31. Sam LaPorta, TE, DET

32. James Cook, RB, BUF

33. Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL

34. Mike Evans, WR, TB

35. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF

36. Travis Kelce, TE, KC

Draft Debates

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FLOWERY BRANCH, GEORGIA - JULY 28: Bijan Robinson #7 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on during training camp on July 28, 2024 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Who is RB2?

Christian McCaffrey is universally (and correctly) regarded as the top running back on the fantasy draft board. Where opinions split, though, is with which back should be the next to go: Breece Hall or Bijan Robinson.

Both are coming off hugely productive campaigns—Hall tallied 1,585 scrimmage yards and nine scores, while Robinson produced 1,463 and eight, respectively—and each has plenty to gain from quarterback upgrades. Hall's Jets have a healthy Aaron Rodgers under center, and Robinson's Falcons leveled-up from Desmond Ridder to Kirk Cousins.

How early is too early to take a quarterback?

If you seek out any kind of fantasy advice, you'll inevitably come across the instruction to wait before filling the quarterback spot. As the thinking goes, there isn't as big of a separation with players at the position as there are with running backs and receivers. The opportunity cost of taking an early quarterback, then, is deemed by many as too steep.

Having said that, though, the gap between an elite and a non-elite is still pretty wide. Last season, Josh Allen posted 410.6 fantasy points, per FantasyPros. Baker Mayfield, QB10 meanwhile, managed just 284.1. If you envision a similar split, you could confidently take Allen as early as the second round. If not, you could nab a solid-or-better starter closer to the back end of the top 10 rounds.

Who is QB2?

Just like with running back, there is a pretty general consensus that Allen is the top quarterback available. There are also disagreements about which signal-caller sits second.

Some will say Lamar Jackson. Others will back Jalen Hurts. Still others might wonder how Patrick Mahomes isn't the obvious choice. The running ability of Jackson and Hurts would give them the edge on Mahomes for us, but it's up to you to decide who you prefer and who you trust the most.

Cheatsheet Rankings

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - AUGUST 01: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws passes during Dolphins Training Camp on Thursday, August 1, 2024 at Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Quarterback

1. Josh Allen, BUF

2. Jalen Hurts, PHI

3. Lamar Jackson, BAL

4. Patrick Mahomes, KC

5. Anthony Richardson, IND

6. C.J. Stroud, HOU

7. Joe Burrow, CIN

8. Kyler Murray, ARI

9. Dak Prescott, DAL

10. Tua Tagovailoa, MIA

Running back

1. Christian McCaffrey, SF

2. Breece Hall, NYJ

3. Bijan Robinson, ATL

4. Jonathan Taylor, IND

5. Saquon Barkley, PHI

6. Jahmyr Gibbs, DET

7. Kyren Williams, LAR

8. Travis Etienne Jr., JAX

9. Isiah Pacheco, KC

10. De'Von Achane, MIA

Wide receiver

1. CeeDee Lamb, DAL

2. Ja'Marr Chase, CIN

3. Tyreek Hill, MIA

4. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET

5. Justin Jefferson, MIN

6. Garrett Wilson, NYJ

7. A.J. Brown, PHI

8. Puka Nacua, LAR

9. Davante Adams, LV

10. Chris Olave, NO

Tight end

1. Travis Kelce, KC

2. Sam LaPorta, DET

3. Mark Andrews, BAL

4. George Kittle, SF

5. Trey McBride, ARI

6. Dalton Kincaid, BUF

7. Jake Ferguson, DAL

8. Evan Engram, JAX

9. Kyle Pitts, ATL

10. Brock Bowers, LV