Fantasy Football Draft Strategy 2024: Latest Mock Draft and Cheatsheet Tips

Mock draft season is entering the final stretch.

Fantasy football managers only have so much time remaining to finalize their draft preparations ahead of the Sept. 5 opener of the 2024 NFL season.

Let's not waste any more of it, then, and instead dive right into a three-round mock using FantasyPros' mock draft simulator and analyze the results before closing with cheatsheet-style rankings of the three marquee positions.

Three-Round, 12-Team PPR Mock

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DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 21: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after a play during the first quarter of an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on January 21, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF

2. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL

3. Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA

4. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN

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

6. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL

7. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ

8. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN

9. A.J. Brown, WR, PHI

10. Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ

11. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND

12. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET

Round 2

13. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR

14. Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI

15. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI

16. Derrick Henry, RB, BAL

17. Davante Adams, WR, LV

18. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR

19. Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC

20. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, JAX

21. Drake London, WR, ATL

22. Josh Allen, QB, BUF

23. Chris Olave, WR, NO

24. De'Von Achane, RB, MIA

Round 3

25. Sam LaPorta, TE, DET

26. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, IND

27. Mike Evans, WR, TB

28. Rachaad White, RB, TB

29. Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA

30. DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI

31. Travis Kelce, TE, KC

32. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF

33. Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC

34. Josh Jacobs, RB, GB

35. Joe Mixon, RB, HOU

36. Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI

Mock Draft Takeaways

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WESTFIELD, INDIANA - AUGUST 15: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts runs a drill during a joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals at Grand Park Sports Campus on August 15, 2024 in Westfield, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Elite wide receivers are going quickly.

If you play in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues, then it's hard to overstate the value of a top-shelf wide receiver who sees a massive amount of targets. Outside of Christian McCaffrey. who dominates as both a ball-carrier and a receiver out of the backfield, the top of draft boards are often littered with premier pass-catchers.

In this mock, McCaffrey was the only non-receiver to crack the top-five, while Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall were the only others to make the top 10. If you're holding onto a late first-round pick and hope to land the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown or Garrett Wilson, best of luck to you.

High-volume running backs remain absurdly valuable.

There aren't many bellcow running backs trotted out in the modern NFL, but that only increases the value of the players fortunate enough to be in that role—or even presumed of having a chance to see that type of involvement.

While only three of the first 10 picks were running backs, seven of the next 10 came from the position. Unless you're deliberately avoiding early running backs, you'll probably want to hit the position at least once within the first couple rounds.

If you want Josh Allen, you better draft him in the second round.

It's always worth debating the value of the top quarterback on the draft board, and there are reasons to wonder whether the skepticism might be increased this season. With Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis no longer residing in Buffalo, it's tough to tell where Allen is supposed to go with his passes.

Maybe that doesn't matter to you, though. Maybe you're more focused on the fact Allen just obliterated everyone in fantasy this past season. Or perhaps you've noticed he's been a top-two fantasy performer overall in each of the past four campaigns. There's a lot to like with him, obviously, and if you feel like you have to have him this season, then we'd advise against any fingers-crossed hoping that slips out of the second round.

Cheatsheet Rankings

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 17: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) warms up priorate the start of the NFL Preseason game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Indianapolis Colts on August 17, 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Quarterback

1. Josh Allen, BUF

2. Jalen Hurts, PHI

3. Lamar Jackson, BUF

4. Anthony Richardson, IND

5. Patrick Mahomes, KC

6. C.J. Stroud, HOU

7. Joe Burrow, CIN

8. Caleb Williams, CHI

9. Jordan Love, GB

10. Kyler Murray, ARI

Running back

1. Bijan Robinson, ATL

2. Breece Hall, NYJ

3. Christian McCaffrey, SF

4. Jahmyr Gibbs, DET

5. Jonathan Taylor, IND

6. De'Von Achane, MIA

7. Saquon Barkley, PHI

8. Travis Etienne Jr., JAX

9. Kyren Williams, LAR

10. Kenneth Walker III, SEA

Wide receiver

1. Justin Jefferson, MIN

2. Ja'Marr Chase, CIN

3. CeeDee Lamb, DAL

4. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET

5. Marvin Harrison Jr., ARI

6. Garrett Wilson, NYJ

7. Puka Nacua, LAR

8. A.J. Brown, PHI

9. Malik Nabers, NYG

10. Tyreek Hill, MIA