Fantasy Football 2024: Mock Draft Analysis and Ideal Selection Strategy Cheat Sheet

Decision time is fast approaching for fantasy football managers with the 2024 NFL season bearing down on us.

The fantasy calendar shows this is cram-session time, so you'll want to utilize all of the pre-draft resources you can find.

Expert analysis, position rankings and camp reports are all valuable tools, but nothing quite beats practicing a talent grab with a mock draft. In fact, we're doing exactly that here by laying out a 12-team, three-round, point-per-reception (PPR) mock draft using FantasyPros' Mock Draft Simulator. After, we'll analyze the results and provide some early round strategies before closing with top-10 rankings at the four skill positions.

Three-Round PPR Mock

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 31: Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings lines up for a play in the second quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF

2. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL

3. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL

4. Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA

5. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN

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

7. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ

8. Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI

9. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN

10. Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ

11. A.J. Brown, WR, PHI

12. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET

Round 2

13. Drake London, WR, ATL

14. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR

15. Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC

16. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND

17. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR

18. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, JAX

19. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI

20. Mike Evans, WR, TB

21. Derrick Henry, RB, BAL

22. Alvin Kamara, RB, NO

23. Davante Adams, WR, LV

24. Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA

Round 3

25. Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR

26. Chris Olave, WR, NO

27. Josh Allen, QB, BUF

28. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF

29. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, IND

30. Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI

31. De'Von Achane, RB, MIA

32. James Cook, RB, BUF

33. Nico Collins, WR, HOU

34. Josh Jacobs, RB, GB

35. Travis Kelce, TE, KC

36. Sam LaPorta, TE, DET

Analysis and Strategies

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FOXBOROUGH, MA - AUGUST 13: Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries during joint training camp between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles on August 13, 2024, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While the mock draft simulator seldom includes the kinds of true head-scratchers you might see in an actual draft, it can serve up a few surprises.

Saquon Barkley going eighth overall is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser, as most mocks will see him trail top-shelf pass-catchers like Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown. There being an equal divide of running backs and receivers over the first 18 picks (nine of each) qualifies as another. You won't always see all four of Isiah Pacheco, Jonathan Taylor, Kyren Williams and Travis Etienne Jr. outpacing all of Marvin Harrison Jr., Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Jaylen Waddle and Cooper Kupp.

The final semi-twist here is that only running backs and receivers went in the first two rounds. The first quarterback didn't come off the board until the third pick of the third round (Josh Allen), while tight end went untouched until pick No. 35 (Travis Kelce). So, if you're thinking of starting a draft with solely backs and receivers, just be aware several of your leaguemates might be thinking the same.

Even with that possibility in place, though, that's still how we'd try to start. High-end backs and receivers remain the most valuable producers in fantasy. The gap between them and the second and third tiers is just wider than then ones you'll find at quarterback and tight end.

You'll want to make sure you do everything you can to leave the first round with an elite. That's the place to think most about talent and less about position. If you can't get Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall or Bijan Robinson, you should think heavily about the top receivers on the board. You'll seek more security in that round than Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs can provide.

You should probably plan on spending at least your first three picks on running backs and receivers, as you can wait on the other spots and still land a special player. In this mock, you could still snag Anthony Richardson in the fifth round (pick No. 57) or wait until the sixth round and get Kyler Murray (63), C.J. Stroud (68) or Joe Burrow (69). Tight end told a similar tale with Mark Andrews (56) and George Kittle (59) going in the fifth round and Evan Engram (62) reaching the sixth.

Positional Cheat Sheet

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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 21: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills in action against the Kansas City Chiefs during their AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 21, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/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. Davante Adams, LV

9. Puka Nacua, LAR

10. Drake London, ATL

Tight end

1. Travis Kelce, KC

2. Sam LaPorta, DET

3. Mark Andrews, BAL

4. Dalton Kincaid, BUF

5. Trey McBride, ARI

6. George Kittle, SF

7. Kyle Pitts, ATL

8. Evan Engram, JAX

9. Brock Bowers, LV

10. Jake Ferguson, DAL