The Best Value In Every Round Of Your 2024 Fantasy Football Draft
August has arrived which means it is officially draft month. With drafts slowly beginning it is time to get ready for that moment everyone waits for in the draft. The moment when every player hears "you are on the clock". The draft is one of if not the best part of fantasy football as players build their teams, get together with other league members, and set their sights on the opening kickoff.
Everyone wants to win their league, but not everyone really prepares for the draft and that is usually what determines a good team from a bad one, along with a bit of luck of course. Every year some players wind up being great values and others don't live up to their draft slot. Last season Rachaad White, Nico Collins, Raheem Mostert, and Puka Nacua were some of the biggest steals in drafts as they greatly outplayed their draft slot and helped win leagues. Other players like Dameon Pierce, Alexander Mattison, Jerry Jeudy, and Kyle Pitts were mid-round picks who wound up on waiver wires or benches throughout the season.
There are always value picks to be made and bad picks to be made and to help the odds of winning a championship, finding the values is a must. Being a value doesn't just mean going late in drafts and finishing top 12, as a player could be a value in any round, even the 1st.
Finding value in drafts is extremely important and the players discussed have the best chances to be values based on their current ADP. The league format used will be a 12-team, PPR league that goes 17 rounds.
Round 1- Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons, RB 3, 7th Overall:
Fantasy managers never expect their 1st round pick to bust, but there are always some that do for one reason or another. On the other hand, some outperform their already extremely high draft capital. To find value in the 1st round, the player essentially needs to finish 1st or 2nd at their position. This season of all the 1st rounders Bijan has the best path to finishing higher than his current ADP. Ja'Marr Chase makes a lot of sense as well, but it's hard to see Ceedee and Tyreek having a drastic change in production making it hard for Chase to finish as WR 1. With Bijan, it is easy to see the path to RB 1 this season.
After being selected 8th overall in the 2023 NFL draft plenty of fantasy managers had Bijan ranked as the RB 1 going into drafts but that was not the case as the season went on. Through the first 2 weeks of last season, fantasy managers were thrilled with Bijan as he had 29 total carries for 180 yards along with 10 receptions for 75 yards and 1 touchdown. Those aren't game-breaking numbers, but Bijan was getting around 20 touches a game and was efficient with those touches. Despite the production and efficiency, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith decided he wanted to give Bijan less work. After 19 carries in week 2, Bijan wouldn't see over 15 carries again until week 10. Fantasy managers were fed up as the talent was clear, but the opportunity wasn't there for whatever reason. This season opportunity shouldn't be an issue.
The Falcons moved on from Arthur Smith following the season and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to be the team's new head coach. Moving on from Smith is one of the main reasons that there is hope Bijan could break out this year, but the new player caller is the biggest. The Falcons hired Zac Robinson to be the team's new offensive coordinator and Robinson should be able to maximize Bijan and the rest of the talent on the Falcons better than Smith ever did. Robinson followed Morris to Atlanta from L.A. and is expected to run a similar offense to the one Sean Mcvay ran in L.A.
Last season Bijan was solid as he had 214 carries for 976 yards and 4 touchdowns along with 58 receptions for 487 yards and 4 touchdowns in 17 games. While solid, the Rams starting RB Kyren Williams had 228 carries for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns in only 12 games. Williams was a 5th-round pick in 2022 who hardly played and became the team's starter last season and was fantastic. This matters because if Bijan is the talent everyone believes he is then he should smash Williams's numbers this season in the same system. Williams is a good player who plays hard, but Bijan is the better talent, and if given the same opportunities then he should excel.
Kyren saw more carries than Bijan in 5 fewer games which only bodes well for Bijan's workload this year. Some are still worried Tyler Allgeier could steal work but the Falcons didn't use the 8th overall pick on Bijan to be in a time share. With the Falcon's new offense with Kirk Cousins under center, Bijan should see lighter boxes and more red zone work leading to more scoring opportunities. If any RB has a chance to finish ahead of Christian McCaffrey this season it is Bijan and considering he is going 7th overall in drafts he is an absolute value.
Round 2- Garrett Wilson, New York Jets, WR 8, 14th Overall:
The 2nd round this year is a weird one as there are questions about a lot of the players in it. Players such as Derrick Henry and Davante Adams are vets who are certain to produce, but may not have top 5 upside. Players such as Chris Olave and Travis Etienne are good but are looking to take the next step. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a rookie and while he is expected to be elite he is still a rookie which means he may have some ups and downs. Outside of Wilson, only Jahmyr Gibbs made a lot of sense for this spot but fans have been waiting for the Garrett Wilson breakout and it should finally happen.
Since being drafted 10th overall in 2022, Wilson has seen more targets than fantasy managers could have hoped for with 147 his rookie season and 168 this past season. Unfortunately, those targets didn't amount to consistent fantasy production as the targets were coming from a mix of QBs from Zach Wilson to Tim Boyle to Trevor Seimian. Last season was supposed to be huge for Wilson with Aaron Rodgers coming to town but Rodger's season ended 4 snaps into it meaning Zach Wilson was back under center. As mentioned earlier Wilson saw an abundance of targets with 168, but he only finished with 95 receptions for 1,042 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was hard for Wilson to be a consistent fantasy option due to the poor play at QB and lack of scoring opportunities.
This season the breakout should occur for Wilson as long as Rodgers stays healthy and is still a high-level player or at least a serviceable QB which seems likely. The talent of Wilson is not the question as he has made it clear he is already a number 1 receiver with the chance to be special, but he needs someone to get him the ball. The Jet's offense should be massively improved which only bodes well for Wilson.
Wilson has a clear path to finish as a top 5 receiver this season with the expected targets and a major upgrade at QB. Wilson goes in the 1st in plenty of leagues, but his ADP has him in the 2nd round as of now. If Wilson is available in the 2nd he should be the 1st pick off the board with his upside. There are plenty of young receivers expected to take a major leap along with Wilson, but Wilson has already shown he is elite and that he just needs better QB play, and assuming he gets it he should take off.
Round 3- Nico Collins, Houston Texans, WR 15, 31st Overall:
The third round is also weird as most of the players feel safe for the most part, but don't offer top 5-8 upside. James Cook would have been the selection if not for the likely lack of goal-line work, but Cook only scored twice last year and with Josh Allen, it is likely Cook will lose goal-line work again. Josh Jacobs and De'Von Achane should be top 10 backs, but both have concerns that make them a bit risky for one reason or another. Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are talented enough to finish top 8 but will either see enough volume is the question. Every player in this round has questions and while Collins has his own he seems to have the best chance to finish much higher than ADP.
Collins was one of the league winners last year as he was a late-round pick who broke onto the scene with 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and 8 touchdowns. Collins has always had fans of his, but the poor QB play made it tough for him to ever be a fantasy asset as he never had 500 yards before last season. After his breakout campaign, it seems no one can get enough of Collins and it makes sense as Collins is a big-body receiver with strong hands and the ability to separate making him a well-rounded receiver. The biggest question surrounding Collins this year fantasy-wise is what is the upside, as the Texans have Tank Dell returning from injury along with the new addition of Stefon Diggs.
Last season Collins and Dell both produced at high levels in the same week, but now with an all-pro in Diggs being added how do the Texans support 3 elite receivers for fantasy? The answer is Diggs plays a new role he won't like but makes the most sense. Collins is an outside receiver and despite his size, Tank Dell operates best as an outside receiver as well meaning Diggs should play the slot. Diggs is the oldest of the 3 and had a slow end to the season last year and the Texans may want to keep him fresh for a hopeful playoff push, and keeping him in the slot will do so.
Adding Diggs as another legitimate weapon makes it tougher for a defense to deal with all 3 options meaning more 1 on 1 opportunities for Collins. Between C.J. Stroud likely taking another step up and more 1 on 1 looks for Collins, he should be able to replicate last season's production and more. The Texans should be one of the league's best offenses this season and Collins is a big reason for that. Collins floor feels like it is the 3rd round where he is being selected but if Collins produced like he did last season he will be a 2nd round pick at this time next year.
Of all the 3rd round picks Collins has the least amount of question marks surrounding him as he is coming off a great season, has a great QB, received a big contract this off-season, etc. Collins is only going to get better meaning his fantasy upside should only increase.
Round 4- Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins, WR 20, 40th Overall:
The 4th round is full of values from Alvin Kamara to D.K. Metcalf, to Trey McBride, but it's hard to find a receiver who offers true top 5 upside on a week-to-week basis in general, especially in the 4th round.
Waddle has become a polarizing fantasy player to many after a frustrating season last year where it felt he was always hurt. Waddle suited up for 14 games last year but left early in games and was always in and out in others because of injuries. Despite all of that, Waddle still had over 1,000 yards with 1,014 on 72 receptions with 4 touchdowns. To most, those numbers seem fine, but they don't seem like numbers of someone who can finish top 5 each week. Waddle had a very similar season in 2022 target and reception-wise and was one of the biggest threats to explode each week.
In 2022 Waddle had just 3 more receptions than he did last year with 75 and only 13 more targets, but he had 1,356 yards and 8 touchdowns. The situations were the exact same for last season and the prior one, but Waddle's health ultimately got in the way of a duplicate season. With Tyreek Hill on the roster, it is unlikely Waddle will finish top 5 for the season, but the top 10 is absolutely a possibility. People forget Hill was on the team back in 2022 when Waddle had almost 1,400 yards, but he was and it was proven both Hill and Waddle can be extremely productive for fantasy every week while sharing the field.
The extreme upside of Waddle is what makes him a value in the 4th as other receivers have top 10 upside and may have a week or 2 inside the top 5, but Waddle is a possible top 5 option every week with his game-breaking speed.
Round 5- Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts, QB 6, 51st Overall:
Dalton Kincaid and Malik Nabers both made sense here as both are the clear number 1 option on their teams and should see plenty of work but there is only 1 player in the 5th round who can break fantasy football.
Anthony Richardson is already one of the most polarizing players in the NFL despite playing in 4 games last season and the lack of games is a reason why. Richardson was the 4th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and was viewed as a project that needs to sit at least a year before playing. The Colts disagreed and named Richardson as their week 1 starter. Richardson was drafted due to his rare combination of size and speed along with a rocket arm and in his first few starts it was easy to see all of those attributes in action. Richardson would only play 4 games due to a season-ending shoulder injury and only played 2 full games before the injury due to other minor injuries but flashed in his limited action.
In the "4" games Richardson had 577 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and 136 rushing yards with 4 touchdowns. Richardson had already become a locked and loaded fantasy starter after 1 game because of the upside he showed but fantasy managers didn't get to lock him into their lineups much longer. Despite the limited sample size, the flashes have made Richardson go from a late-round selection last year to a 5th round pick this year. With the early draft capital managers need to feel comfortable knowing Richardson will have ups and downs this year as it is basically his rookie season. While the lows may hurt the highs Richardson can provide will win weeks by themselves.
Had he not gotten hurt Richardson would have had a legit chance to finish as the QB 1 as a rookie because of his ceiling as a rusher. QB is not the most valuable position in fantasy, but the elite ones are invaluable as they never have down weeks for the most part. If Richardson picks up where he left off last year from a fantasy aspect he could break the game with his rushing upside. In the 5th round, the chance to grab a game-breaking talent is unmatched and while it could backfire, every pick could end up busting which makes the risk worth it.
Tank Dell, Houston Texans, WR 29, 62nd Overall:
Despite already talking about a Texans receiver earlier in Nico Collins, Tank Dell being a 6th round pick makes no sense.
Dell was a stud last season and formed elite chemistry with C.J. Stroud on and off the field. There is no reason for Dell to be going this late in drafts as he offers top-10 upside every week along with a safe floor in PPR leagues. In essentially 10 games last season Dell had 47 receptions for 709 yards and 7 touchdowns, and the only reason he played 10 games was because of the season-ending injury he suffered in week 13.
A lot of the same reasons used for Nico Collins are why Dell is a great value here in the 6th. Dell is an outside receiver for one of the league's rising stars at QB and will see plenty of 1 on 1 looks with Diggs and Collins in the offense. Tank had become Stroud's go-to option in the red zone before the injury and this could very well be the case once again. Stefon Diggs is a late 3rd to early 4th round pick and it is likely he is the 3rd option in the offense behind Tank and Nico.
Tank's role shouldn't change this season and if he plays at the level he did last season he will crush this ADP and find himself going much higher next season. Tank Dell has every chance to be the Texan's number 1 receiver this season making him a great value in the 6th.
Round 7- Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals, QB 10, 77th Overall/ Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs, WR 36, 82nd Overall*:
There are 2 players here because one of them wouldn't be going here if not for questions regarding a possible suspension, but until there is clarity on Rice's situation he won't rise in drafts. Before discussing Rice, Kyler needs to be discussed because it would be a huge shock if Kyler does not finish higher than QB 10.
After missing the first half of last season recovering from a torn ACL, Murray is back to start the 2024 season and is being forgotten about by many when drafting. Murray is a true dual-threat QB as he is a threat both through the air and on the ground. Kyler is an above-average passer, but the rushing ability is what sets him apart for fantasy. No QB makes defenders miss more than Kyler other than Lamar Jackson, but Kyler is elusive and hard to bring down. Kyler may not throw for 30 touchdowns like other QBs but between the air and ground he could have 30 total and rushing QBs are always more valuable for fantasy than pure pocket passers. Everyone loved Justin Fields last year and he was unproven.
Kyler is a proven player in this league who has produced at a big level in years past and between his rushing upside and floor as a passer Kyler should smash his QB 10 draft price in the 7th round.
The other player in the 7th round who is a value is Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice. Last year Rice had 79 receptions for 938 yards and 7 touchdowns as a rookie and didn't see consistent playing time until week 7. Had Rice been a week 1 starter who knows where he would have finished for fantasy? This season Rice is set to begin the season as the Chiefs WR 1 but there is a question on whether Rice will be available for the entire season.
This off-season Rice was arrested for a multi-car crash this off-season that resulted in 8 felony charges and at this moment there is no word on if Rice will face a suspension to begin the season. Due to the uncertainty of Rice's situation, his fantasy value has dropped him into the 7th round. At this moment it does not appear there will be a suspension as the season kicks off in a month, but it can't be ruled out just yet. If things stay the way they are and Rice isn't suspended he is going to outperform the 7th-round draft slot as he is the number 1 receiver for Patrick Mahomes. If Rice does get suspended he will fall even further down draft boards and become a draft and stash for someone.
Drafting Rice in the 7th without clarity on the situation is risky, but if there is a belief he won't face a suspension this season, then Rice is worth the pick here in the 7th.
Round 8- Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers, WR 38, 89th Overall:
Bad offense or not, the amount of targets Diontae is about to get is almost certainly going to have him finish above the 89th-best player in fantasy.
After 5 years with the Steelers, Johnson was traded to the Panthers to become Bryce Young's WR 1. Johnson is a pure separator who will be able to get open all over the field which will give Bryce a reliable go-to receiver he badly needs. People are out on Diontae as they feel the targets won't be valuable coming from Bryce Young and that could be true, but Johnson will see more than enough targets to make up for the targets possibly being low percentage.
Along with expecting a large volume of targets, Panthers head coach Dave Canales recently said they are building the offense around Diontae. Last season the Buccaneers built the offense around Mike Evans and Rachaad White and both were great for fantasy. Johnson may not have the ceiling of Evans due to Evans being an elite red zone option, but if Canales is going to draw up plays to get Diontae the ball and run everything through him he will outperform his draft slot. For PPR leagues Johnson should finish at worst top 30 and likely top 24 with the expected volume.
The 8th round is where players like to begin targeting players with upside which are usually rookies and 2nd year players, but Johnson's volume is too good to pass in the 8th even if he doesn't offer league-winning upside.
Round 9- Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers, WR 43, 98th Overall:
As mentioned before this point in the draft is where fantasy managers look for upside and Watson has more upside than most players in general. Players such as Keon Coleman and Jaxon Smith-Njigba fit the mold here as well but Watson offers week-winning upside with his deep speed.
Watson was everyone's favorite late-round pick 2 years ago during his rookie season and it took a while for the breakout to happen, but when it did he was a fantasy stud. In 2022 Watson had a 4 week stretch where he scored 7 touchdowns on a total of 15 receptions including a game of 4 for 107 and 3 against the Cowboys. Watson would finish the year with 7 touchdowns but after that monster performance against the Cowboys, Watson became the go-to target for Aaron Rodgers.
After a promising rookie year, Watson shot up draft boards last year becoming a 4th-5th round pick, but Watson would not live up to the draft slot as he dealt with injuries all year. Watson would only play in 9 games last season and was never able to get on a roll until late in the season. It appeared as if Watson was going on another tear where he just scored touchdowns as he had 4 in 3 weeks, but he was injured against the Chiefs after scoring a pair of touchdowns. Watson would miss the remainder of the regular season and was mainly a decoy in the playoffs. Entering year 3 Watson aims to be fully healthy and make an impact every week.
Watson's touchdown upside is what makes him so polarizing at this point in the draft. He will have weeks where he hardly does anything which will hurt, but the big weeks are enough to win a week by itself which makes it worth the risk. At this point in the draft, no player is safe and the upside of Watson makes it easy to see him finishing above his ADP.
Round 10- Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals, RB 40, 119th Overall:
At this point of the draft most starting running backs are off the board and while Brown may not be the full-time starter he has a chance to be the Bengals featured back.
Brown is fairly unknown by many as he was a rookie last season who only saw 44 total carries and 14 total receptions throughout the season. This season those numbers will skyrocket as the Bengals moved on from Joe Mixon and only brought in Zack Moss to replace him. Moss is fine but is a career backup who performed well in Johnathon Taylor's absence last year but isn't a game-changer. As the season went on Brown was seeing more work each week and that should carry into this season. Brown is an explosive back with good speed and is a good compliment to Moss.
Moss may start the year as the team's "starter" but he and Brown will split the work and Brown offers more upside than Moss does. The ability to possibly get a starting RB in the 10th is great and that is what makes Brown a value. For a team that loads up receivers and needs an RB 3 Brown could fit that role.
Round 11- Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks, WR 50, 130th Overall:
There is no good explanation for Lockett plummeting to the 11th round in drafts outside of the fact he's 31. Every year people think Lockett is going to take a step back and it really never happens. Last season was the first since 2018 that Lockett didn't record 900 yards as Lockett had 894 yards. Last season was also the first since 2018 Lockett didn't score at least 8 touchdowns as he had only had 5. A season of 79 for 894 and 5 results in a fall to the 11th round? That doesn't sound right.
Lockett has been one of the most underrated and consistent receivers in the league as he had at least 1,000 yards every season from 2019-2022 and at least 8 touchdowns from 2018-2022. Lockett's production took a dip last year but the offense as a whole didn't seem in sync. The Seahawks hired a new offensive coordinator this off-season, Ryan Grubb from the University of Washington with hopes of fixing the offense. Grubb had 3 elite receivers at Washington and they all produced and he now looks to maximize all 3 of the Seahawks receivers.
Lockett may not be the player he once was but he isn't done. Lockett will have another season of 900 yards with 7 touchdowns and finish as a top 36 receiver and no one is going to realize. Lockett is a safe pick who should at the very worst be a consistent flex option every week with the upside for more. Someone needs to boost Lockett's ADP because this current one is ridiculous.
Round 12- Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders, WR 55, 141st Overall:
This one feels similar to Lockett as it doesn't make much sense why Meyers is going this late as it feels like he will outplay this ADP easily. Meyers has quietly become one of the more underrated receivers in football as he's been over 800 yards each of the past 3 seasons despite never having above-average QB play.
In New England, Meyers had Mac Jones at QB who was good his rookie year but regressed heavily his sophomore season. Last season in Vegas Meyers had a mix of Jimmy Garappolo who is already off the team and rookie Aiden O'Connell who had moments but also had rookie struggles. Despite the inconsistent QB play Meyers consistently puts up solid numbers. Last season was Meyers's best as a pro as he had 71 receptions for 807 yards and 8 touchdowns along with 2 rushing touchdowns and even 1 passing TD.
Despite the solid numbers every year Meyers continues to go late in drafts and he shouldn't. This season the Raiders will either have Gardner Minshew or Aiden O'Connell under center and while neither are game-changers they are capable of getting the ball where it needs to go. Just like Lockett, Meyers seems like a safe bet to be at least a flex every week with the upside for more. It's hard to go wrong with Meyers at this point of the draft considering the other options.
Round 13- MarShawn Lloyd, RB 48, 156th Overall:
At this point of the draft, it's all about finding the players with the chance of breaking out. All the RBs back here are slated to be backups and the receivers are either 2nd or 3rd options with bad QB's. With all of that, there are always players this late that find a role and do the most with it and crush their ADP, and of the players with a round 13 ADP, Lloyd has the clearest path to doing so.
The Packers took Lloyd in the 3rd round of the 2024 NFL draft to be Josh Jacobs's backup but he may be more than that. The Packers replaced Aaron Jones with Jacobs this off-season but they have still said they want to use multiple backs which means Lloyd could have a role early. Jacobs is a bell-cow back with a lot of work already in his career and having someone split time with him will help keep him fresh. Lloyd is a perfect compliment as he is a home-run hitter and Jacobs is a bigger back who picks up chunks but isn't known for breakaway runs.
Jones and Jacobs are different types of backs which means the Jones role may go to Lloyd with Jacobs being the goal line back and 1st and 2nd down back. If Lloyd gets on the field early and capitalizes on his opportunities he could earn more as the season goes on leading to fantasy value. Lloyd has the clearest path to season-long value of all the players in the 13th as he shouldn't have to rely on an injury to get on the field.
Round 14- Josh Palmer, Las Angeles Chargers, WR 58, 157th Overall:
The Charges drafted Ladd McConkey in the 2nd round in the 2024 Draft and everyone assumes he is going to be the team's number 1 receiver to start the season. Ladd could end up being the team's number 1 receiver but until it happens on the field Josh Palmer is the number 1 receiver for the Chargers and Justin Herbert.
Last season when the Chargers drafted Quentin Johnston in the 1st round everyone figured Palmer would be replaced and that didn't happen. Between injuries to Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, Palmer was everything from the Chargers WR 3 to WR 1 throughout the season. Palmer didn't have game-breaking stats but he had 38 receptions for 581 yards and 2 touchdowns in 11 games which is solid. Back in 2022, Palmer had his best season as he had 72 receptions for 769 yards and 4 touchdowns. Those are numbers Palmer should see this year as a top option in the passing game for the Chargers.
Palmer should reach his 2022 numbers and possibly pass them this season if he stays healthy. The Charger's receiving core is made up of a 2nd round rookie in McConkey, an unknown in Johnston, and a journeyman in D.J. Chark. Palmer has a real shot to be the WR 1 for an elite QB and if he is the WR 1 he will certainly finish much higher than his current ADP.
Round 15- Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints, WR 63, 171st Overall:
There are a lot of good options in the 15th between Josh Downs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jahan Dotson, but Shahid offers the most upside.
Shaheed is a pure deep threat with game-breaking speed but lacks consistency as a fantasy option. In the 15th round finding a consistent player is hard to find unless it's like 7 points a game and that's why Shaheed is the best bet of all the 15th rounders. Due to his speed, Shaheed is a threat to catch a deep bomb every game which instantly makes him worth a flex spot because of the upside.
In his 1st season as a true starter, Shaheed had 46 catches for 719 yards and 5 touchdowns. Those are solid numbers for a guy who was relatively unknown entering the season and thought of more as a return man. Shaheed and QB Derek Carr seemed to have good chemistry as Carr was consistently giving Shaheed chances on go balls and connected on multiple. Most people connect Carr to check-downs but he isn't scared to let it fly either and a player like Shaheed makes it easy to just throw it deep cause not many are going to outrun him. Shaheed enters this season as the Saints clear WR 2 which should mean even more targets and more production.
Shaheed offers WR 2 upside on any week with his deep speed, but he could also have weeks of minimal production if he doesn't hit on a deep ball. At this point of the draft, it's hard to find a player with much more upside than Shaheed which makes him the pick.
Round 16- Ja'Lynn Polk, New England Patriots, WR 70, 191st Overall:
The Patriots need someone in the receiver room to step up for whoever the QB is, so why not Polk? Polk was the Patriots 2nd round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and has every opportunity to be a day 1 starter. The Patriots have plenty of receivers on the roster but no real difference makers as Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osborn are the 2 best veteran receivers. Bourne and Osborn are solid players but they are not number 1's and while Polk may not be a 1 either he offers the most upside of the group as a rookie.
Polk is a hard-nosed physical receiver who does all the little things and works the middle of the field well. Polk is not going to beat teams over the top but he knows how to get open and find his spots. Polk can slide right in and be Jakobi Meyers 2.0 for the Patriots which would be better than anything they have.
Polk has gotten a lot of good reviews throughout camp so far and could emerge as the team's WR 1 sooner rather than later. The Patriot's offense may be bad, but a potential WR 1 in the 16th round is better than a WR 3. Polk could offer upside as a flex early in the season if he does take the WR 1 spot.
Round 17- Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens, WR 76, 221st Overall:
Bateman is not drafted based on his ADP but once the 17th round hits every player drafted in the 17th and later is available which is why Bateman is an option here.
It's been a frustrating start to Bateman's career as he has dealt with injuries every year limiting his production. 2022 was supposed to be a breakout year for Bateman following a promising rookie season, but he only played in 7 games due to injury and never got right. Last season he was healthy but struggled with drops and didn't have a consistent role. Now with Odell Beckham Jr. gone Bateman should be the clear WR 2 and the Ravens need someone to step up in that receiving core outside of Zay Flowers.
The Ravens have talked up Bateman every chance they get this off-season and expect him to play a prominent role in the offense and have a career year. If Bateman is given the opportunity to be the team's starting WR opposite Flowers he will have the chance to have his best season yet and in the 17th round, it's a great shot to take.
Most 17th-round picks are players people think have a chance to break out and Bateman is as good a bet as anyone else in this range. The worst that happens is it doesn't work and managers move to free agency for another player. Based on Bateman's expected role in the offense he has a chance to significantly outperform his ADP.
If Bateman isn't the pick Jalen Tolbert is another player with the chance to break out and have a large role on an elite offense that goes undrafted in most leagues. Both Bateman and Tolbert have the opportunity to crush their ADPs and be big-time values in leagues.
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