12 Must-Have Fantasy Football Draft Picks in 2024 | Deadspin.com

Everybody in fantasy football has a draft list. I have two because, let’s face it, with the clock winding down, the heart can overpower the brain.

That’s why it’s important to have that second list: Your dream team. A wish list of guys you want to remind yourself to consider before making any selection from your standard draft list.

Because fantasy football is designed to be fun. Winning helps assure that. But winning with a team you enjoy watching is a twin killing.

That doesn’t mean go out and draft a bunch of guys from your favorite team. One will suffice … especially if he’s on my list of 2024’s Desirable Dozen:

QB C.J. Stroud, Texans

The Texans have so many weapons, it’s hard to project who will outperform who. Chances are, it’ll be someone different each week, and that’s not fantasy-friendly. But this is: The guy leading the most powerful offensive team in the league. That guy is Stroud.

QB Jayden Daniels, Commanders

I’m not big on drafting (fantasy) backup quarterbacks, but there is one good reason to do it: To prevent another team from getting a potential star. Daniels is one of those guys: A late-round pick whose running ability makes him the ultimate low-risk, high-reward pick.

RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons

There’s little doubt this is the most talented running back in the NFL, a second coming of O.J. Simpson. He was a Top 10 back last season as a rookie while getting zero help. The Falcons actually have a quarterback this year, which means longer drives, more touches and twice as many touchdowns. Start engraving the Fantasy MVP trophy.

RB De’Von Achane, Dolphins

The Dolphins rank up there with the Texans on the list of: Teams From Which I Gotta Have At Least One Guy. Remember, this offense produced a Top 5 back (Raheem Mostert) last season who basically sat and watched when Achane was healthy. Will he get hurt again? He carried 38 times in his final college game at Texas A&M in 2022. Guess they weren’t worried about it.

RB Zack Moss, Bengals

Moss is the biggest reason you should focus on wide receivers early in your draft. In his eight starts last season, he twice rushed for 122 or more yards, twice got seven or more targets and three other times got 18 or more carries. He joins a more offensively potent team, is durable, can catch passes … and likely will be available in the eighth round.

WR Drake London, Falcons

This is the consolation prize for those who don’t draft high enough to get his teammate, Robinson. London is as talented as they come, and the Falcons recognize this. He was targeted 227 times in his first two seasons and dropped just seven balls. Yet somehow only 141 connections were made. The aforementioned new QB (Kirk Cousins) should remedy that, setting the stage for London to be a first-round pick for years to come. This is the last year you’ll get him at a discount.

WR Cooper Kupp, Rams

The last time he was fully healthy, Kupp commanded 191 targets, caught 145 balls and scored 16 touchdowns. While Kupp was recovering from a serious ankle injury last season, Puka Nacua ran his patterns and got 160 targets, 105 catches and six TD’s. This year, Kupp is the healthier of the two, and he’s already demonstrated he’s the better of the two. So why is Nacua being drafted earlier?

WR Brian Thomas, Jaguars

Will the real Trevor Lawrence please stand up? Drafted to be a generational talent, Lawrence has suffered from the fact he had better wideouts at Clemson than he’s had in Jacksonville. That’s no longer the case. Lawrence throws a great deep ball and Thomas runs great deep patterns. It’s a match made in fantasy heaven.

WR Jameson Williams, Lions

Add the Lions to the list of teams with an embarrassment of riches in offensive talents. And now add one more. While defenses focus on stopping David Montgomery up the middle, Jahmyr Gibbs on the flanks, Sam LaPorta behind the linebackers and Amon-Ra St. Brown in the short zones … who’s left to run with the speedy Williams deep down the field? It’s their — and potentially your — secret weapon.

TE Brock Bowers, Raiders

More and more NFL teams are using tight ends as weapons. That’s because more and more colleges are producing these unique talents. The best to come out of the college game – maybe ever – is Bowers. And he joins the perfect team – one that wants to run the ball and throw low-risk passes. A foot injury in camp is worth monitoring. With a clean bill of health, Bowers could lead all tight ends in catches … as your seventh-round pick.

PK Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys

Every season, two questions must be answered: Should I draft a kicker with my second-to-last pick, then a defense/special teams? Or vice versa? This year, the answers are the same: No and no. Aubrey is so good, he could change fantasy tradition. Do yourself a favor: Be the first to take a kicker. Some will laugh … until he drills a 60-yarder on Opening Day.

Ravens defense/special teams

And speaking of fantasy tradition: This could be the first year where D/ST’s are drafted more for the ST than the D. Such is the potential ramification of the new kickoff rule, one that figures to benefit the most creative thinkers in the special-teams aspect of the game. Atop that list is John Harbaugh. And you get a quality defense to boot.