Best Fantasy Football Draft Picks By Round

With the 2024 NFL season right around the corner, we've reached peak fantasy football draft season.

It's important to go into your draft with a plan. Whether that be determining draft strategy for each draft pick, predicting league-winner players, or knowing which busts to avoid, preparation is key.

While you won't know exactly who will be on the board until draft day, we can turn to FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP) data to get a general idea of when players typically get drafted.

Using consensus ADP, let's identify the best fantasy football draft picks by round.

This piece assumes 12-team leagues utilizing 0.5-PPR scoring formats, but advice can be loosely applied to all formats. Statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats or Pro Football Reference unless otherwise stated.

Best Fantasy Football Draft Picks By Round

Round 1, Breece Hall (NYJ)

You can't really go wrong with your first-round pick. We're talking about 12 of the very best players fantasy has to offer, after all.

But when you take into account ADP, Breece Hall is my favorite pick in Round 1.

Hall's current ADP is 5.0, and he's being drafted as the second or third running back off the board.

Our NFL projections project Hall for 289.46 fantasy points over a full 17-game season. Among non-quarterbacks, that's second behind only Christian McCaffrey.

Breece is fresh off an RB4 season that saw him explode down the stretch. From Week 5 onward, Hall averaged 17.3 half-PPR points per game -- second to CMC at the position. During that stretch, Hall averaged 27.8 adjusted opportunities (first among RBs), 102.5 scrimmage yards (third), and an 18.8% target share (first).

His stellar fantasy output came despite the New York Jets ranking 29th in scoring and 31st in total offense. Hall managed to produce gaudy numbers while seeing just one carry inside the 5-yard line all season.

With Aaron Rodgers back, the Jets are expected to score more points in 2024. That should lead to even an even better fantasy output from Hall, and it's a big reason he's one of the most likely league-winners at running back.

Round 2, De'Von Achane (MIA)

There's no one I'd rather draft in the second round than De'Von Achane.

Achane shattered efficiency metrics as a rookie, compiling 997 yards on 130 total touches. Not only did the speedster lead the league in rush EPA per carry (0.26), but he also more than doubled the next-closest back in rush yards over expectation per attempt (2.87), per Next Gen Stats. Achane's 7.8 yards per rush attempt set an NFL record among running backs with at least 75 carries.

That culminated in an RB24 season in fantasy despite him missing six games. Achane's 16.1 fantasy points per game ranked fourth, and that was with him playing fewer than 10% of snaps (and netting 2.4 points) in two of his 11 games.

Can we expect him to be as efficient on a per-touch basis?

Probably not -- though it's clear Achane is an outlier in what's projected to be a top-10 offense.

But even if his efficiency drops to merely above average, he could make up for that with an increase in volume. We saw a glimpse of that down the stretch when Achane averaged 19 adjusted opportunities and 13.2 fantasy points per game from Weeks 13-18.

But the best part of targeting Achane in Round 2? With an ADP of 22.0, you can realistically snag him at any point in the second round.

Round 3, Deebo Samuel (SF)

Mid-round ADP can vary pretty dramatically by site, but there's a good chance Deebo Samuel is around in the third. He carries a consensus ADP of 27.0 and is currently the 13th receiver coming off the board.

That's a mighty favorable price to pay for someone who was the WR2 (18.6 FP/G) over the final seven weeks of 2023.

Deebo's has one of the most unique roles in football, but his status as the San Francisco 49ers' Swiss Army knife has proven upside for fantasy. San Fran finished as the league's second-highest scoring offense last season, and they're projected to lead the NFL in scoring in 2024, according to Jim Sannes' model.

The Shannahan system fits Samuel's skill set like a glove, and it's propelled him to be a top-10 receiver by points per game in two of the last three seasons.

Barring injury, we're talking about someone who has as much (if not more) upside than wideouts going a full round earlier than him.

Round 4, Jaylen Waddle (MIA)

I'm not letting one injury-plagued season from Jaylen Waddle scare me off him in fantasy, and neither should you.

Although Waddle finished as the WR23 in fantasy points per game (11.6) last season, those numbers take into account the three games he played fewer than 60% of snaps. If we take out those three weeks -- he only had one such game in 2022 -- Waddle would've averaged 12.8 fantasy points per game, nudging him to WR17.

That was reflected in his per-route numbers. Waddle finished sixth among wideouts who played at least 10 games with 2.76 yards per route run (YPRR). That was actually an improvement on his fourth-place finish for that metric in 2022 (2.69 YPRR).

So, if Waddle was actually better on a per-route basis in 2023 than he was in 2022, why is his ADP (38.7; WR19) 15 spots lower than last year's (23.3; WR11)?

Your guess is as good as mine. Our NFL projections peg Waddle as the WR14, projecting him for 11.9 fantasy points per game -- five spots higher than his WR19 ADP.

With 1,000-yard seasons in each of his first three years in the league, Waddle is an absolute smash pick in the fourth round.

Round 5, Tee Higgins (CIN)

Sensing a theme here?

The middle rounds are loaded with high-upside wide receivers. With an ADP of 60.3, Tee Higgins is a true value in the fifth round of drafts.

Like Waddle, Higgins is the WR2 for his own team, but that didn't stop either of them from being high picks last season.

Higgins was drafted as the WR14 with an ADP of 30.7 last season before injuries limited him to 12 games. He was the WR39 by points per game (9.7) -- though it's hard to put the blame solely on Tee when so much went wrong for the Cincinnati Bengals.

But Higgins is healthy entering 2024, as is quarterback Joe Burrow. We saw their connection was alive and well in Cincy's first preseason game, during which the two connected for a touchdown on their opening drive.

Higgins has a rock-solid fantasy track record, finishing as the WR17 (12.4 points per game) in 2022, WR22 in 2021 (13.0), and WR30 in 2020 (10.1).

Though Ja'Marr Chase returned to practice after holding out for a new contract, there's additional upside with Higgins if Chase were to miss any regular season games.

Add in that Higgins himself is playing for a new contract this season, and he's a glaring value in Round 5.

Round 6, Kyle Murray (ARI)

In 2020, Kyler Murray finished as fantasy's overall QB2 in just his second NFL season.

The next season (2021), he was the overall QB10 despite playing just 14 games. From a per-game perspective, he was the QB4.

Through the first nine games of 2022, Kyler was the QB6. He'd appear in just two games the rest of the way, eventually missing the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

That injury caused him to miss the first nine games of 2023, but he quickly regained fantasy relevance upon returning. From Week 10 onward, Murray was the QB9 despite inheriting a Arizona Cardinals team that started 1-8 without him.

With a full offseason to regain his form, Murray looks like one of the biggest fantasy steals at his current ADP (63.7). His Cardinals return rising star tight end Trey McBride and took Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth pick in this spring's draft. Along with second-year wideout Michael Wilson, slot receiver Greg Dortch, and veteran running back James Conner, this may be the most well-rounded supporting cast Kyler has ever had.

And still, Murray is going as the eighth quarterback off the board. With as much proven upside as any other quarterback in fantasy, Murray's one of the best sixth-round picks available.

Rounds 7-10

Rounds 7-10 don't have as many obvious upside picks as the earlier rounds, but there are still several names to key in on.

Rashee Rice (ADP 73.7) is going much earlier in industry drafts, but home leagues still haven't caught up. Rice has yet to face a suspension from an offseason legal incident, and there's a real chance it won't be resolved until next season. Over the final six games of his rookie season, Rice saw a 27.5% target share and was the WR6 in fantasy.

Javonte Williams (ADP 84.7) was a second-round pick in 2022 drafts after a standout rookie season in 2021. He suffered a brutal knee injury that caused him to miss nearly the entire 2022 season, and it clearly impacted him in the first half of 2023. But he flashed with four top-12 finishes over his final 10 games last season, during which he saw 23.2 adjusted opportunities per game.

Chase Brown (ADP 109.3) flashed in limited action during his rookie season, especially down the stretch. From Week 13 onward, Brown averaged 11.0 adjusted opportunities and 63.7 scrimmage yards per game despite seeing a 21% snap share. With Joe Mixon out of town, Brown has only Zack Moss to compete with for touches. Cincinnati is projected to be a top-10 scoring offense, making him worth a flyer in the ninth or 10th rounds.

Late Rounds (11+)

From Round 11 onward, you're swinging for upside. Here are a few players to target that could vastly outperform their ADP.

Romeo Doubs (ADP 140.3) led the Green Bay Packers in target share (18.0%) and was second in end zone target share (28.0%) in the nine games where he, Christian Watson, and Jayden Reed were all active. There's a real chance he ends up being the No. 1 target for a top-10 projected offense.

Jaleel McLaughlin (ADP 155.3) could take on a heavy pass-catching role in 2024 now that the Denver Broncos parted ways with Samaje Perine and Tim Patrick. Sean Payton loves to target running backs, and McLaughlin was highly effective when given the opportunity last season. He averaged 33.5 scrimmage yards on just 8.7 adjusted opportunities per game and cracked 15 fantasy points in two of the three games he saw at least a 30% snap share.

Taysom Hill (ADP 162.0) was the TE5 in 2022 and the TE10 in 2023, and the New Orleans Saints have spoken glowingly about his role heading into 2024. He's one of my favorite late-round sleepers to target.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.