Best Fantasy Football Draft Slots for the 2024 Season

Fantasy football drafts for the 2024 NFL season are churning on, and Week 1 kicks off in just eight days.

If your Labor Day Weekend plans involve getting in on a fantasy football draft, then FanDuel Research has you covered on draft strategies for each draft pick slot.

Assuming you are playing in a 12-person, one-QB league, here are the top three fantasy football draft slots for the 2024 NFL season.

Best Fantasy Football Draft Slots

1. 4th Overall Pick

The top eight selections in 2024 fantasy football drafts are unambiguous.

If you're drafting in the top eight of Round 1, you'll probably go with any of Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, or Amon-Ra St. Brown. Those players, in that order, are being taken off the board first in half-PPR leagues, per FantasyPros' consensus ADP data.

The Round 1 options get gloomier past pick No. 8, as you're no longer guaranteed a workhorse running back or a receiver with a resume and target share that has much more than a fighting chance to take your team to the top.

Now that we've got that squared away, which pick among the top 8 selections reigns supreme? The fourth slot might just be the answer.

By 1.04, you will have missed out on CMC but have a decent shot of not only getting to either Hall or Robinson but maybe choosing between the two. Personally, I'm going with Hall over Bijan, but it's quite easy to make an argument for Robinson, too.

There's a pretty steep drop-off at running back past CMC, Bijan and Hall, which is why getting to one of them is the perfect kickstarter for your draft. The fourth slot provides key insurance in nabbing Hall or Robinson, but on the off-chance that all three backs get swiped in the first three picks, obtainingTyreek Hill below his ADP would be quite the Plan B.

Another reason to like the fourth slot? You've got a great chance to snatch Drake London, a receiver that has a boatload of league-winning potential, with your second-round selection. London is currently being drafted at pick 22, just one stop behind your pick here at 22. Our fantasy football projections can help assuage any fear of grabbing London a spot before his ADP -- we have him forecasted for a WR9 season.

The decisions get tougher in Rounds 3 and 4, but Austin Swaim has you covered on how to navigate the first six rounds when drafting from the fourth pick.

2. 6th Overall Pick

Let's drop down to the sixth slot and see what magic we can make happen here. By the time you're on the clock in Round 1, CMC, Hill, and Lamb will all likely be gone. So will either one of Hall and Robinson, perhaps even both. Those five players make up the top 5 picks based on ADP.

I mentioned that obtaining one of the top three running backs could be key. But getting Hall or Robinson below their ADP? That seems like the best-case scenario for 2024 fantasy football drafts, and it's a possibility at pick No. 6. Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson have names that carry a lot of weight, so it wouldn't be preposterous to see one of them go in the top five. If that ends up being the case, then you've earned yourself a workhorse running back below their ADP and more advantageous positioning for the ensuing rounds.

But it's not the end of the world if you go with a wideout in Round 1. Chase is a player you want on your roster, and you'll have the opportunity to grab a decent back in Round 2 -- perhaps De'Von Achane or Isiah Pacheco -- or double-up on your receiving room at pick 19.

While you'll have less say on what happens in Round 1 from the sixth slot, the different scenarios at this spot are all pretty sunny. If you're making your selections from here, be sure to check out Riley Thomas' breakdown of how to draft from the sixth pick.

3. 1st Overall Pick

We had to touch on this slot at some point.

If you're playing in a half-PPR league, CMC is the way to go at pick 1.01. While I am of the opinion that last year's RB1 -- and 2022's RB2 -- has a chance to get dethroned by either Hall or Robinson, we need to remember who we are talking about when it comes to CMC. McCaffery is a monster, and there's no point arguing otherwise when he outscored last season's RB2 (Raheem Mostert) by 102.6 half-PPR points.

You'll have to sit back until pick No. 24 in Round 2 to make your next selection, but holding picks No. 24 and No. 25 gives you a partial leg-up if you're terrified of snipers. At the Round 2/3 turn, you can potentially nab one of the first QBs off the board in Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, or Jalen Hurts. You could also look to acquire the first tight end with either Travis Kelce or Sam LaPorta.

If you're a dedicated fantasy football manager and researcher, taking the typical chalk picks at these positions might feel pretty sour. Why go with the likes of CMC, Kelce, Allen, etc. when you might believe that guys such as Hall and Robinson or Kyle Pitts and Trey McBride are primed for explosive years and can be obtained at a lower draft cost? At the first slot, you may need to check your fantasy football expert hat at the door and remember just how effective the RB1, QB1, and TE1 players are. There's a reason they have that standing.

Plus, if you want to get more creative and dive into sleepers, you have every chance to do so in later rounds. At picks Nos. 48 and 49, you can start looking into why someone like Malik Nabers can be had at what I think is a lower-than-should-be ADP. For a full breakdown of this slot, check out Skyler Carlin's thoughts on how to draft from the first pick.

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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.