Worst Fantasy Football Draft Slots for the 2024 Season

Yesterday, we covered the best fantasy football draft slots for the 2024 NFL season. Today, we'll get more pessimistic and check out the worst draft slots. While every slot has its pros and cons, some are more preferable than others.

If you're not happy with where you'll be selecting from, FanDuel Research has you covered with draft strategies for each draft pick slot.

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

Worst Fantasy Football Draft Slots

1. 9th Overall Pick

Having a top 8 pick in Round 1 of 2024 fantasy football drafts is an immediate competitive advantage. There are eight, pretty clear, consensus players going in this range -- Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

FanDuel Research's fantasy football projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- affirm just how black and white the Round 1 selections are in this range. They forecast CMC (349 fantasy points), Hall (290 fantasy points), and Bijan (288 fantasy points) for huge years while no other running back cracks 267 projected fantasy points. The same is true for the wideouts. Hill, Lamb, Jefferson, Chase, and St. Brown are projected to log anywhere between 257 and 287 fantasy points in half-PPR scoring while no other wideout is set for more than 233 fantasy points.

If you drew the ninth slot in your fantasy football draft, you are out of luck. The No. 9-12 draft slots are all a bit unappetizing compared to the alternative, but the ninth slot, in particular, is fairly brutal.

For starters, there's not a clear option at pick 9. A.J. Brown is probably your best bet, and that's exactly where he is going based on FantasyPros' consensus ADP data. Our projections actually have Puka Nacua outdoing Brown in fantasy this season, though the FanDuel Research staff is all over Cooper Kupp in 2024, potentially throwing a tad of a wrench in Nacua's target share.

You could go with either of Saquon Barkley or Jonathan Taylor in Round 1. Then again, neither is expected to stand out that much more than the backs currently being drafted in Round 2. So, we've got ourselves into a pickle at pick 1.09.

If I'm missing out on the top 8 picks, I at least want to draft near the very end of Round 1 to ensure a quick turnaround into Round 2.

In Round 2 you'll be on the board at pick 16 overall. By now, Nacua (14 ADP) and the other wideouts going in this range will likely be gone. If you can get to Nacua here, pull the trigger. Stacking Brown and Nacua at wideout is more appealing than grabbing Kyren Williams (16 ADP), whose stock is being questioned by the masses due to the Blake Corum of it all.

If you aptly choose to fade Williams at this price, Derrick Henry and Travis Etienne are potential options at running back. But again, Henry and Etienne hardly carry more value than the backs going later in Round 2 (De'Von Achane, Isiah Pacheco). Aidan Cotter has you covered on how to navigate the draft from the 9th pick.

2. 10th Overall Pick

See above for all the reasons why we don't want to necessarily be selecting in this range. The 10th slot offers a pretty similar fate as the ninth slot, though I do prefer the former a tad more than the latter.

At pick 1.10, Brown could be off the board. If this is the case, I wouldn't hesitate to snatch Jonathan Taylor at running back.

Our Jim Sannes is high on Taylor, offering a bold prediction that he will record 2,000-plus yards from scrimmage in 2024. Taylor has played only 10 and 11 games in his last two seasons. But in 2021, a healthy 17-game season had him finishing the season out as RB1. A healthy Taylor paired with a high-scoring Anthony Richardson-led offense could have him nearing those 2021 numbers.

Taylor's durability bears risk and he isn't the most inspiring Round 1 selection, but his upside may be higher than anyone else going in this range. At pick 10, I would feel ok taking a chance on Taylor and, in turn, having a shot to swipe Nacua in Round 2. It's not the most ideal slot, but I'd rather have the chance to get Taylor and Nacua than swipe Brown at pick 9 and be forced into settling for a running back in Round 2 or reaching at a different position.

Check out Skyler Carlin's advice on how to draft from the 10th pick if you find yourself in this slot.

3. 12th Overall Pick

Thank god the 12th slot offers us flexibility in gifting us back-to-back picks throughout the draft. If not for this roster-building perk, the slot might make the top of the list here.

Garrett Wilson and Jahmyr Gibbs are currently going 12th and 13th in the draft based on ADPs. If I ended up with Wilson and Gibbs and then had to wait until pick 36 in Round 3 to make my next selection, I wouldn't be a happy camper.

Even with Aaron Rodgers back, I don't view Wilson as an ideal Round 1 wideout. Yes, Wilson's career 2.2% touchdown rate has been brought on by bad quarterback play and will be fixed with Rodgers, but his peer Hall has the more voluminous role and is the Jet with the highest ceiling. Wilson isn't necessarily a bad pick here, he's just not the player I would envision as my first selection. But maybe I'm just too jealous of whoever swiped Hall in Round 1.

Gibbs draws even more concern at his price. Was he awesome in his freshman season with Detroit? Yes. Is his role in the passing game encouraging? Yes. But his ADP at pick 13 is a tad too ignorant of the fact that David Montgomery still exists. Personally, Montgomery is the member of the Lions that I have my eye on in fantasy drafts, and his ADP at pick 60 is exciting.

So, what's the best route for the 12th slot in Rounds 1 and 2? Doubling up on your wideouts might be the move. Getting to Wilson and Nacua is probably the flashiest start you could have in this position. Plus, I'd have no problem grabbing a QB1-type talent in Round 3 and reaching for Alvin Kamara or Joe Mixon in Round 4. Then in Rounds 5 and 6, Montgomery and Kyle Pitts could both be obtainable.

Waiting an eternity between your selections in Rounds 2 and 3 won't be fun. You'll see a lot of great players get gobbled up in that timeframe. But kicking your draft off with Wilson and Nacua and then looking toward players like Jalen Hurts, Kamara, Mixon, Montgomery, or Pitts does lessen the sting quite a bit. Kenyatta Storin can provide you with a more in-depth look at drafting from the 12th 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.