Although fantasy managers spend a lot of time scouting players and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, tapping into the fantasy market may be more important to your ultimate success. Today, I’ll give you a glimpse into my shopping list and introduce you to four players I’m targeting at their current Yahoo ADPs.
Quarterback: Kyler Murray, Cardinals
To be honest, there is basically an endless supply of right answers for the quarterback position in 2024. The position has something for everyone – runners and pocket quarterbacks, young and old players, stars on good teams and weaker players looking for volume on bad teams. You can choose your own adventure.
Kyler Murray is my preferred target right now, coming in at No. 7 QB and 58.4 overall pick in the current Yahoo market. Murray is finally healthy again, and that provides a great upside as a dual-threat quarterback. And the Cardinals offense has a great group of up-and-coming offensive talent: rookie hotshot WR Marvin Harrison Jr., up-and-coming TE star Trey McBride, and maybe a little rookie RB Trey Benson (though James Conner is a useful back, too).
No one in Arizona will miss the departed Cliff Kingsbury, and the Cardinals offense could be pushed into a series of shootouts to make up for Arizona’s porous defense. Add in a climate-friendly schedule, and the Cardinals look like one of the carnival teams of 2024, where high-scoring games are a regular occurrence. Get your tickets now.
Running back: Devin Singletary, Giants
I’ll freely admit that Singletary isn’t a sexy, rushed pick. But if you’re building a backfield on a budget (I like the hero or anchor RB strategy where you get a signature star and then look for value later), Singletary makes a lot of sense as an addition. He was drafted as an RB3 in Yahoo leagues (RB30 at the position, 97.7 overall) but has a good chance to move up a tier. In other words, you’re probably drafting him at his lowest point, but there’s also some slight upside.
Singletary did more than expected last year, moving to Houston and eventually getting rid of Dameon Pierce. Over the final nine weeks of the year, Singletary was the RB9 with half a point of PPR scoring. Now, of course, he’s with the Giants, a weaker offense. But there’s little competition behind Singletary in the rankings and he’s already secured the goodwill of head coach Brian Daboll; they spent time together in Buffalo. You don’t have to target Singletary with an aggressive pick; capitalize on your value when your opponents overlook a boring but useful veteran player.
Wide receiver: Amari Cooper, Browns
Most of my roster builds will include a lot of receivers, which means Cooper is in play as my potential WR3. That’s something I’m excited about. I want to build a team of wide receivers that are starting themselves.
Cooper was the WR14 in PPR last year by a half point, showing he can be productive with any Cleveland quarterback (and the Browns fielded five of them last year). Even Joe Flacco, who got up from the couch, made beautiful music with Cooper. And the Browns may need to show plenty of passing from the start this fall, as Nick Chubb’s rehabilitation is still ongoing.
Cooper has been solid, consistent, and maybe even a little boring over his nine-year career, all of which adds up to decent fantasy value.
Tight End: Kyle Pitts, Falcons
I think getting the tight end right is more important this year than most years. I don’t see as many spectacular top players in the late rounds as I have in past seasons. And that’s why Pitts is a target player for me in the first half of your draft. And I realize that makes some fantasy managers nervous, given how disappointing Pitts has been in recent years.
It’s easy for me to excuse Pitts’ recent lackluster performance. Outgoing head coach Arthur Smith loved his running game and stubbornly refused to use his best options in the passing game. Now the Falcons have fresh blood at the two most important positions: QB Kirk Cousins to run the offense and OC Zac Robinson (of the Sean McVay pedigree) to call the plays.
I refuse to believe that every glowing scouting report on Pitts three years ago was wrong. He doesn’t turn 24 until October. As chaotic as last year was, he was still rated as a TE13. Cut that number in half and you have a reasonable target for 2024; I’m comfortable targeting Pitts around his current Yahoo ADP in the mid-60s. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he crashes the party and moves into the front row of tight ends.
