Fantasy Football 2024: Examining Expert Mock Drafts After Preseason Week 2 (2024)

Another week of NFL exhibition play wrapped on Sunday, and, unfortunately, Week 2 didn't provide a ton of valuable fantasy insight. Several teams opted to rest the majority of their starters, and the starters who did play didn't exactly reveal secrets.

Tua Tagovailoa (5-of-5, 1 TD) looked virtually flawless in his preseason debut, while Daniel Jones (11-of-18, 2 INTs) was the same inconsistent quarterback we saw last year.

Fantasy managers who dig deep enough can find some relevant takeaways from the second preseason slate, however. Los Angeles Rams rookie receiver Jordan Whittington, for example, continues to look like a fantasy sleeper in the making.

With two-thirds of the 2024 preseason in the books, now is a perfect time to dive into the individual performances, the data and some recent mock drafts from fantasy experts from around the web.

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

2. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

3. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

4. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

5. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

6. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

7. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

8. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

9. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

10. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

11. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

12. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg and 11 other NFL and fantasy experts conducted a 12-team, point-per-reception (PPR) mock that published on Friday. There weren't any real shockers at the top, as typical fantasy standouts like Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson all went early.

Perhaps the only real surprise is that 11 running backs went within the first two rounds, which may seem, at first blush, high for a PPR league. However, it does illustrate the value of dual-threat running backs like McCaffrey, Breece Hall and Rachaad White.

There's a big gap between every-down backs who regularly catch passes and the rest of the pack.

While there weren't any obvious reaches in this mock, it's worth pointing out that Will Brinson started the quarterback run in Round 3 with Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen. That's not excessively high, but managers should consider focusing on skill players in the early rounds.

Good quarterbacks can typically be found in the later rounds, and there could be quite a few steals lurking in that range this year. Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, for example, was a seventh-round pick in this mock.

Coming off another strong preseason performance (10-of-12, 78 yards, 13 rushing yards) Daniels is looking like a Week 1 starter and a very viable weekly option.

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo bills

3. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Baltimore Ravens

5. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

6. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

7. Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts

8. C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans

9. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

10. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

The ESPN fantasy team conducted an updated superflex mock draft on August 15, and it's worth diving into for fans of the format.

For the uninitiated, superflex leagues allow managers to play a second quarterback in the flex position. Since QBs typically have a high weekly floor, that's often the preferred strategy.

Surprisingly, quarterbacks were picked early and often—though McCaffrey was still the first overall selection. Allen was again the first QB off the board, followed by Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes. Dual-threat quarterbacks are often popular in superflex leagues because of their rushing floor. However, Mahomes is simply too consistent to ignore early.

In all, 12 signal-callers were selected within the first two rounds, along with three running backs and five wide receivers. Interestingly, McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson were the only non-QBs to go in Round 1.

The one thing that really jumped out from this mock was Tagovailoa's status as QB20. He's not a regular rushing threat, and the Miami Dolphins offensive line is in flux. However, with weapons like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane at his disposal, Tagovailoa doesn't really feel like a low-end superflex option.

It also doesn't feel like Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson or Baker Mayfield should be going ahead of Tagovailoa in any format.

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

2. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

3. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

4. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

5. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

7. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

8. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

9. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

10. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

11. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

12. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Lastly, let's dive into another 12-team PPR mock draft that was published on Friday—this one from Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport. This one was interesting because it's not really a mock at all but rather a rundown of a league in which Davenport is participating.

For those wondering how accurately mock drafts can predict real-world value, consider that all 12 first-round selections here were also taken in the first round of CBS Sports' mock, though the order did vary.

It's also interesting to see Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson going in the No. 7 spot both here and in the CBS mock. That's a clear reflection of Sam Darnold's place as Minnesota's presumptive starting quarterback—as Devenport noted:

"If you believe Darnold can finally put it together in Kevin O'Connell's offense or Jefferson is effective no matter the signal-caller, he's a value in the middle of Round 1. But there's no denying Jefferson is a riskier pick than he was not that long ago."

Allen was once again the first QB off the board, but he went in the top of the fourth round here. Interestingly, he, Hurts, Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Anthony Richardson were the only quarterbacks drafted before Round 7.

While Richardson's upside as a runner and passer is intriguing, he still carries a lot of boom-or-bust potential. He only appeared in four games as a rookie, and his performance in the preseason opener (2-of-4 for 25 yards) suggests that he's still developing as a pocket passer.

Quarterbacks who went after Richardson in this draft—specifically, C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow and Jordan Love—might be safer alternatives.