We’re wandering into the 2024 Fantasy Football draft season, and I understand why coaches are looking for upside. I understand why hustle players climb the ADP boards regularly. I know we want needle movers and that rarest of unicorns, the league winning pick. I want these guys too.
But there’s something to be said for some steady, ground-oriented players who look for value on their roster as well. That’s today’s task, to introduce some boring but useful veteran players that make sense at current market prices.
Nobody ever went broke making money.
The Browns released five quarterbacks last year, a mixed bag, and none of them held Cooper. He posted a quick 17-week WR14 seasonon the heels of his 17-week WR9 campaign the previous year. So why is Yahoo marketplace giving you Cooper a friendly WR22 sticker this year? Because he became a boring vet entering his 10th NFL season.
Maybe Cooper can’t break his ADP given Deshaun Watson’s limitations currently, but I trust Kevin Stefanski to get the ball to his best outside playmaker. And Cooper probably had some bad luck with touchdowns last year; this probably regresses to his career average. Cooper is a go-to value punch for me all summer long.
Singletary has made a career out of providing stealth value. He didn’t go to a big-name school (Florida Atlantic) or command a high draft price (Round 3, pick 74). The Texans brought him in last year as a backup, essentially as insurance — but he pushed Dameon Pearce out of the way in the second half of the season. From weeks 9 to 17 last year, Singletary was the RB9 in half-point PPR leagues. That’s the consistency you can hang your hat on.
The challenge will be greater this year, running behind a makeshift offensive line in New York. But Singletary has very little competition for the ball on his new team, and Giants coach Brian Daboll trusts Singletary given their time together in Buffalo. Singletary is currently drafted as the RB30 in Yahoo leagues, a spot he has missed for three consecutive seasons.
It’s no fun playing fantasy football as an actuary, but we need to be aware of the curves of aging – especially at running back. And Elliott certainly looks like a player in decline entering his age-29 season. He had just 3.5 yards per carry on his only run in New England and was at 3.8 YPC in his final year with Dallas.
Now Elliott is back with the Pokes, and Rico Dowdle is perhaps the most talented wing on the team. But Elliott is still effective at short-yardage work and could become Dallas’ designated scorer when he moves inside the five-yard line. Elliott may not sniff 1,000 yards or reach 4.0 yards per carry, but 8-11 touchdowns could be in play. He’s an interesting depth target at a reasonable Yahoo cost of RB34.
Tight end has become a glamorous position in recent years. Travis Kelce is a bonafide celebrity, both for his play and his famous girlfriend. Sam LaPorta broke the rookie tight end rules last year. George Kittle is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. Kyle Pitts was the fourth pick in his draft class, the most draft capital ever spent on a tight end.
What does Engram do? He catches the ball and is usually tackled shortly after the catch. Although he racked up 114 receptions last year, he didn’t reach 1,000 yards — nor did he have 100 yards in any game. His average reception was a modest 8.4 yards.
But there’s something to be said about trust, and Trevor Lawrence certainly trusts Engram. And Doug Pederson’s attacks generally tend to be friendly. After a couple of the 17-week TE6 seasonsthe Yahoo marketplace is allowing you to consider Engram as the TE8 this summer. It feels like a sturdy floor.
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguares
There is a lot of buzz at the top of the quarterback chart this year. The top 10 at the position has several dual-threat quarterbacks and those who don’t run as much (like CJ Stroud and Jordan Love) are seen as superstars on the escalator. You can get someone interesting at almost any price range.
But most fantasy managers will probably draft a backup, and in Superflex formats you need at least two solid defenders (probably three). And for these fills, I’m happy to rely on an established name working in the pocket, even if the upside isn’t as interesting as the previous tiers.
The Lions got the band back together, keeping OC Ben Johnson and working behind the best offensive line in the league. You’d like to see Goff produce better stats in road games, but he’s absolute money in the Detroit dome.
Cousins led the NFL in passing yards per game when he was injured last year. Sure, they don’t have Justin Jefferson anymore, but the Falcons have a fun set of triplets ready to play – Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts. Add a schedule this is easy and summit friendly and Cousins will likely beat his QB17 ADP, maybe even break it.
Lawrence’s call is a nod to the dormant post-hype theme. Before Lawrence was even drafted, he was viewed as such a can’t-miss prospect that some felt NFL teams should spend an entire season for a chance to draft him. Lawrence has probably been a little more productive than given credit over the last two years, mapping as QB7 and QB12. Calvin Ridley is gone, but maybe it’s not a big loss. The depth at the QB position presents Lawrence as a cool value, currently landing at QB16. Give him a full season and he will win that spot.
