Fighting Chance Fantasy Round Table Discussion: Who You Drafting?

Don't look now but we are only 42 days away from the start of the season. Since we last saw Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy, there has been a whirlwind of news that's ripped through the NFL. From players having off-field issues to players changing area codes, the stage is set for another drama-filled NFL season. A few staff writers here at Fighting Chance Fantasy (Michael Chasco @@ChascoFCF, Matt Miles @DirtyAirFC, Patrick Wisniewski @TheKingPolka, and Leo Grandio @smooth1074) will be tackling some questions to get fantasy managers ready for their upcoming fantasy drafts. So kick back and crack open your favorite adult beverage and let's get this fantasy training camp session started! 

Other than Marvin Harrison Jr. what rookie are you looking to draft this season?

Jonathon Brooks | RB | Carolina Panthers

Let's not get it twisted. Any fantasy manager would be thrilled to draft Malik Nabers after Marvin Harrison this year. Nabers is perfectly priced as the 25th wide receiver off the board over at FantasyPros. 60th overall would make him an ideal WR3 target in the fifth round in 1QB league formats. But it's late July. Get your shares while you still can. Nabers hasn't had that signature social media moment ‒ yet. That WR3 price will get more helium as soon as the dynamic rookie straps on the pads for the first time and blazes past NFL defenses this preseason. Remember Nabers didn't test at the combine and still was taken sixth overall by what everyone thought to be a quarterback-needy team in New York. The soon-to-be 21-year-old will project as the de facto No. 1 option for the Giants with a supporting cast of Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt. Not exactly Moss, Carter, and Reed entering the league. Nabers could step in and be a factor right away in fantasy football but at what cost? If Nabers does reach WR2 territory, we might be in danger of buying a player at his ceiling price.

I prefer not buying players at full freight. Instead, grind to find values in different pockets in the draft and profit. That's why I shifted my attention to rookie running back Jonathan Brooks. The 21-year-old was the first running back taken at 46th overall by Carolina in the 2024 NFL Draft and should be a great option for HeroRB or ZeroRB drafters who won't consider a running back until the seventh round or later. Brooks was unsurprisingly placed on the Non-Football Injury List on July 19th ‒ which is great news for any fantasy managers implementing either of those strategies. With an injury designation next to his name, Brooks will stay in your queue while early down grinders like John Conner, Tony Pollard, and Najee Harris go ahead of him. I know it'll be hard to click a Panthers running back. We haven't trusted a Carolina running back since Christian McCaffrey. (Okay maybe there are still some Chuba Hubbard truthers out there in the fantasy wilderness). But consider new head coach Dave Canales only had one offseason to turn in an overall RB4 year from Rachaad White as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator last year. Stay patient. Fill out your roster in the middle rounds; stay out of the RB dead zone; and take Brooks in the eighth or later. - Michael Chasco @ChascoFCF

This rookie class is considered by many to be a great class for wide receivers and quarterbacks. Just by glancing at the NFL Draft, one can easily see that NFL teams focused on improving the receiving game by drafting six quarterbacks and seven wide receivers in the first round alone. For me though, I’m going to bypass mentioning all that talent and pick the first running back taken in the draft, Jonathan Brooks. Brooks who is currently in the final stages of his recovery from an ACL injury he suffered last November was just placed on the PUP list. Due to this scenario, Brooks’s ADP has dipped to 88 as the RB30 off the board. If you are a fantasy manager looking to implement a Zero-RB draft strategy, Brooks is a name to remember as he should see plenty of touches this Fall. - Leo Grandio @smooth1074

J.J. McCarthy | QB | Minnesota Vikings

As I ponder this question, I think back at past seasons and all the new shiny cars I wanted at the end of summer drafting bonanzas.  This year is no different, and there are all kinds of new toys to satisfy the compulsive draft shoppers, yes this is a biased pick, I love where J.J. McCarthy has landed, and the weapons at his disposal, mainly ultra-superstar Justin Jefferson, and a slow but steady return of T.J. Hockenson. 

As a late-round flier, even if he doesn't start the season as the starting quarterback, McCarthy will finish it in that position without a doubt. If the SKOL crowd thinks they are going anywhere with Sam Darnold, you might as well drag my 53-year-old can out there to chuck it around.  The running game will need some help from Aaron Jones now, which, if healthy could work out nicely. He's not that bad, yet he is slipping into the irrelevant age group in the running back rankings as RB29.  McCarthy is going around the 25th quarterback off the boards, which is about where he should go. His accuracy is pinpoint, and velocity is very underrated. If McCarthy is given the chance he can chuck it downfield. The Vikings have a steady offensive line, ranking in the top 15, which will provide some comfort for a rookie quarterback. He can use his legs too. Although he's not Lamar Jackson, McCarthy will run, which we saw at Michigan. He rushed for over 600 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons. - Patrick Wisniewski @TheKingPolka

Brock Bowers | TE | Las Vegas Raiders

Those of you who threw a late dart at Sam LaPorta last season were handsomely rewarded with a set-it and forget-it spot at a position that's either a stream of so-so options, or a high-draft capital hit to your roster build.  So who is this year's LaPorta?  It's Brock Bowers of your Las Vegas Raiders! 

Gardner Minshew is projected to be the starter this season. Minshew has targeted tight ends quite often in zone coverage, with a 72.7% completion rate, fifth best among quarterbacks last season. He also sports an 8.0 accuracy rating according to Player Profiler, which is good for second-best in the NFL among quarterbacks. Minshew and Bowers are already making solid connections in minicamp.

Bowers himself is touted as the best tight end prospect since Kyle Pitts.  Although Bowers had a lingering hamstring that prevented the prospect from performing drills at this year's combine, he finished his college career at Georgia with 26 receiving touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns. The rushing touchdowns are an eye-opener, especially since the Raiders are also thin at running back. One last point of interest is according to Fantasy Pros, the Raiders have the second-easiest schedule for tight ends. You can do a lot worse with a 10th-round pick. - Matt Miles @DirtyAirFC

Which player that changed teams during the offseason will have the biggest fantasy impact?

Saquon Barkley | RB | Philadelphia Eagles

Now there are plenty of defensive players here I'd love to write about and if this was an IDP article I'd light it up, but I am very intrigued with Saquon Barkley's move to the Eagles, and their great offensive line. They will need to score often if the Eagles' defense is as horrid as it was last year, and Jalen Hurts now has possibly the most weapons he's ever lined up with.  As for Barkley's health issues of the past, as with every player, we'd like to see a full season of our drafted studs and have career numbers. If everything goes according to plan, Barkey will be the first overall pick next season. He's coming off the board sixth overall as RB4. So unless you're in a Superflex league or pass-happy league, you will not get a sniff of Barkley, but I'm putting all my chips in on him this season. - Patrick

After years of running behind a Swiss cheese offensive line in New York with little talent around him, Saquon Barkley is about to lay a hurting in the NFL. Opposing defenses will no longer be able to stack eight men in the box to stop the run because if not Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert will make teams pay in the receiving game. Couple that with the excellent offensive line that the Eagles have and you are looking at a recipe for Barkley to have 1,500 total yards of offense and double-digit touchdowns. Oh did I mention he’s a major threat in the receiving game too? - Leo

Devin Singletary | RB | New York Giants

Sticking with the NFC East, Devin Singletary will have the biggest, yet most boring fantasy impact on your fantasy team.  The 26-year-old running back is landing in what could be as close to a bell-cow role as we'll ever see in the NFL. Behind the 22nd-ranked offensive line of the Houston Texans, Singletary still delivered. From weeks 9-18, Singletary posted an average of 19 touches per game with an average of 88.6 yards per game. We can reasonably expect a bottom-half offensive line in New York and about the same volume. I'll take that every time in rounds 9-11 on draft day. - Matt

Should Rashee Rice miss time this season due to his off-field troubles, which Chiefs player are you looking to grab in your drafts?

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown | WR | Chiefs

Yes, Rashee Rice should most definitely see a suspension of some sort. If the NFL doesn't nip this in the bud now, it's going to be an issue for not only Rice but the league down the road. Especially, should possible future issues with Rice arise and/or other players who do idiotic things and get themselves arrested. As for the player to benefit and pick up the air yards, how can you not like Hollywood Brown? The dude has screwed me before and made me do the walk of draft shame by pumping him up so many times, but this is an ideal spot for a burner, and the deep ball will return to Kansas City this year! - Patrick

Potentially, this is a muddy answer. If I'm drafting now, I'd be on Hollywood Brown, though his ADP is getting fairly rich. He's going as high as 43rd overall, with a consensus ADP of 79th, but as high as 59th in PPR formats. If any news breaks, I'd expect Brown to jump into the third or fourth round, which is way too rich for my blood. You could throw a dart at Xavier Worthy in Best Ball, but I think there's a move to look at someone like Michael Thomas since head coach Andy Reid seems to like misfit projects. - Matt

Since Tyreek Hill departed to the 305, Patrick Mahomes has been missing a downfield burner to open up the offense. Yes, the Chiefs drafted Xavier Worthy, but they also prioritized signing Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. The veteran signed a very affordable $7 million deal that will allow him to prove himself for a bigger deal next year. Over the last two seasons, Brown has not played many games with a healthy Kyler Murray, which caused his game to suffer. Now he gets targets from Mahomes and is part of the potent Chiefs offense. His ADp will only rise going forward. - Leo 

Which player are you avoiding drafting at their current ADP?

Christian McCaffrey | RB | San Francisco 49ers 

This one is a slam dunk for me! Christian McCaffrey has an injury history, sure not of late, but has one nonetheless. His usage last year was over the dreaded 400-touch threshold. McCaffrey played deep into the playoffs including a Super Bowl appearance, and he just got married! Strikes one, two, and three in my opinion, yet if he plays, he's Gold Jerry, GOLD! The veteran running back has played 79% of all snaps throughout his career and is one of the certified bell-cow running backs. For me with his rushing and PPR Stud-Certification, I am just not feeling the CMC love this year, even after owning him all over last season. Depending on the league format, I'd be just as happy with Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson, or Saquan Barkley as the top overall running back, or should you go the wide receiver route, we have Tyreek Hill, Cee Dee Lamb, or Ja'Marr Chase sitting there as well. In Superflex leagues, you can even draft all of the usual suspects who are highly-ranked quarterbacks over McCaffrey. There are a few others I'd gladly let others draft too, but CMC is tops for me. - Patrick 

Puka Nacua | WR | Los Angeles Rams

Last year, I snapped up Puka Nacua everywhere I could and he certainly helped win some titles.  However, Nacua was a waiver target in Week 1. This year, the second-year wideout is a first-round pick with an ADP of 10th overall, and I'm pumping the brakes. Cooper Kupp was injured early in the season and Nacua from weeks 5-15 only scored double-digit fantasy four times upon Kupp's return. Here's the other disturbing part: Kupp only scored an average of 3.5 fantasy points per game during weeks 7-13 himself. Matthew Stafford is another year older, and Kupp himself is on the wrong side of 30. The highs were high, but the lows were also low. Buyer beware! - Matt

Rashee Rice | WR | Chiefs

Unfortunately, I’m passing on Rashee Rice and all the off-field issues he is dealing with currently. For the moment, Rice has an ADP of 80. Seems a little too rich for me with a possible suspension looming over his head. I’d much rather draft Ladd McConkey, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, or Xavier Worthy who are all going two to three rounds later. - Leo

What tight end are you looking to draft currently ranked outside the top 10?

Luke Musgrave | TE | Green Bay Packers 

Even as a Lions fan, I loved Luke Musgrave last year and expect even better things from him this season. The Packers have a plethora of wide receiver talent growing on trees in Green Bay. Musgrave is coming off the board with an ADP of 148, as TE18, and is a nice TE2 for any team. If he's on waivers, I'd grab him gladly with all the injuries at tight end last season, and the age of some of the upper-tier tight ends. He missed six weeks from his rookie season, due to a lacerated kidney. I had never heard of that medical issue until last season. Musgrave has the force, and you will love, no pun intended, drafting him this season. - Patrick

Dallas Goedert | TE | Philadelphia Eagles

2023 was a season Dallas Goedert would rather forget. Drafted by most fantasy teams in the seventh round, a broken forearm derailed his season, and the reliance on the tush-push relegated Goedert to a lot of blocking after his return. However, a player at a thin fantasy position on a high-powered offense shouldn't be TE12. Jason Kelce's retirement and the signing of Saquon Barkley should decrease reliance on the tush-push and only increase chances for Goedert to shine in Kellen Moore's flavor of play-action offense. - Matt

Pat Freiermuth |TE | Steelers

After a disappointing 2023 season, Pat Freiermuth is looking to turn things around this Fall. Freiermuth dealt with injuries and horrendous quarterback play that led to him posting a subpar 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns. With the arrival of new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields along with the new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the arrow is pointing up for Mr. Freiermuth. Smith loves implementing tight ends in his offensive schemes. Furthermore, with Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson no longer on the team, there are 134 targets up for grabs, which will be thrown from an improved quarterback situation. Freirmuth has a current ADP of 126 as the TE14 off the board, which is a great value especially if you punted the tight end position early on in the draft. - Leo

What players are you looking to draft this season? If you would like to discuss this further you can reach us on X at @FCFantasySports.