Award-Winning Fantasy Football Advice

The Giants selected Penn State TE Theo Johnson in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. A converted WR, Johnson spent four years with the Nittany Lions – two as a full-time starter. Career-best numbers surfaced as a senior, but he wasn’t a major performer (34-341-7). He accounted for 13.8% of the team’s catches, 12.2% of the receiving yards, and 20.3% of the receiving TDs. He managed just 1.26 yards per route run -- down from the 1.58 figure he tallied as a junior. The real promise here lies in Johnson’s athletic gifts, which helped him to play all over the formation (47.9% inline, 38.8% slot, 9.8% wide). At 6’6, 259 pounds, he’s simply a rare athlete. Look no further than his Combine performance, which included a 4.57 forty, a 39.5-inch vertical, a 125-inch broad jump, and a 4.19 shuttle. Altogether, Johnson posted a historic 9.99 Relative Athletic Score. Now, his game needs refinement – most notably in his route running. Johnson also found himself in two off-field incidents that led to misdemeanors. He joins a Giants team that’s still waiting to hear whether TE Darren Waller will continue his football career. If not, TE Daniel Bellinger would stand as Johnson’s top competition for snaps. That’d give the rookie an outside shot at 2024 fantasy value – although he’s more of a dynasty bench stash.

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The Broncos spent the second pick of Round 4 on Oregon WR Troy Franklin. The No. 3 WR in the 2021 recruiting class broke out as a sophomore in 2022, leading the Ducks with 61 catches, 891 yards, and 9 TDs. He blasted by those numbers this past year, finishing top-6 in the country in receiving yards (1,383) and TDs (14). Franklin’s 3.32 yards per route ranked sixth among 286 qualifying WRs. His 87.3 Pro Football Focus receiving grade ranked 15th. Franklin was dominant going deep, averaging a huge 17.1 yards per catch and ranking top-10 in the nation in catches (14), receiving yards (558), and TDs (7) on targets 20+ yards downfield. He ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and looks at least that fast on tape. Franklin regularly ran by DBs in man coverage and defeated angles vs. zone coverage. That speed also makes him a weapon after the catch. The concerns: Franklin is a wiry 6’2, 176-pounder and struggles with drops (8.0% career drop rate). He’s not a good bet to emerge as a No. 1 WR in the NFL. But his big-play ability gives him the potential to score a bunch of fantasy points without big target volume. Franklin’s dynasty value obviously takes a big hit after he fell to Round 4. But he landed with the team that drafted his QB of the past two years, Bo Nix, in Round 1. The Broncos traded away WR Jerry Jeudy this offseason. They still have WR Courtland Sutton under contract through 2025. He has been a subject of trade rumors, however, and sports a cuttable dead-cap number ($3.825 million) for the final year of his deal. WR Marvin Mims arrived in the second round of 2023 but has yet to truly break through. Ultimately, there's room for Franklin to earn a prominent role over the next few years. He'll carry upside if he slides far enough in your rookie draft. Expect his rookie ADP to decline vs. where it was pre-NFL Draft. How much that declines will be key to whether you should target him.

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The Panthers selected Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders with the first pick of Round 4. He’s been overshadowed in this class by TE Brock Bowers, but Sanders is a damn good prospect in his own right. A five-star recruit and top-30 overall player in the 2021 class, Sanders broke out as a sophomore in 2022. He ranked second on that Longhorns team in catches (54), third in receiving yards (613), and second in TDs (5). Last year brought a career-high 682 receiving yards, despite the arrival of WR Adonai Mitchell. Sanders averaged a big 15.2 yards per catch, fueled largely by 7.7 yards after catch per reception. He’s a fluid athlete with plus speed, capable of making plays at all three levels of the field. Sanders also possesses nice ball skills and reliable hands. He was charged with just four drops (3.9% drop rate) over the last two seasons. Sanders needs to clean up his route running and consistency as a blocker. But he has all the tools to develop into a perennial top-12 fantasy TE. Sanders finds plenty of opportunity in Carolina, where he joins a TE room alongside Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas, and Stephen Sullivan. The rookie has a good chance to win the Week 1 starting job.

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Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks confirmed on Friday night that he's on track to be ready for training camp after tearing his ACL in November. “I’m out there, I’m running, I’m about to start cutting," Brooks said. "So I’m progressing well. I’m right on track on where I need to be." Despite the knee injury, Brooks was the only RB in the class to get Round 2 capital. And he landed in a backfield with Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders as the competition for touches. The Panthers might slow-roll Brooks early this season. But it shouldn't take him long to emerge as the clear lead back. He boasts top-20 upside in redraft leagues and already looks like a top-12 dynasty RB.

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The Buccaneers selected Washington WR Jalen McMillan in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. McMillan functioned as Washington’s primary slot over the past two seasons, with 2022 turning up peak production (79-1,098-0). He hit 80 yards in seven of 13 games. McMillan even out-targeted Rome Odunze (118-110) with help from one extra game played. Last year, a left MCL sprain limited McMillan’s output. Still, he posted solid marks in yards per route run (2.30) and yards after catch per reception (6.4). Notably, his aDOT dropped to 9.6 – well below the 13.1 figure he posted in ‘22. Of course, catching balls from Round 1 QB Michael Penix Jr. helped. But the tape here shows a nice blend of route polish and athleticism. At the NFL Combine, McMillan registered a strong 9.33 Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by a 10’7” broad jump. The 6’1, 203-pounder could earn a starting role as soon as 2025 when Chris Godwin is due for free agency. For 2024, though, McMillan is only worth stashing in deep formats.

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The Packers drafted USC RB MarShawn Lloyd in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. Lloyd tore his left ACL in fall camp of his freshman season at South Carolina in 2020 and carried just 64 times in 2021. He emerged as the backfield leader in 2022, tallying 111 carries for 573 yards and nine TDs. Lloyd then headed west to USC and turned in a career year. Although he shared the backfield with fifth-year senior Austin Jones, Lloyd ripped off 820 yards and nine TDs on a huge 7.1 yards per carry. He took 15.7% of his carries for 15+ yards – the best rate among this year’s top-25 RB prospects. And he ranked third in Pro Football Focus’ Elusive Rating among all 157 FBS RBs with 100+ carries. Lloyd confirmed that dynamism by earning a strong 8.62 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.46-second 40 time at 5’9 and 220 pounds. Lloyd is relatively unproven as a pass catcher and comes with durability concerns after also missing time with a thigh injury and broken left arm dating back to high school. Unfortunately, he landed on a Packers team with Josh Jacobs under contract through the 2027 season. While Lloyd should eventually work ahead of A.J. Dillon, the rookie is off the redraft radar.

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The Steelers drafted Michigan WR Roman Wilson in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. It took Wilson until his fourth season to lead Michigan in receptions or receiving yards. But his 2023 campaign was impressive. Wilson tallied a 48-789-12 receiving line, accounting for 25.1% of the team’s receiving yards and half of the receiving TDs. Wilson caught 71.6% of his targets on a 13.9-yard average target depth. That led to a huge 11.8 yards per target. Wilson ranked 29th in yards per route and 22nd in Pro Football Focus receiving grade among 286 qualifying WRs. The 5’11, 185-pounder played 65% of his snaps in the slot last year and figures to primarily stick inside as a pro. But don’t mistake him for just a short-range target. Wilson regularly won deep at Michigan last year and blazed a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. He also has one of the most reliable pairs of hands in this year’s WR class, dropping only one of 50 catchable targets last season, per PFF. The Steelers lost 136 targets via trade/free agency. Wilson should handle a chunk of those alongside George Pickens. While QB play is a question mark for 2024, the Michigan product is firmly in play as a late-round stash.

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The Rams spent a third-round pick on RB Blake Corum from Michigan. Corum played behind Hassan Haskins as a sophomore in 2021, ripping off 6.6 yards per carry and scoring 11 times on 144 carries (7.6% TD rate). Then came a huge 2022 season: 247 carries for 1,463 yards and 18 TDs in 12 games. All three marks ranked top-13 in the country. Corum averaged a strong 5.9 yards per carry, finishing first in Pro Football Focus rushing grade among 168 qualifying RBs. His 2022 campaign ended, though, with a torn meniscus in his left knee in late November. That injury played a part in Corum’s decision to return to Michigan for his senior year. He put up big numbers again in 2023 – 258 carries for 1,245 yards and an FBS-high 27 TDs – but his advanced metrics were down. Corum averaged just 4.8 yards per carry and sunk to 71st in PFF rushing grade among 157 qualifiers. So the big question here is whether Corum can regain that 2022 form. If he does, he’ll prove to be one of the best pure runners in this year’s RB class. If not, we’re looking at an undersized back (205 lbs.) that doesn’t offer a ton in the passing game. Kyren Williams dominated backfield work for the Rams in 2023, but the team had little else in the backfield. There's a chance Corum takes a significant amount of work from Williams. Expect him to stay close to his early rookie ADP.

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The Bengals selected Alabama WR Jermaine Burton in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. Here’s a tricky one. Burton, a highly touted recruit, began his college journey at Georgia (2020-2021). Right away, he showed value by finishing third on the Bulldogs in catches (27), yards (404) and TDs (3). His 497 yards beat Ladd McConkey and Adonai Mitchell in 2021; he ranked a close third among the group in catches (26). Come 2022, Burton transferred to SEC rival Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide in receiving over the next two seasons, showing electric downfield ability. That surfaced most prominently in 2023 with 20.5 yards per catch on a 20.2-yard average depth of target. Despite the downfield usage, Burton didn’t register a single drop last fall. A plus athlete (9.09 RAS score) at 6’0, 196 pounds, there’s a lot to like in his profile. So why’d he last so long in the draft? NFL scouts say he had “up and down moments” with both coaching staffs, per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. Reporter Bob McGinn said pre-draft that Burton was removed from “at least two teams’ boards for various character-related issues.” Burton also lacks a standout production profile, one that includes a single-season career-high of only 40 catches (2022). That said – Cincinnati supples an excellent landing spot, particularly with Tee Higgins on the trade block. Consider Burton an upside target for dynasty rookie drafts.

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The Cardinals spent a third-round pick on RB Trey Benson from Florida State. Benson suffered a multi-ligament knee injury as a freshman at Oregon in 2020 and did very little in 2021. He transferred to Florida State ahead of the 2022 campaign and turned in two highly efficient seasons for the Seminoles. Benson averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored on 7.4% of his attempts across the past two years. An explosive runner with strong contact balance, Benson scored TDs of 80+ yards as a runner, receiver, and pass-catcher at Florida State. He confirmed his elite athleticism by earning a 9.73 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.39-second 40 time. Benson also showed promise as a pass-catcher over the last two years, catching 32 of 39 targets and averaging 11.5 yards per reception. He averaged just 13.2 touches per game at Florida State but has the potential to garner a bigger workload as a pro. Going to Arizona likely limits Benson's touch outlook for 2024. But it's a solid landing spot for his dynasty outlook. Check our rookie rankings to see where he lands.

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