The Perfect 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy, Round-by-Round for 10-Team Leagues: Pick #1

• Christian McCaffrey easy choice at 1.01: McCaffrey falls into a category of his own, making him the obvious first overall pick.

• It’s not too early to draft a quarterback in Round 3: The second-round quarterbacks won the league last year, and Josh Allen AND Jalen hurts fits that description again this year, but could be drafted in another round later.

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Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

The Perfect Draft Series integrates current ADPs from both expert and casual drafts to identify the best available picks with each pick. This draft strategy is tailored for 10-team PPR leagues, especially for those who pick first.

Last Updated: 7:15 AM on Thursday, August 29

Round 1, Pick 1: Select a quarterback

The best choice is Christian McCaffrey. This year, there’s no need to think about it too much.

Main goal: Christian McCaffrey (Player Profile)

McCaffrey should be 1.01 because he is way ahead of the competition. He has the right combination of volume and efficiency in both the run and pass game, as well as continuity with everyone on the offense. Like any player, there are risks, but considering how far McCaffrey is from every other running back, even worse production could still lead to an RB1 season. He has been relied on more in the run game than he has been in the past few seasons, and the increased volume has matched the increased efficiency. He has been one of the best running backs in the run game in every metric of volume and efficiency. When he has a perfectly blocked play, he has averaged an absurd 9.0 yards per carry over the past three seasons.

Possible goals: Bijan Robinson, Breece Hall, Jonathan Taylor, Yahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry

Round 2, Pick 20: Select a quarterback

There is a risk of missing out on four top quarterbacks if one is not selected now, and none of them will be good value in the next round. While this is a bit earlier than their ADP, it is worth it because there is a lot of value to be found at other positions in the later rounds.

Main goal: Josh Allen

Allen has finished in the top two fantasy quarterbacks in each of the last four seasons. He is the third-highest rated quarterback and has the third-most rushing attempts in that span. He is the only quarterback who is elite in both passing and running, and also runs a lot. There are obvious risks involved with Stephen Diggs loss, but Buffalo Bills will now have to rely on Allen more to help his fantasy numbers stay high.