This is the big one, right? All the marbles. A byline on which I’m staking my name. We’re in the business of winning crowns here at DraftKings, DraftKings Sportsbook, and DK Network. And I’ve got five players on the draft board who are eager to help place one on your head.
The elite collective of five players listed below represent a group on which I’m willing to firmly stamp my name. I call them my Stamped Players for the 2024 Fantasy Football Season.
There will definitely be some overlap from my other draft kit articles, but that’s just because we here at DKN have been dedicated to pumping out robust offerings of draft strategies headed into this weekend.
Draft these guys and kick your feet up. Smoke a cigar. Whatever you do to celebrate a victory. Because, trust me: you’re securing a trophy early by rostering the following names.
Listed in no particular order:
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
Is it possible to call Swift post-hype this far into his career? Because I sort of feel like he’s way too cheap in drafts right now in this new Bears offense.
Somehow, we’ve all fallen into a narrative trap with Swift regarding his medical history. He’s not as injury-prone as you may think. He’s played 14 games his last two years, and has never played in fewer than 13 across an entire season in his career. Of course, he’s not getting any younger, so your garden-variety wear-and-tear is going to take more of a toll on Swift. But he’s not a crystal flute.
And, anyways, when we’re talking league-winners, we’re talking about upside plays. You don’t draft for upside with medical history in mind. That’s tired.
But back to Swift. He averaged right around 4.5 yards per carry on the Eagles last year, and showed he’s still got his receiving chops. I’m not altogether surprised he didn’t blow up in Philadelphia; I drafted him a lot last year and was pleasantly surprised with the returns, anyways.
He cost a lot more in 2023 for a role that ended up being, likely, less prolific than what Chicago has planned for him. It’s important to remember that HC Matt Eberflus has mentioned that he sees D’Andre Swift as a weapon with a full route-tree available. Doesn’t that sound like Swift’s much-higher-priced elite receiving back on his former team: Jahmyr Gibbs?
I’m trying to get in on the Bears offense on the cheap, and Swift is a great way to do so. Volume-wise, we’re betting that Eberflus won’t get as cute with Khalil Herbert as Nick Sirianni was last year with Kenneth Gainwell in Philadelphia. Herbert doesn’t have the post-playoff shine that Gainwell did in Philly.
Swift is never going to be a feature-back; we draft him because we believe in the efficiency of his touches, and his ability to turn standard-value touches into high-value results.
You can get him at a flex price, and he’s a high-end RB2 in this offense. Plan to reach a bit for him in the middle rounds and pick beforehand accordingly.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Might as well get both Bears right out of the way. I’ve written about Rome Odunze fairly exhaustively this offseason, seeing as I think people are undervaluing him in a crowded receiver room. So, obviously, I love him.
Now you know that I love him with such bursting magnitude that I’m calling him a league-winner at his current ADP.
Here’s my analysis on Odunze from my 5 Best PPR ADP value players to draft for Fantasy Football 2024 column for DKN:
Odunze’s over-the-top prolific career at the University of Washington is an incredible resumé to behold. Especially his 2023: he led the FBS in receiving yards with a whopping 1,640. He also registered 21 catches on deep throws (targets with 20+ air yards), and hauled in 24 contested catches—both FBS-bests as well.
The ceiling is stratospherically high, here. Odunze’s build grades similarly to Ja’Marr Chase’s. He’s 6’3″, 212 pounds—so we know he’s physical at the line and at the point of a catch. He grades in the 94th percentile in speed score for all rookies and 97th for catch radius. Still, with all that size and speed, Odunze cleared the 86th percentile for his agility score.
The upside is just too good. It also could just flat out be a ton of fun. He will soon be the top receiver in this offense, and it could happen this season. His rapport with Caleb Williams is apparent.
If you’re getting Odunze as your WR4, which you are at this price, you’re getting an absolute steal. I have him as my WR32, over guys like Keenan Allen, Jayden Reed, and Xavier Worthy.
The Bears didn’t draft him to be a role-player. He’s a true-as-anything alpha at a role-player price on draft day. I might even be a coward for ranking him as low as 32.
Other folks are excited about him, too, especially after the off-platform connection with Williams in preseason Week 2. You might have to reach.
But, I tell you true: you should feel great doing so.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
I wrote some soft-ish analysis for Kincaid in my 12-Team PPR Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Picking from the No. 6 spot column for our fantasy draft kit:
I just don’t really have much analysis for this one. The pick doesn’t need it. Even with a full receiver room in the 2023 season, Kincaid led his team in receptions, and finished with the fourth-most receptions ever by a rookie tight end.
Gone are Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Kincaid’s pathway to a season with north of 120 targets is all but paved for him.
And, here’s the scary part: we still don’t know his ceiling.
He’s going to become Josh Allen’s no. 1 target in 2024. I said 120 targets in the above excerpt, but, truly, I think we’re looking at closer to 130-135. Kincaid’s got no alpha wideout demanding targets on the sideline that would organically threaten his volume. It’s become a more high-percentage-throw offensive scheme now that Kincaid’s there; he is as much a difference-maker for that offensive scheme as he’ll be for your fantasy lineups.
You can get him at a round-five/round-six price, and he’s easily a round-three pass-catcher with upside to be more.
I think he might be the only offensive skill-player in Buffalo to benefit from the mass exodus this offseason, and he’ll do so in a pyrotechnic, spectacular fashion for your fantasy rosters.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
We’re fine keeping our foot in both camps, here. Not only do I like McConkey as a fantasy investment, but I like his some of his futures bets, too, at DraftKings Sportsbook. Said so, too, in my NFL Best Bets: Los Angeles Chargers Predictions on DraftKings Sportsbook column:
McConkey is the new-and-potentially-better Hunter Renfrow, with a better quarterback throwing him the ball, and a better offensive line buying his quarterback time.
All we’ve heard all offseason is how McConkey is an automatic early contender for 100+ receptions. So how do we not get in on these 10/1 odds (Most receiving yards by a rookie) at DraftKings Sportsbook?
Health is a definite concern; he’s apparently fine now, but McConkey suffered a lower-body injury during training camp that kept him out of practice for a bit. He battled through a knee injury and caught a bad case of turf-toe in 2022, and missed five games last year with both back and ankle injuries. We don’t like that his historically-bruised lower body is already feeling NFL wear and tear.
But, including the four receivers favored more than him (Marvin Harrison, Jr., Malik Nabers, Keon Coleman, and Xavier Worthy), McConkey is the only of the five who will routinely line up in the slot. And we’ve all seen the viral clip of Tom Brady talking about football theory, specifically re. keeping your offensive skill players happy. He says it’s far easier to get the ball to guys inside the numbers (like Edelman and McConkey) than outside (like Harrison, Jr, Nabers, et. al).
When it comes to simplicity and efficiency with regards to a quarterback delivering a rookie the ball such that he could rack up receptions, Herbert’s dynamic with McConkey takes the clear advantage, here.
We like this prop especially because of McConkey’s advanced metrics as compared to his other rookies. Among the 2024 class, he finished third in first downs/reception, fourth in yards after catch per reception, and fourth in missed tackles forced per reception. Which means he generates plenty of yards after the catch. What one might call slippery, indeed.
And, honestly—who else is Herbo going to throw to in high-leverage, short-to-medium yardage situations? CVS-brand Mike Williams (read: Joshua Palmer)? No. It’ll be McConkey, who was a good, reliable Ladd and averaged just under an 80% catch rate in his career at Georgia, and was an absolute YAC machine.
Like Kincaid above, McConkey figures to be the no. 1 target and, likely, the new safety valve for an elite quarterback. Herbert will throw it his way often. McConkey is a route-running specialist and will create separation.
It’s not going to be a sexy offense in 2024—been a while since we could really say that about the Chargers, much to Herbert’s chagrin—but someone is going to have to catch the ball a lot. If McConkey can stay on the field and develop even a slight rapport with his quarterback in the red zone, we’re looking at a potential 2021 Hunter Renfrow line, here.
120 targets is not out of the question, and you’re getting it at a tenth-round ADP. He’ll return flex value at worst. I project him for just over 100 receptions, 1,000 yards, and seven touchdowns.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Like Odunze, I’ve written about Conner at length and ad nauseum this offseason. I almost didn’t include him on this list simply because I’ve talked about him so much, but that’s not the point, here. This is a list of skill-players on whom I’m stamping my name. Conner might be more qualified than any/all of the above.
So, here’s what I said about him in my 12-team PPR Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Picking from the No. 12 spot column, where I offered the most analysis after drafting him in the fifth:
I did not think I’d be saying this in 2024, but I believe James Conner might win folks some fantasy drafts at his current ADP. Getting him here could prove critically important to your roster construction, no matter what draft strategy you employ.
Citing injury as a reason to fade Conner this far is simply silly: last season, he played in at least 13 games for the fourth straight season. That’s comfortably consistent.
Trey Benson has flashed in the preseason, but I think that’s going to be more of a future concern. Conner averaged a 62% snap share last season, and I don’t see Benson moving the needle on that number. I certainly don’t foresee Conner losing feature-back, high-value touches to Benson.
Last season, Conner finished as the RB13. How is it that he’s being drafted outside the top-15 running backs in 2024? It can’t be age. 29 years old is getting up there for a halfback, but it’s by no means a guarantee of a plummet in production.
By all projection models, the Cardinals’s passing offense in 2024 is going to lap its production from last season. This should hopefully open up more opportunities in the run game for Conner, who will also see his fair share of targets. Project him for around 36 receptions and in the ballpark of 250 receiving yards.
He’ll finish well inside the top-24 RBs this year. He’s the cheapest sure-thing RB2 on the board this late.
Conner’s being drafted right around RB20, and he’ll finish with RB13 production once more.
He could be the biggest steal of the draft.
Happy drafting! And be sure to check out some futures bets for all of these players on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information
