The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone. The fantasy-relevant players from the first round were six quarterbacks and five wide receivers. Now that the dust has settled and the other six rounds have ended, we can officially determine who is heading into their rookie season looking like a fantasy football winner and who is looking like a fantasy football loser.
Winners
Jonathan Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
Brooks was selected in the second round by the Panthers, who traded back up to get him. He was long linked to the Dallas Cowboys but will now look to battle it out in training camp with Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard. Carolina prioritized upgrading its offensive line in free agency, and Brooks should be able to do well enough in training camp to at least force a split backfield to begin the year. He is coming off a torn ACL, but as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks, he could have value in both redraft and dynasty leagues this season.
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
Harrison Jr. is an easy winner since he was drafted with the fourth overall pick. He landed with the Cardinals, but after the team released Marquise Brown Jr., MHJ is the No. 1 option for quarterback Kyler Murray. Unless he struggles to adjust to the next level, he should be fantasy-relevant from target share alone.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Nabers is in a similar boat to Harrison Jr. He becomes the No. 1 option for Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. New York was not shy about their interest in a new quarterback, so hopefully, it lights a fire under Jones, and he plays better this season. Darius Slayton should help take some pressure of Nabers with his speed, but Nabers will be the pass-catcher to roster for this team.
Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, New England Patriots
Polk was drafted by the Patriots as a weapon for new quarterback Drake Maye. New England’s wide receiver room looked like an island of misfit toys, and the second-round pick should be able to have an impact from the jump. If he can get on the same page with Maye he could be a solid choice for best ball leagues and in dynasty. With the eras changing in New England with Jerod Mayo taking over as head coach, I’m hesitant to suggest drafting Polk in redraft leagues, but I won’t be shocked if he is a must-add by the middle of the season.
Losers
Brock Bowers/Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowers was one of the most versatile players in this year’s draft class. He was linked to the New York Jets, but they passed on him, and he landed in Las Vegas. The problem is that the Raiders already had Michael Mayer, who developed well as a rookie. Las Vegas could definitely use both, but they are already talking about moving Bowers out wide if they need to, and it just feels like they aren’t going to use him correctly. If they do figure out Bowers, that likely tanks Mayer’s upside until he finds a better situation.
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons
Penix’s short-term upside doesn’t project well with the presence of Kirk Cousins. We likely won’t know if this was a good pick for Atlanta for a few years, which is not exactly the narrative that usually comes with the No. 8 overall pick. If he takes over sooner rather than later, that’s great, but if Penix ends up not starting until 2026 or later, it’s hard even to see his dynasty value at this point because he will eat a roster spot.
MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers
There was hope that Lloyd would land somewhere that he could develop into the starter once he got to the next level. He certainly still can in Green Bay, but in the short term, he will be behind Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon. Jacobs signed a four-year deal that has an out after 2024, but unless he regresses a ton, doesn’t make much sense for Green Bay to do. Lloyd’s fantasy upside is pretty capped throughout his rookie contract if Jacobs continues playing well.