The 2024 Fantasy Football season is on the way and the Fantasy Football Today team has drafted their initial player outlooks for the entire player pool heading into training camp. Things will change on the injury front, in free agency, and possibly on the trade market, but the Fantasy Football team led by Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and Dan Schneier have created player outlooks based on 2024 projection, June ADP (average draft position) and where these players have come off the board in our mock (and real) drafts through May and June. We’ll use the FFT consensus PPR rankings (Jamey, Dave, and Heath’s rankings) to go player-by-player for the 12th round (12-team leagues) of your drafts.
*These consensus rankings are updated through June 10.*
Round 12
12.1: Roman Wilson, WR, Steelers
“The Steelers selected Wilson in the third round of the NFL Draft from Michigan, and he could be the No. 2 receiver in Pittsburgh this season behind George Pickens. Wilson is worth a late-round pick in all redraft leagues, and he should be a second-round pick in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. The Steelers passing game should be improved this season with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields at quarterback, and Roman Wilson is walking into a big opportunity. Wilson should earn a starting role ahead of Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Quez Watkins, or Scotty Miller. And if Wilson doesn’t start, he should be the third receiver. Pittsburgh has 136 targets to replace with Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson gone, and Wilson was productive last season in Michigan’s run-heavy offense with 48 catches, 789 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Wilson should be a nice surprise for Fantasy managers with a late-round pick.” – Jamey Eisenberg
12.2: Bucky Irving, RB, Buccaneers
“Irving enters the NFL after a productive career at Oregon after the Buccaneers used a fourth-round pick to select him in the 2024 NFL Draft. His calling card is his stop-and-start ability — he can make defenders miss in a phone booth. At 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds, he’ll have an opportunity to carve out a change of pace role in Year 1 but does not have much potential to be a lead back and would likely serve in a committee should something happen to Rachaad White. Irving is likely to come off the board in Round 3 of most rookie-only drafts. In redraft, he may be worth a late-round pick just to see how his role shakes out in training camp.” – Dan Schneier
12.3: Elijah Mitchell, RB, 49ers
“If Mitchell remains the primary backup behind Christian McCaffrey, he’s among the best “lottery ticket” running backs you could draft in Round 9 or later. That’s because Mitchell would be primed for a large role in a brilliant offense whenever McCaffrey misses playing time. Keep his name in mind when building your bench late.” – Dave Richard
12.4: Josh Palmer, WR, Chargers
“Palmer is a sneaky sleeper receiver given the other players he’ll compete with for targets with the Chargers. When pressed into action in previous seasons, Palmer’s been serviceable for Fantasy. And now that the Chargers cleaned house at receiver, Palmer should see regular reps. Consistently solid in terms of catch rate (at least 62% per year) and capable of winning on short and intermediate routes, Palmer could wind up first or second on the Bolts in targets and catches. That’s not a bad outlook for someone you’ll gravitate toward with a late-round pick, even if he’ll play in a run-first offense.” – Dave Richard
12.5: Curtis Samuel, WR, Bills
“Samuel joined the Bills this offseason and he’ll battle Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and others for targets in a wide-open wide receiver room. We’re hoping the young guys win out, but Samuel has a fighter’s chance and is worth a dart throw in the double-digit rounds. He earned 90-plus targets the past two seasons playing alongside Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson and earned even more playing next to D.J. Moore in Carolina. If no true No. 1 emerges, Samuel could see a career-high in targets from the best quarterback he’s ever played with. When Samuel has been Fantasy relevant in the past he’s been a part of the running game, with at least 130 rushing yards and a score in 2019, 2020, and 2022. Sean McDermott and Joe Brady trended towards the run in the second half last year, so Samuel could contribute there as well.” – Heath Cummings
12.6: Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers
“Freiermuth should be considered a sleeper this season, and he’s worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. Freiermuth has the chance to be second on the Steelers in targets this season behind George Pickens, and Freiermuth should benefit from new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and a quarterback upgrade in Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Smith’s offense in Atlanta where he was the head coach was extremely tight-end friendly. In 2023, the Falcons led the league in receiving yards by tight ends (1,380) and finished fifth in total receptions from the position (114). Freiermuth scored seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2021 and averaged 9.5 PPR points per game. He followed that up with 9.3 PPR points per game in 2022, but he dropped to 6.4 PPR points per game in 2023. He should prove to be a nice surprise in 2024, and Freiermuth is worth waiting for on Draft Day in all leagues.” – Jamey Eisenberg
12.7: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Browns
“After four tough years with the Broncos, Jeudy was traded to the Browns this offseason. He’ll attempt to put together his second season with at least 10 PPR points per game, though it won’t be easy. The Browns already have Amari Cooper as their primary threat (7.8 targets per game with Deshaun Watson last year) and got an outstanding season from tight end David Njoku. Jeudy would have to carve out a role larger than what he had in Denver and then rediscover the kind of efficiency he had in 2022 in order to be a good Fantasy choice. That feels unlikely, even with the quarterback upgrade, which is why Jeudy is best viewed as a bench receiver worth taking in the double-digit rounds.” – Dave Richard
12.8: Caleb Williams, QB, Bears
“The Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and he will be Chicago’s starter in Week 1. We like Williams as a potential starter in all one-quarterback leagues, and he’s worth drafting with a late-round pick. Williams is worth drafting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues as early as Round 3. He is stepping into a great situation with an outstanding receiving corps led by D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, fellow rookie Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. Williams was excellent at USC, where he passed for 8,170 yards and 72 touchdowns in the past two seasons. It might be safer to draft Williams as a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in redraft leagues, but he could end up starting for your team sooner rather than later based on his potential, as well as the talent around him in Chicago. Williams is worth a first-round pick in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues, and he could go as early as No. 1 overall in these formats for Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.” – Jamey Eisenberg
12.9: Adam Thielen, WR, Panthers
“Thielen surprised many in 2023 when he jumped on the radar as one of the best early waiver wire adds. There were only 10 WRs who scored more Fantasy points than Thielen until Week 12 and he had three weekly finishes inside the top five at the WR position during that span. After Week 11, Thielen finished inside the top 36 at WR just twice and never scored double-digit Fantasy points in a single week (standard scoring). Now entering his age-34 season, Thielen has more competition for targets after the Panthers drafted WR Xavier Legette with their first-round pick and traded for Diontae Johnson. They’re also undergoing a scheme change and new head coach Dave Canales will funnel some of those WR targets to the RB position. Thielen is a low-upside swing for the final rounds of your draft despite his strong start in 2023. ” – Dan Schneier
12.10: Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers
“We’re two seasons removed from Herbert’s last dominant year as a top-five Fantasy QB — and we’re looking down the road at a third, which is why he’s falling in Fantasy drafts. Herbert has consistently been a high-volume passer, averaging at least 35 per game in each year of his career (nearly 40-plus in his first three seasons). But new head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have a track record of being run-focused: Only twice over 10 seasons when either one of them coached an NFL team did their quarterback average more than 30 passes per game. Even if there’s a shift in their philosophy because Herbert is truly a gifted passer, the Chargers’ reshuffled, mostly unproven receiving corps drives down whatever upside Herbert would have. An easy-ish schedule to begin the season does give Herbert some mild appeal, but overall there’s not much optimism he’ll regain his spot as a mega-Fantasy passer. Expect high-upside QBs like Anthony Richardson, Jordan Love, Kyler Murray, and even rookies Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels to get drafted over Herbert in 2024.” – Dave Richard
12.11: Dalton Schultz, TE, Texans
“Schultz was a solid contributor with the new-look Texans in 2023 and he averaged the 10th-most Fantasy points per game (11th-most in PPR leagues). His outlook changed for the worse in 2024 after the team traded for Stefon Diggs and used a draft pick on TE Cade Stover. However, Schultz is likely to maintain the lead role from a snap share percentage and could find his way into the end zone a half dozen times (he scored five TDs in 2023). He’s a back-end TE1 with a solid floor, but if you’re looking for upside, there are other TE options to consider in his ADP range on Draft Day.” – Dan Schneier
12.12: Jaylen Wright, RB, Dolphins
“On the one hand, Miami is about the perfect spot for Jaylen Wright. Mike McDaniel’s offense and Wright’s 4.3 speed should be a match made in heaven. He’s a home run hitter in an offense that loves the long ball. Unfortunately for 2024, we expect him to start the year behind both Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. Because of their injury history and Mostert’s age, we’re still drafting Wright as early as Round 11 in redraft but he is a player you may have to be patient with. In Dynasty leagues, Wright is worth a pick in Round 2 in all rookie drafts and he could sneak into Round 1 in one-quarterback leagues. If anything happens to Mostert or Achane in training camp, you should be prepared to move Wright up as high as Round 7 in redraft.” – Heath Cummings
