The 2024 NFL Draft class is shaping up to rival the best we have seen in recent memory. Standout performances across the country in Week 6 of the college football season are helping to fuel the hype and subsequent value of your fantasy football picks.
Dynasty fantasy football managers should start to lock into the key players of the 2024 NFL Draft class. Understanding the value of these playmakers will help you stay ahead of your league-mates when it’s time for your 2024 rookie drafts.
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2024 NFL Draft Dynasty Risers
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
I’ve been waiting all season for this type of performance from Drake Maye (6’4″, 230 pounds). Maye completed 70% of his 47 passing attempts for 442 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-7 rout of Syracuse. Maye also ran for 55 yards and a touchdown this past weekend.
So many little things go unnoticed about #UNC QB Drake Maye. One of his best traits is noticing unusual pre-snap looks/blitzes.
He sees this one all the way, angle drops away from the pressure to buy time and makes a great touch throw. pic.twitter.com/QtqoQt5mmj
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) October 8, 2023
Maye possesses prototypical NFL size, good mobility, and impressive arm talent. His decision-making and mechanics have seen considerable improvements over the last two weeks. Maye is the front-runner to be the QB2 in the class and projects as a top-10 NFL Draft selection. He should be a top-four selection in Superflex rookie leagues.
Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin
I wrote last week about the depth of the 2024 running back class coming together. Braelon Allen (6’2″, 245) represents some optimism for the top of the class. He rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries while helping Wisconsin control the pace of play against Rutgers.
Allen is a physical runner with the play strength to power through Big Ten defenders. He is a shifty back with vision that allows him to navigate into the second level of the field with ease. He now has rushed for at least 94 yards in four of his five games this season and recorded three multi-touchdown performances.
Allen is my RB1 in the 2024 NFL Draft class until further notice. I don’t think any running back gets first-round draft capital, but Allen should hear his name called first. I project him to be a mid-to-late first-round rookie draft selection.
Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville
Jamari Thrash (6’1″, 185) is atop my sleeper watch after the first six weeks of the college football season. The Georgia State transfer found his way to the Cardinals after piling up 1,122 yards and seven touchdowns on 61 receptions in the Sun Belt last season.
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Thrash’s explosiveness, handwork, and speed jumped out to me in his two-touchdown performance against Georgia Tech in Week 1. His best performance of the season, though, came on prime time in Week 6 when he caught eight balls for 75 yards and a TD against Notre Dame — arguably the toughest secondary he will face all season.
The Louisville wideout is on a path to the Senior Bowl and will eventually capture the attention of fantasy football consensus. Until then, you can take pride in knowing about him before your league-mates. I project him to be an early Day 3 NFL Draft selection and someone I will happily draft in the mid-third round of my 2024 fantasy rookie drafts.
2024 NFL Draft Dynasty Fallers
Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Keon Coleman (6’4″, 215) hit the throttle in his prime-time Florida State debut. The Michigan State transfer pulled in nine receptions for 122 yards and three TDs against LSU. Since then, though, Coleman has struggled to show off his athleticism, ball-tracking ability, and vertical prowess.
Coleman totaled just 22 yards on three receptions against Virginia Tech. Fellow 2024 NFL Draft prospect Johnny Wilson outperformed him again despite having very inconsistent hands. Coleman now has just 11 receptions and 156 yards in his last three games.
I am certainly not out on Coleman, but he is falling relative to a strong wide receiver class. LSU’s Malik Nabers is now locked into my WR2 spot, a ranking Coleman looked to be challenging early on in the season. If the 2024 NFL Draft happened today, Oregon’s Troy Franklin, Washington’s Rome Odzune, and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka would all have a strong chance of being drafted before Coleman.
Raheim Sanders, RB, Arkansas
I hate knocking a player who has been struggling with injury, but it is clear that Raheim Sanders (6’2″, 242) has fallen out of the RB1 conversation. Sanders suffered a knee injury in the season opener against FCS Western Carolina — a game where he averaged 2.8 yards per carry. He returned in Week 5 but has struggled to perform.
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Sanders averaged 1.9 YPC on eight attempts against Ole Miss in Week 6. In Week 5, he carried the ball 11 times for just 24 yards (3.1 YPC) against Texas A&M. Sanders has been unable to show the burstiness, lower body strength, or vision that was a staple of his 2022 tape.
Sanders looks like a late Day 2 draft prospect after six weeks, assuming he gets healthy by the end of the season. That would put his rookie draft ADP solidly into the second round, much lower than originally anticipated.