This list will identify seven players flying under the radar in mock drafts for PPR fantasy football leagues in 2024. Fantasy leagues can be won in the mid and late rounds. This post will highlight players to draft who will likely slide there. These players could have seasons that will surpass their Average Draft Position (ADP). Taking these players above their ADP can help fantasy managers win their leagues this season.
Underrated fantasy football players to target in 2024
Quarterback
Anthony Richardson
Richardson looked like a fantasy football cheat code in 2023. The sample size is minuscule, but this physical specimen could win his position almost every week. In two full games, Richardson had 20.9 points and 29.6, respectively, in the only two full games he played. He was on track for a huge third game; scoring 17.7 points before leaving early due to a concussion. His durability is a red flag, but he has excellent value if fantasy managers take him after the 9th round. His running ability and opportunity for goal-line scores heighten his ceiling.
Running back
David Montgomery
Jahmyr Gibbs is the flashier back, but David Montgomery is a fine running back in his own right. Gibbs’s pass-catching warrants a higher grade in PPR leagues but Montgomery is a great player to target. Fantasy managers can get a steal if Montgomery is available in round 3. He is a big, physical back who runs behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Detroit has a potent offense which will give Montgomery many opportunities to score. He is the larger back of the tandem, so he could see the majority of goal-line runs. Montgomery is coming off a season in which he ran for 1015 yards and 13 touchdowns in 14 games. It’s not far-fetched to believe that he could put up similar numbers. Montgomery has tremendous fantasy football value.
Aaron Jones
Aaron Jones was cut from the Packers after negotiations on a pay cut broke down. Jones will now suit up for divisional rival, the Minnesota Vikings. Aaron Jones finished the season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games, proving he still has gas in the tank. Jones is an ideal running back for fantasy managers to target in mid-rounds. He is still fast and is in an offense where he will see both volume and running lanes. Justin Jefferson. Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson will keep defenses from stacking the box. After losing Kirk Cousins to Atlanta, the Vikings will likely start a stopgap at quarterback in 2024. They could lean on the run in response. Aaron Jones would be the beneficiary, making him a candidate for a very good season.
Chase Brown
Long-term starter, Joe Mixon has been cut. That could open the door for second-year player, Chase Brown, to have a bigger role. Brown essentially didn’t play until week 7 versus the Jaguars in which he broke out for 9 carries for 61 yards. The next week he had 3 catches for 80 yards, which included his lone touchdown of the season, a 54-yarder. Brown has a very small sample size but he had long gains of 54, 31, and 27 yards, indicating he could be a gamebreaker. The Bengals cutting Mixon doesn’t mean that Brown is a secret weapon waiting to be unleashed, but he should be a player fantasy managers should keep their eyes on in late rounds.
Wide Receiver
Michael Pittman Jr.
The possession receiver is a catch machine. He has had 208 catches over the last two seasons. Pittman Jr. has only averaged 9.9 yards per catch and 8 total touchdowns over that stretch, so the ceiling isn’t high. However, Pittman Jr. would be an amazing fantasy player to place in the Flex position. You can count on him to average about 6 or 7 catches a game. That level of production from a Flex 1 position – or even better in deeper leagues – a Flex 2, is mouthwatering value. Fantasy managers looking to load up on receiver early should target the Colts receiver as their third.
Jayden Reed
Green Bay had a wide receiver by committee approach in 2023. Christian Watson ostensibly was the Packers’ number one wide receiver but the breakout season never came to fruition. This opened the door for Jordan Love to be egalitarian spreading the football around. Reed had 64 catches for 793 yards and 8 touchdowns. Reed could be a candidate to separate himself from the pack – no pun intended, and establish himself as Green Bay’s primary target. Look for his numbers to improve as Love and the rest of Green Bay do. Reed is a candidate for fantasy football breakout player of the year. Be on the lookout for him in the late rounds of PPR leagues.
Tight End
David Njoku
Njoku finished 2023 as the 6th highest-scoring tight end in PPR leagues. The tight end position can be streaky outside of the elite and downright vapid the further you go down. Managers who miss out on elite tight ends should shoot for Njoku. He sees a ton of volume and is one of the rare tight ends who is a consistent component in game plans. The Cleveland tight end had 123 targets which ranked 3rd highest in the league. Njoku was having a decent season up until week 14 when he exploded to the tune of 27.1, 26.4, 16.4, and 17.4 points. Njoku is an excellent tight end to draft in the mid-to-late rounds of PPR leagues.
Main Photo: [Jeff Hanisch] – USA Today Sports
