New eBook Release!

Hello everyone! I have some big news!

The newsletter is coming out a bit late this week, and I can explain why. With the NFL draft has given me and every other fantasy football analyst so much to look at, write, and podcast about, it’s been tough getting things out into the world in time for rookie drafts, in many dynasty leagues they are almost immediately after the actual draft.

So because of that, I spent my time getting my post-draft rookie WR guide ready for you as quickly as possible, and it’s done! I have profiles for 18 receivers in this years’ class, as well as blurbs for six additional receivers. I reworked my S240 model, fine-tuning it a little more to hopefully bring you more accurate grades for (almost) all of the wide receivers that were drafted.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to dive into the profiles of Bub Means, Ryan Flournoy, and Tejuan Palmer, but I hope you can forgive me 😉 You can get the 2024 NFL Rookie WR Draft Guide for free, so go check it out!

However, the receivers that were drafted but not in the current guide will be added in the coming days. So if you want to see my thoughts on the incoming class before your rookie draft, what’s stopping you? It’s free 🤑 

Draft Reactions and 2024 Rookie Rankings

This section will go fairly quickly, as there’s not much that hasn’t been said already about the draft. Yes, I think the Penix pick was terrible for a win-now team, but I can see why they did it. Doesn’t mean I agree with it, but I can see why.

The Vikings trading up for JJ McCarthy I think is an underrated move. I’ve been a fan of JJM for a while now, despite being raised by an Ohio State family. Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels went where I thought they would, and to be honest, so did McCarthy.

The Chargers not drafting a running back till late in the draft was puzzling, the Cowboys not drafting one at all was even worse. LA snagged Kimani Vidal on Day 3, and while Day 3 backs are not great bets to pan out, Vidal does have some things going for him. First, a coaching staff who wants to run. Second, a revamped offensive line. Third, little competition in the backfield. Fourth, a decent profile coming out of Troy. I’m not head over heels, but it could work out for Vidal should the cards fall right.

It’s clear that the NFL did not like Troy Franklin as much as the fantasy football community. Franklin was viewed as a second-round pick by some, even a first-round by others. But he fell all the way to the fourth round. Fourth-round receivers haven’t hit at a high rate in recent years, but on the bright side, competition is minimal in Denver and he has his college quarterback throwing to him. Also, I go more into his profile in the guide, so you can check out more there.

Here are my current rankings for the top prospects at each position, a blank cell represents a “tier break”. Several guys are in a tier of their own, be it due to their clear top-end talent over the rest of their position, opportunity at their landing spot, or a combination of both. Some guys “go against the grain” of my model score, but that is also myself adding in my own subjectivity. The prospect scores keep me from getting too wild with these rankings, keeping me grounded in reality a little. Enjoy!

That will do it for this edition of the Ballfield Banter Newsletter, thanks for stopping by, and once again, make sure to check out my rookie receiver guide, and go dominate your rookie drafts!