Devin Singletary on January 13, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
I’m currently about 60% through my fantasy football draft. Because of diverse schedules of the 12 people in our league, we ended up drafting with no time limits. Since we have to keep at least five players from last season, including a rookie, we, in essence, have a 10-round draft, with the top talent already siphoned off. I recently write about some guys I had my eye on, and sure enough, I was able to draft some of them. Here’s a look:
Round 6: Rome Odunze. Rome, in addition to having an upside as a WR, he is also a rookie, which has added value in my league. While Odunze’s numbers may be deflated this season because of a host of other skill position players coupled with a rookie QB, his long-term future is extremely bright. I’m still stunned by the idea of the Bears having a bunch of talented skill players.
Round 7: Devin Singletary. Singletary was a nice player while with the Bills, and saw a bit more action, as a runner with the Texans, though he was targeted less as a receiver. With the Giants, I look for him to be a main cog in a below par offense. Some Giant’s fans may gasp when they read this, but the return of QB, Danile Jones should help.
Round 8A: Jake Ferguson. Ferguson took a huge step forward in his second season with the Cowboys. He caught 71 passes for 761 yards with 5 TDs. That’s nice production and stands to grow this season. I nearly went for Dalton Shultz but decided to go with Ferguson instead.
Round 8B: Terry McLaurin. Will new QB, Jaden Daniels, improve McLaurin’s numbers? I don’t know but I think McLaurin is worth taking a chance on. He joins D J Moore, Drake London, and Brandon Aiyuk as my WR corps. I think it’s deep, but not elite.
Round 9: Austin Ekeler. I previously mentioned that I thought that Ekeler was going to show some slippage this season, however at this point in the draft, I really thought he was worth a draft pick. He might not be what he once was, but I think he still has a lot of value as a pass catcher out of the backfield, and as a goal line threat.
What next?
I am three slots from my next pick. I have my eye on Dalton Schultz, who could give me depth at TE and on some thin weeks, be a flex option. Diontae Johnson is also a possibility, but I’ve never been that sold on him. Of course I’ve also stunk in fantasy football, so there is that. The Titans Tyjae Spears is a real possibility with the next pick.
Then there are the long shots
After my next pick, I will be cooling my heels for a while. Here are a few guys I hope to snag in the late rounds.
Tyler Allgeier has some real talent but will be playing behind Bijan Robinson. Allgeier’s value, sad to say, is tied to Robinson’s health.
I have my eye on a couple guys who could fill the “In Case of Emergency Break Glass” mode. Adam Thielen comes to mind as a very late round pick. Despite his age, he does have some history with Panthers’ QB, Bryce Young. Bears’ backup TE, Gerald Everett could be a depth piece at a good value.
A trio of WRs could be nice late round additions. They are Tyler Lockett, Courtland Sutton and former Chargers WR, Mike Williams. At the very least, Williams and Jets QB, Aaron Rodgers could be rehab buddies.
And finally, I may take a flyer on one-time fantasy football wonder, Justin Fields. Actually, I really like that idea.
Enjoy sports trivia? Check this out: Yesterday’s Heroes Sports Quizzes: Sports Trivia for Baby Boomers by Larry Lambert | Goodreads
