Big Board: Top 100 picks for fantasy football 2024, from Christian McCaffrey to Jayden Daniels (2024)

The​​​​​​​​​​ Big Board takes into​​​​​​​​​ consideration​​​​​​​​​​ past​​​​​​​​​​ returns,​ current​​​​​​​​​ situation/performance​ and​​​​​​​​​ expected​ future gains​​​​​​​​​ in​​​​​​​​​​ determining​​​​​​​​​​ who​ should be included​​​​​​​​​ among​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ the​​ Top 100 fantasy football players. Essentially, the Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for a GM who is planning to participate in a draft today. Half-point PPR scoring for a 1QB league format is used as the baseline for the Big Board.

* Player notes for the Top 50 players follow the Top 100 rankings (below)

Top 50 Player Notes

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF

• He was so far ahead of the RB pack in half-PPR scoring that you could have reduced his total FAN PTS by 28% and he’d still have finished as the top RB

2. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL

• Was in full bloom over final 12 regular-season games of 2023: 108 catches, 1391 yards, 12 TDs … and he’s only 25 years old

3. Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA

• Has not only survived life without Patrick Mahomes, he’s thrived: Back-to-back seasons of 170+ targets, 119 catches, 1700+ yards in MIA

4. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ

• Despite returning from ACL injury and losing QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 1, elite talent still shined through with 7 games of 20+ PPR points (second to CMC at RB)

5. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL

• Among RBs with at least 150 touches, he was No. 6 in FAN PTS per touch, and a workload increase is expected under new OC Zac Robinson

6. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN

• Was No. 3 in FAN PTS at WR from Weeks 15-18 with QB Kirk Cousins out, which bodes well for his transition to the J.J. McCarthy era in MIN

7. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, CIN

• With Joe Burrow at QB, has averaged a 17-game regular-season pace of 106 catches, 1,480 yards and 12.5 TDs over his three seasons in the NFL

8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET

• Joins Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas as only WRs with 300+ catches over the first three seasons of a career — 9 100-yard games in 2023 led all WRs

9. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET

• Counting postseason, scored 14 TDs in final 14 games of rookie season — finished second among RBs in rushes of 20+ yards (10)

10. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND

• Just two seasons removed from the fourth-best half-PPR season by a RB since 2010, and he’s still just 25 with contract issues now in the rear-view mirror

11. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR

• Set rookie mark for receiving yards (1,488), and remained elite even after Cooper Kupp returned from injury — No. 6 WR in FAN PTS from Week 5-18

12. A.J. Brown, WR, PHI

• In the heart of his prime (age 27 season) coming off back-to-back Top 5 WR fantasy finishes as Philly’s go-to aerial weapon

13. Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI

• Has scored 10 TDs each of the past two seasons and moves to a PHI offense that has averaged 8+ more points per game than the NYG offense in that span

14. Derrick Henry RB, BAL

• Pairing with Lamar Jackson is enticing — Baltimore RBs, none as good as Henry, have averaged 4.8 YPC and 14.8 rush TDs in past five seasons with LJ as the starter

15. Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ

• Has been back-end WR2 with averages of 89 catches and 1,072.5 receiving yards past two seasons — upgrade to QB Aaron Rodgers puts back-end WR1 in play

16. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR

• Second to CMC in touches per game (21.7) — rookie Blake Corum could steal some work, but Williams (Top 5 in half-PPR points per touch) can afford it

17. Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC

• Settled in as KC’s bell cow in 2023 — including postseason, scored 8 TDs and averaged 21.5 touches and 97 total yards in final eight games

18. Davante Adams, WR, LV

• Shaky QB situation led to uneven production for Adams, netting his lowest per game fantasy output since 2015 — does Gardner Minshew fix the problem?

19. Mike Evans, WR, TB

• Produced fourth-best FAN PPG mark of career in 2023 — has produced 1K receiving yards in all 10 NFL seasons (Jerry Rice only player with longer NFL streak — 11)

20. Josh Allen, QB, BUF

• Change to more conservative OC Joe Brady didn’t harm Allen’s fantasy value — No. 1 in FAN PPG at QB from Weeks 11-18 (8 rush TDs in that span)

21. Chris Olave, WR, NO

• The clear alpha WR in the NOLA offense heading into Year 3, the hope is his production finds more consistency — 5 100-yard games, 6 games sub-50 yards in 2023

22. Rachaad White, RB, TB

• RB8 in 2023 thanks to 19.8 touches per game, 64 receptions (fourth among RBs), and Bucs did not add a meaningful threat to his featured role this offseason

23. Travis Etienne Jr. RB, JAC

• Set to run it back as Jags’ bell cow RB (19 touches per game) after Top 3 fantasy RB finish in 2023 — 0 DNPs since Lisfranc injury wiped out rookie season in 2021

24. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI

• A rookie has finished in the Top 10 in FAN PTS at WR in three of past four seasons — Harrison Jr. has the talent, polish and situation to be the next Top 10 finisher

25. Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI

• After Top 5 finish in 2022, fell outside Top 20 in QBR in 2023 — also of concern is addition of Saquon Barkley, who could steal some of Hurts’ rush TD thunder

26. De’Von Achane, RB, MIA

• Announced presence with authority, churning out 7.8 YPC as a rookie, the highest mark by a RB (min. 100 carries) in NFL history — No. 4 RB in PPR PPG

27. Sam LaPorta, TE, DET

• His 86/889/10 stat line netted out to the second-best PPR PPG mark by a TE in NFL history (behind Mike Ditka — 1961)

28. Drake London, WR, ATL

• Out from under conservative HC Arthur Smith and QBs Ridder, Heinicke, Mariota should allow London to finally flaunt the talent that made him the No. 8 pick in 2022

29. Alvin Kamara, RB, NO

• Finished fifth among RBs in PPR PPG on strength of 75 receptions (second-most among RBs), and New Orleans did little to suggest a change in his role in 2024

30. Travis Kelce, TE, KC

• He’ll be 35 in 2024, but at least elite TE production in the mid-30s is not completely unprecedented — Tony Gonzalez was a Top 4 TE at age 35, 36, and 37

31. DK Metcalf, WR, SEA

• Ranks No. 9 at WR in PPR PTS over past four seasons with an average line of 78.5 receptions, 1,108 receiving yards and 9 TDs

32. DJ Moore, WR, CHI

• One of the premium WR talents in the NFL, but it’s hard not to think his numbers take a step back from his WR6 finish in 2023 with the additions of Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze

33. Josh Jacobs, RB, GB

• One of the few true bell cow RBs over the past few years but likely to lose a few touches per game off his 20.6 career mark with move to Green Bay

34. Nico Collins, WR, HOU

• One of the breakout stars of 2023 finished No. 8 among WRs in PPR PPG, but he’ll likely cede some target share to veteran WR addition Stefon Diggs

35. Deebo Samuel, WR, SF

• WR/RB hybrid’s physicality leads to plenty of weekly questionable tags, but his versatility is a cheat code in vaunted 49ers offense (past three seasons: 15 TD catches, 16 TD runs)

36. Joe Mixon, RB, HOU

• His advanced metrics are getting less flattering, but he’s a proven workhorse with solid receiving skills and a nose for the goal line, and Houston is paying him bell cow money

37. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, IND

• Is seventh in the NFL in receptions (296) over the past two seasons — speedy rookie Adonai Mitchell should help open things underneath for Pittman even more in 2024

38. Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA

• Injuries (concussion, ankle) helped push him into WR2 territory for the first time in 2023, but he remains in the discussion as the top No. 2 WR option among NFL teams

39. Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR

• After epic 2021 campaign, injuries have led to 12 DNPs the past two seasons — closed 2023 on the upswing, as he was Top 10 WR in PPR PPG from Weeks 13-17

40. Stefon Diggs, WR, HOU

• Reached 100 catches, 1,100 receiving yards and 8 TDs in each of his four seasons in Buffalo, but have to wonder how his alpha mentality will handle sharing the target pie with emerging talents Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

41. Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC

• Coming off worst fantasy season since becoming KC’s starter, yet was still QB8 — WR speedsters Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy should provide a juice boost

42. Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL

• Elite rush numbers have helped carry him to third-most FAN PTS over past five seasons, but RB Derrick Henry gives him a play-action weapon unlike anything he’s ever had

43. James Cook, RB, BUF

• His PPR PPG jumped nearly five points after Joe Brady took over as Bills OC (Week 11-18), but rookie RB Ray Davis is considered a pass pro upgrade over Cook, and could steal away the “power” backfield work

44. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF

• Undeniable talent, but has never been a WR1 in PPR formats (never more than 78 receptions or 8 TDs in any of his four NFL seasons), and contract impasse muddies immediate future

45. DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI

• More a 1B to A.J. Brown than a “second fiddle” — one of just eight WRs with combined minimums of 175 catches, 2000 receiving yards and 14 TDs over the past two seasons

46. Kenneth Walker, RB, SEA

• Tied for fifth among RBs in missed tackles in 2023 — has settled into “solid RB2 territory” with similar Top 20 RB campaigns in each of first two seasons

47. Aaron Jones, RB, MIN

• Landed in another catbird seat with lead role in Minnesota after release from Green Bay — ranks fifth among RBs in PPR points over the past five seasons

47. Amari Cooper, WR, CLE

• Has been a model of consistency as he’s finished as a Top 20 fantasy WR in five of the past six seasons — a 75-catch, 1,100-yard, 6-7 TD campaign is a foregone conclusion

49. Zay Flowers, WR, BAL

• Showed impressive consistency in his 2023 rookie campaign, as his 13 games with at least 50 yards from scrimmage was fourth-best among wide receivers, behind only Tyreek Hill, Amon-Ra St. Brown and CeeDee Lamb

50. Rhamondre Stevenson RB, NE

• With a four-year contract extension in place, he appears situated for his largest rushing load of his career, though the Pats’ signing of Antonio Gibson could limit Stevenson’s PPR upside

(Top photo of Christian McCaffrey: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Senior Editor Brandon Funston hails from the Pacific Northwest. He's been a leading “face of fantasy sports” for the past two decades, formerly with ESPN and Yahoo. His work was recognized in 2011 with his induction into the Fantasy Sports Writers Hall of Fame. He can be heard throughout the NFL season as a regular host on "The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast" and SiriusXM’s Fantasy Sports channel. Follow Brandon on Twitter @brandonfunston