2023 Recap & Welcome to KPAFFL 2024
Every year we dive into which teams hit home runs at particular positions in the draft and which ones left the draft with a headscratching lack of depth or superstars at a particular position. With a very evenly divided draft talent-wise this year, it was very hard to make these determinations, so we may look back on these predictions and laugh at their credibility or lack of justification at the year's end, but for now all we can do is speculate. With that, here are this year's winners and losers at each position from the 2024 KPAFFL Draft.
Best QB Situation - Bluhm Goes the Dynamite
This was really a toss up between who has one of the top 3 most desirable quarterbacks in the draft, but Bluhm Goes the Dynamite struck gold with Patrick Mahomes in the fourth round of the draft. After a QB1 rank in 2022, Mahomes dropped to QB8 in 2023, but the overhaul of his pass-catchings corps is going to do wonders for him in the 2024 season. Instead of a gross looking group that led the league in drops in 2023, Mahomes' overhauled receiving corps consists of Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, and the speedy Xavier Worthy in 2024 which is going to vault him back into QB1 status. Normally Josh Allen would be the pick for the best fantasy QB, having finished as the QB1 in three of the past four years, but a lack of reliable pass catchers and the possibility of defenses keying in on his running ability might cause him to tumble a bit in this year's final QB rankings. Bluhm Goes the Dynamite also gets props for picking Mahomes' battery mate in Rashee Rice in round five, which will make an excellent pairing over the course of the season.
Worst QB Situation - Football Fetish
It is hard to fault Football Fetish for taking the heralded Anthony Richardson in round six, but I for one do not buy into the hype that he is worth that high of a draft pick. He was unimpressive in the preseason and only made it through three full games in 2023. He has a sky-high ceiling with his rushing ability, but his arm is a question mark as is the gauntlet of a schedule that the Colts have this upcoming season. He did have three passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns in four games last season, but was sidelined for the rest of the season with knee, head, and shoulder injuries which is troublesome for a QB that is going to heavily rely on his ground game. He did impress with a 71.4% completion in his four appearances, but was that a fluke from too small of a sample size? I would've taken a flyer on Richardson around round eight of the draft, but using a valuable sixth rounder is risky on a QB with ample to prove this upcoming season. He could shock the world and be a top-5 QB, or could revert to his injury-prone self and find himself in waiver wasteland come season end.
Best RB Situation - (TIE) Its All About the W and Team Sean
This was too much of a toss up to give to one team. Team Sean boasts three potential top ten running backs with Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Alvin Kamara. Its All About the W has some exciting and youthful talent with Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard. Will Team Sean's veteran running back stable help carry him to a championship, or will Saquon have all his touchdowns poached by Jalen Hurts and will Henry and Kamara finally show their age during the 2024 season? Either way, it is an impressive 1-2-3 punch to open the season with last year's running backs 8, 12, and 14, with ample room for growth. Its All About the W mixed youth with some veteran presence for his running backs, snaking a potential RB1 in Bijan Robinson with the fifth pick of the first round and following it up with the Packers' new addition of Josh Jacobs. Bijan is coming off a RB9 season in 2023, and Jacobs is looking to bounce back from an injury-marred season with his new team and one of the top offensive lines in the game. Last year's RB15 in Tony Pollard offered excellent value in the fifth round of the draft as he looks to regain his 2022 form with his new team, and Austin Ekeler makes a fine lottery ticket pick in the ninth round if he can regain his pass-catching chops with the Commanders this season. Team Sean rounded out his draft with backup running backs Jamaal Williams and Kenneth Gainwell, who offer some flex potential in the right situations, and Its All About the W snagged Ray Davis in round eleven and looks to be James Cooks' main backup this season in what should be a very run heavy offense.
Worst RB Situation - Wasted Talent
This was another difficult selection, as no team has a truly awful running back stable, but Wasted Talent seemed to love taking RBs that have viable 1B's to their 1A abilities, and a few that will probably have most of their touchdowns poached from them by their larger, ground and pound teammates. Kenneth Walker makes a fine RB1 for any fantasy team that goes WR heavy in the first few rounds, but he has to look over his back for Zach Charbonnet and is in an offense led by new OC Ryan Grubb who loves the air game. D'Andre Swift is more of a flex than true RB2 in fantasy, although he is excellent in the passing game. But in an offense with a rookie QB, three elite WR's, and two RB's in Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert that can poach touches at any time, he is going to have a hard time being the focal point of any offensive gameplan. Wasted Talent has Texans' castoff Devin Singletary as his RB3/flex play, but he also has Eric Gray and Tyrone Tracy breathing down his neck for touches in what will be one of the worst offenses in football in 2024. Chubba Hubbard was a decent tenth round selection, but he should have paired him with presumed starter-in-waiting with Jonathan Brooks, who will return in week five after a stint on the PUP. Tyler Allgeier, Marshawn Lloyd, and Antonio Gibson are all decent stashes with the potential for a good game here or there, but none truly standout as having the potential to take the reigns as their team's RB1 at any point in the season.
Best WR Situation - Team Tyler
Called out for picking "old" players during the 2024 draft, it still doesn't take away from the fact that Team Tyler came away four or five potential WR1's in the draft. Team Tyler boasts five of the top 25 receivers from 2023, not including Cooper Kupp who missed a large chunk of the season and outplayed Puka Nacua when both were on the field together. Kupp and Davante Adams make a formidable starting duo granted their QB play holds up, but game script should often be on their side and they will both be pepped with targets. Stefon Diggs is going to supplant Nico Collins as the WR1 in the Texans' offense, and if he doesn't immediately he will be vocal enough until he eventually is made the main part of their game plan. DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley were the WR22 and WR17, respectively, in 2023, and will certainly be heavily leaned on in a young Titans offense featuring the big arm of Will Levis. Jordan Addison finished 2023 as WR21 in what should also be a pass-heavy offense, albeit with Sam Darnold at the helm which is a notable downgrade from Kirk Cousins. Finally, Gabe Davis will spend most of the season on Team Tyler's bench but is known for his random blow-up games and should be utilized in the Calvin Ridley role in the Trevor Lawrence-led Jaguars offense, leading to plenty of opportunities. There is no doubt this is a season group of veteran receivers with some questionable QBs leading the way, but Team Tyler has six receivers that could start in any given week and put up video game numbers in the right matchups.
Worst WR Situation - Pfunk
Pfunk started the draft off with a bang, taking Garrett Wilson in the first round who should have another stellar season with QB Aaron Rodgers hopefully leading the way for the Jets, but then Pfunk pretty much punted the position for the rest of the draft. George Pickens could make an excellent WR2, but so far he hasn't cleared 63 receptions or 5 touchdowns in a season and is mostly talked about for his potential, not the actual results. Ladd McConkey made for an interesting round eight pick and could lead the way in the Chargers' WR corps this season, but no one sees him as the kind of receiver that is going to put up 1500 receiving yards and ten touchdowns in a season. He makes a good supplemental talent to any offense, just not much of a focal point. He would be a good bench stash for a few plug-and-play weeks rather than a potential starting flex on a fantasy team. Khalil Shakir could very easily end up as Josh Allen's favorite target in 2024, but he has yet to clear 94 fantasy points in a season and has a lot to prove in order to elevate him into fantasy starter status. Ja'Lynn Polk could also end up being the Patriots' best receiver in 2024, but in one of the poorest offenses in football with no offensive line and Jacoby Brisset starting, it is hard to see him making a significant year one impact in the NFL. None of this is to say that Pfunk has an ugly WR room, but the lack of depth is concerning in a league rife with injuries.
Best TE Situation - Kevin
Kevin stole Sam LaPorta in the fourth round, two picks AFTER Travis Kelce went to Wasted Talent. Many people seem to have forgotten LaPorta was last year's TE1 overall, and it was only his rookie season. This year, Mahomes has many more mouths to feed than just Kelce, and while LaPorta has the Sun God and Jamhyr Gibbs to contend with, he has shown that he is the focal point of almost every game plan granted he stays healthy. I think the sky is the limit for Sam LaPorta, and he should improve upon his 86-889-10 line from 2023 with possibly 100 catches and reaching the 1000 yard mark if he plays the full season. It doesn't hurt that he plays in a high powered offense that spends most of it's time indoors, and the sweet spot for tight ends are those that catch touchdowns regularly, which he did more than any other TE in the NFL in 2023. I am not knocking the pick of Travis Kelce before LaPorta, but I think 2024 will be LaPorta's year to show there is a new best pass-catching TE in football.
Worst TE Situation - Bluhm Goes the Dynamite
Pat Freiermuth isn't the worst tight end in football. He just isn't even close to the best, as there are currently 15 TE's on waivers in the KPAFFL that scored more points than he did last season. He would be a great backup TE on any fantasy football team, but he is nowhere near starting caliber. Freiermuth has yet to clear two touchdowns in a season in his career, and averaged about 2.5 catches and under 30 yards receiving in the 12 games he played in 2023. Bluhm Goes the Dynamite also has Taysom Hill on the bench, but anyone who has rostered him knows he has two or three blow-up games each year, and throws up duds the rest of the way depending on the team's game plan. Neither are starting caliber TE's in a 12 team fantasy league, and with higher upside players like Cole Kmet, Dalton Schultz, and even Hunter Henry on waivers, I expect Bluhm Goes the Dynamite to be scouring the waiver wire for TE help in the first few weeks.
Best Overall Team - Its All About the W
Just based on draft value, depth, and overall roster quality, Its All About the W hit a homerun in the 2024 KPAFFL Draft. The first nine or ten picks were all spot-on, and he came away with a ton of players with sky-high upsides with bench players who can fill in on any given week. CJ Stroud should have a monster season in year two, and the running back tandem of Bijan Robinson and Josh Jacobs is going to be one of the best in the league. Jaylen Waddle and Keenan Allen are both reliable WR's that can put up WR1 numbers in any given week, and Brian Thomas Jr. is one of my personal favorites and I think will prove to be a steal in round eight of the draft. Dalton Kincaid is going to be in the mix for one of the top five tight end spots in fantasy, absorbing a ton of targets from Josh Allen with that lackluster WR corps he is surrounded by. There are a lot of good teams in the KPAFFL this year, and almost any one of them has a chance to earn a playoff spot, but I would definitely put my money on Its All About the W being one of them. With that, good luck to all 12 teams of the KPAFFL this year and may the best and most deserving team win the 22nd KPAFFL Championship!
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