Drafting from the number 4 spot gives you a variety of options. You can play it safe and grab one of the elite wide receivers or you can play the position scarcity game and grab one of the elite-tier running backs. Even after the news of a minor calf injury, Christian McCaffrey is typically off the board. However, a fair case can be made that the fourth pick should be used on Breece Hall or Bijan Robinson given the drop-off from them to the next back. I chose the safe route instead, opting for a wide receiver. Typically, I treat the first round of my Fantasy drafts as an opportunity to avoid risk and Ja'Marr Chase is one of the safest plays in 2024 drafts.
After securing my first-round pick, my plan was to take the best player available in each of the next two rounds with a lean toward wide receivers. I grabbed two players I feel comfortable will lead their team in end zone and red zone targets. The touchdown upside is strong here with Chase, Drake London, and Mike Evans. My focus then shifted to finding the biggest difference maker I could and grabbing Jalen Hurts in Round 5 is my answer for that. This build concerned me from the standpoint of whether would I have enough depth and firepower at running back, but I felt confident grabbing upside in Trey Benson and a safe play in Najee Harris. Harris' ceiling might be capped with Arthur Smith calling the plays, but he should rack up a bulk of touches.
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Here's how my team shaped up from the 4th pick:
1.04: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN
2.09: Drake London, WR, ATL
3.04: Mike Evans, WR, TB
4.09: Joe Mixon, RB, HOU
5.04: Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI
6.09: Marquise Brown, WR, KC
7.04: Najee Harris, PIT
8.09: Brock Bowers, TE, LV
9.04: Trey Benson, RB, ARI
10.09: Austin Ekeler, RB, WAS
11.04: Romeo Doubs, WR, GB
12.09: T.J. Hockenson, TE, MIN
13.04: Ricky Pearsall, WR, SF
14.09: Jermaine Burton, WR, CIN
If you're drafting from the 4th spot, you'll have an excellent opportunity to create a balanced team build. I leaned heavily on receiver in this build, but I would've been just as happy going with a player like Isaiah Pacheco in Round 2 or De'Von Achane in Round 3.
Though I typically lean toward waiting on quarterback in leagues that require you to start just one, the gap has increased in recent years from the Tier 1 quarterbacks to the next best and then the tier after that. Hurts is squarely in Tier 1 and the addition of Kellen Moore as play caller should improve the quarterback's passing efficiency. Saquon Barkley in the run game could take away some red zone rushes for Hurts, but it will open up different areas of the field in the passing game from a schematic standpoint. That's a trade I'll make. Hurts is a difference maker and all he required was fifth-round draft capital. There wasn't a single player at any other position who could've provided me that kind of upside at that time of the draft.
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I'm buying Evans he provided first-round value in 2023 at a third-round price in 2024, and yet, it's impossible to not feel like there's risk attached to a Buccaneers offense due for regression. Evans is entering the later years of his career but should still deliver a solid return on the investment after developing a strong rapport with Baker Mayfield. That's the hope at least.
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I'm a buyer on Mixon in 2024 because he should have more opportunities to score than almost any running back in football, his snap share should put him with the elite running backs, and his rushing style is a much better fit for Bobby Slowik's outside zone scheme than he was with the Bengals (who ran out of shotgun almost exclusively). With all that said, there's no denying the risk of investing in an aging back who is already dealing with a training camp injury. Mixon could break my season if he has persistent injuries that keep him in and out of the lineup. I'm relying on him for RB1 workload and red zone scoring opportunities.
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