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What is the best approach to the first two rounds in fantasy football from draft slots 4-6?
The first two rounds of fantasy football drafts can be crucial to winning your league. While you may not win your league in the first two rounds, it’s very possible to lose it. It’s very important to get those first two picks right to set your team up for success.
The middle of the first round can be a difficult position with the number of options available and uncertainty as to whether a big name might slip. Selections aren’t always as obvious as they are in the top three. Here are the perfect first two rounds from draft slots four through six.
* Note: These projections are based on a 12-team PPR league
1.4 & 2.9 – WR Tyreek Hill & RB Kyren Williams
Selecting a wide receiver that’s going to get an extremely high target share is almost always going to pay dividends. Not only does Hill get that target share as he had 37 percent of the Miami Dolphins’ targets last season, but he’s extremely efficient on those targets. Hill will be 30, but he remains the number one wide receiver in arguably the most explosive offense in the NFL.
If you are able to get Kyren Williams at RB8 or RB9 price, that has serious potential to be one of the best values in the first two rounds. Yes, the Los Angeles Rams drafted Blake Corum, but Williams should still be expected to get at least 67 percent of the touches. Take away five touchdowns from Williams last season and he’s still the RB2 on a points per game basis. Take away five touchdowns and 200 yards and he’s right there with Breece Hall as the RB6 in points per game. The Rams invested in the offensive line this offseason. They want to run the football. This is the closest we’ve gotten to Todd Gurley in McVay’s offense and that’s a league-winning running back. Hill and Williams provide a balanced first two picks and should give week-to-week consistency.
1.5 & 2.8 – WR Ja’Marr Chase & RB Travis Etienne
Chase has been more boom-bust over the past two years, but the last time both he and Joe Burrow were healthy, he had 1400 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie. That season, Chase finished as the WR5. There may not be a more talented QB-WR duo in the NFL. If they can stay healthy, Chase could end up as the best wide receiver in fantasy. Chase has been a ‘hold-in’ at Cincinnati Bengals camp which is something to monitor over the coming weeks.
It’s difficult to find running backs that are going to dominate a majority of the touches in their offense. Etienne is one of those running backs and could have more than 300 touches once again in 2024. The Jaguars were a frustrating offense at times, but they made upgrades to the offensive line and the efficiency numbers should only go up. Etienne has receiving upside with no backfield competition. He provides one of the best values in round two.
1.6 & 2.7 – RB Bijan Robinson & WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Robinson was one of the more talented running backs to come out of the draft in recent memory. He gets a better quarterback in 2024 in combination with a better scheme. The Atlanta Falcons also have a top-10 offensive line. Those three together should only benefit Robinson. The bottom line is that Robinson has true RB1 upside. Robinson is going to be used in the passing game to go with a potentially huge workload on the ground.
It can be risky taking a rookie wide receiver early and making him the top wide receiver on your roster. However, this is also the best wide receiver prospect since Chase in 2021 who finished as the WR5. Harrison will have a proven quarterback in Kyler Murray throwing him the football and won’t have a lot of competition for targets. There should be no concern on whether or not Harrison will hit the ground running during his rookie season. It’s very possible that he could end up with 125 targets in the Arizona Cardinals offense. This is one where it’s important just to not overthink it.
