Roger Goodell (hugs) is a draft-time decisionâŠ
In todayâs Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by BetMGM:
Holy Sh*t, the 1.08 is inâŠ
A historic draft: QB heavy
Round 1 takeaways: Winners and Losers (from the same team??)
Trade Alert: Wait, WHO?
It's 4/26. Take it away, CooterdoodleâŠ
Some might say that the 2024 NFL Draft began as soon as Roger Goodell yelled, âWelcome to the D!â Not me, but some might say that.
And after an entire offseason of being taunted and teased with juicy rumors of pandemonium, Day 1 started out unexpectedly⊠just as expected. Where were the trades? Where were the defensive players?
13 picks. No defense.
Is this a fantasy football draft?
âBoring!â âSnoozefest!â âChalkiest draft ever!â They yelled from their couches. But then, an unsung hero took the stage. Atlanta knew exactly what we craved: CHAOS.
The 1.08? Oh, I remember it well. That, ladies and gentlemenâŠTHAT is when the true 2024 NFL Draft began. Now letâs get into some Round 1 takeaways, shall we?
đ» New Offense, Who Dis?
Thereâs something eerily similar about Chicagoâs Day 1 draft picks that I just can't quite put my finger on. Letâs see⊠A highly sought-after rookie QB gets drafted by a team that just finished at the bottom of their division. Followed up by a shiny, new rookie WR that the QB admires.
Houston, I think we have a copycat.
While everyone expected Caleb Williams would leave Detroit in a Bears jersey, Iâm not sure any fan base (besides MIN, perhaps) came away from Day 1 with more dopamine flowing through their veins than CHI. Huge win. Congrats! (Iâm not jealous. I just want to know when it will be my teamâs turn.)
With this new offensive weaponry, the Bears now have one of the most well-rounded WR trios in the league.
Caleb Williams has DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.
If it doesn't work, that franchise is cursed.
Letâs just hope we can all leave our fantasy drafts looking this good.
đš Accident in ATL?
So, um. Yea. Hereâs the rundown.
2021:
Hire Arthur Smith
Draft Kyle Pitts (1.04)
2022:
Draft Drake London (1.08)
2023:
Draft Bijan Robinson (1.08)
Didnât fire Arthur Smith
2024:
Didnât hire Bill Belichick
Sign QB Kirk Cousins ($100 mil guaranteed)
??? Draft QB Michael Penix Jr. (1.08)
No, youâre not seeing double. I hope youâre ready for the flurry of reactions and memes coming, because everyone will be taking swings at the Falcons this week. I guess weâll have to wait to see what ATL was thinking when they doubled down on QB after already paying Kohlâs Cash Kirk. But for now, we react.
As usual, Twitter is wrong. Penix is a sharp pick. Cousins plays all your Sunday afternoons. Penix handles the Primetime games.
I may not know why ATL took Penix, but I do know this: Falcons fans have not known peace since Super Bowl 51.
Suddenly Bill Belicheck asking for full control in Atlanta doesnât look so bad does it Falcons fans?
đ€ âA trade has been completedâ
The Vikings officially ripped off the band-aid, marking the first trade of the evening â Well, twice.
While many think MIN nailed their negotiations to secure J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, these were arguably NOT the biggest trade bombshells of the evening.
That award goes to BUF and KC.
With the No. 28 pick that they acquired from the Bills, the Chiefs selected Texas WR Xavier Worthy, who ran the fastest 40 in scouting combine history.
I mean yeah, despite all the rings, Kansas City was in need of a WR given their wideout woes. I just donât think any of us saw it coming at the hands of their AFC rival⊠Huh. Thereâs always tonight, Buffalo.
Claim up to $1,500 in bonus bets!
đș What. A. Night. Recapping all you need to know from Round 1.
đ 12 picks and 6 QBs. Hereâs to something historic.
đ If it walks like Bill Belichick and talks like Bill Belichick, but it has sleeves, is it still Bill Belichick?
đ€ Pre-draft contract negotiations are in. A.J. Brown gets PAID.
đŹ ICYMI: Roger Goodell was a Draft-time decision. Close call.
đ» We all have ghosts from past drafts. But Sean Paytonâs may take the cake.
đ How does the boss man feel about WASâs pick? Tell âem, MB.
đ Biggest bet of the night? Whatâs ârisk vs. rewardâ anyway? PHEW!
âïž Kirk Cousinsâ agent didnât get a call? How about a âheads upâ next time?
Round 1 of the NFL Draft wasâŠsomething. Here to break down the biggest winners and losers from a fantasy football standpoint is Fantasy Lifeâs Content Manager Joe Metz, with some assists from an array of our draft-day contentâŠ
đ Winners
đ» Caleb Williams
You had to see this coming, right? While it may be boring, I almost feel obligated to include Williams (and most of the Bears offense) among the winners, if not as the biggest winner.
After the offseason acquisitions of Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett and D'Andre Swift, the Bears have quickly turned their offensive unit into one that will demand defensive respect.
Per Chris Allen, "Williamsâ 76.0% career-adjusted completion percentage (the highest of the top-3 prospects) will keep Allen as a high-end WR. But the former Trojanâs penchant for extending plays also plays into what DJ Moore does best, as Chicagoâs new WR1 had the fourth-highest explosive play rate in 2023.
Williams has the skills as a passer and a runner, plus the infrastructure, to meet his QB12 ADP. Now, letâs wait to see how high the hype train takes him in fantasy drafts."
NowâŠwhat you may not have seen coming? The Bears added another weapon for Williams less than 90 minutes after drafting him, taking Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick.
While this only adds to Williams' upside in fantasy land, things may not be as rosy for Odunze from a fantasy football standpoint (more on that soonâŠ).
đ Xavier Worthy
Shocker, being drafted to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes dubs you a winner.
As Ian Hartitz noted on Fantasy Life's latest podcast recapping the first round, âThe way this offense is designed is perfect for a wide receiver that could struggle with the physicality of corners, because he's not the biggest guy, but they know how to use his speed better than just about any other team with pre-snap motion to put him in a position to succeed.â
Going from a 17-yard aDOT in 2022 to a 10-yard aDOT in 2023, Worthy is a receiver who can operate in both the underneath areas of the field but also as a field-stretcher who ran a 4.21 40-yard-dash at the combine.
With the possibility that Rashee Rice misses upwards of a month-plus to start the season due to a looming suspension, the Bills seemed to hand the Chiefs (and fantasy managers) a massive draft-day W on a silver platter on Thursday night.
đ Losers
đ» Rome Odunze
From a real football standpoint, this would be dubbed a winner, as Chicago gets a player in Odunze as their WR3 when thereâs been the argument that he'd be the runaway WR1 in any other rookie class.
From a fantasy football standpoint, this is challenging.
As Chris Allen noted in Fantasy Life's 2024 NFL Draft Tracker, "Odunze joins a squad already fitted with high-end target earners. DJ Moore (28.5%) and Keenan Allen (24.4%) both ranked in the Top 20 amongst all WRs in total target share. Both receivers play in areas of the field where Odunze excelled. There's no direct area of the field where Odunze could easily carve out a role.
We just saw a high-end prospect in Jaxon Smith-Njigba join a crowded offense with disappointing results. The Bears' offense may be better than the Seahawks in '23. But Odunze has a tough road to break out as a rookie".
