There is fantasy value everywhere each season and the 2024 season is no different- in this article, we take a look AFC North division (in my opinion the best in football). This series is not necessarily my favorite player to draft from each team, but rather who I think the best value is from each team. Drafting your favorite players is fun, but winning championships is more fun, and a great way to win a championship is to hit on a couple of players in the draft who we can look back on in January and see that they were a great value.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Russell Wilson (QB)- Wilson is getting a fresh start in Pittsburgh after a somewhat lackluster time in Denver. He hasn’t been elite for fantasy purposes like he was in the early stages of his career. But he has been a decent low-end QB1 for 2 of the last 3 years. Currently, he has an ADP on Sleeper of QB28.
If you end up punting on QB, then Wilson is a great option and is essentially free. His current ADP has him going in the 19th round in 1QB leagues and the 11th round in Superflex/2QB leagues. He has a ceiling of around QB10, which is the same as players including:
- Trevor Lawrence (1QB ADP in the 11th round/ 2QB ADP in the 4th round)
- Kirk Cousins (ADP in the 12th and 6th rounds)
- Baker Mayfield (ADP in the 14th and 7th rounds)
In a one-QB league, I like him if I punt on QB. I also like Wilson as a safety net backup QB if I take Anthony Richardson or Jayden Daniels as my QB1. In Superflex leagues, he is a great QB2. As he allows you to spend one more early/mid-round pick on a position player.
Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins (WR)- Higgins is looking to have a bounce-back year, and doing so would help him to earn a lucrative long-term deal after playing on the franchise tag this year. He had shown progress improving his first three years in the league from WR28 as a rookie to WR24 to WR17, before tumbling down to WR51 and only playing in 12 games last season.
The Bengals were 7th in pass attempts last season. With the moves the team has made this offseason, there are about 160 vacated targets.
The Bengals didn’t bring in anyone in the offseason that looks like they are going to be able to take a chunk of that either. Neither Zack Moss nor Chase Brown look like they will be extremely involved in the passing game. (At least not to the extent that Joe Mixon was the last couple of years). The receivers on the team who are looking to emerge as the 3rd receiving option are Jermaine Burton, Andrei Iosivas, Trent Irwin, and Mike Gesicki. Higgins is currently being drafted as the WR28 in the 5th round of Sleeper drafts. In WR-heavier drafts in PPR leagues, I love the idea of taking Tee in the 5th or 6th round as my WR3 (assuming it’s a 1QB league.)
Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews (TE)- Andrews is currently going as the TE4 with an ADP at the end of the 4th round. That is essentially his floor. Andrews has finished as the TE4 or better in PPR PPG over the last 4 seasons. He is also in the small group of players who have a clear path to finishing as the TE1. He is being drafted last of that group that includes him, Travis Kelce, and Sam LaPorta.
Even with the Ravens being as run-heavy as they are, Andrews has had a lot of success getting into the end zone the last 5 years. Andrews has been on pace for 8 or more touchdowns in 4 of the last 5 years. While Zay Flowers is primed to have a breakout year, there is little else in the Ravens receiving room that causes me to think that Andrews isn’t a key piece of the offense.
Andrews is also a great option week to week. He has had 4+ receptions in 40 out of 56 games over the last 4 seasons. Andrews has averaged between 11.6 and 12.7 yards per catch over that span, which means that 4 catches would be around 50 yards and 9 points in PPR.
Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford (RB)- Being able to draft Ford as the RB in the 11th round is one of my favorite values currently. Yes, Ford is not projected to be the starter all year. But he is one of the premium handcuffs in fantasy football and his current price is reflected in that. He is being drafted in the same area as other handcuff RBs. Players like Chase Brown, Blake Corum, and Zach Charbonnet. But unlike those 3 other players, he is currently projected to be the starter for the beginning of the year.
From the time he took over mid-Week 2, Ford was the RB14 in total points and RB23 in PPG. While Nick Chubb is trending a positive direction, he is not expected to be ready for week 1. There is also the potential he could even start the year on the PUP list. If that happens, Ford would be the starter for at least the first 4 games. Due to the severity of Chubb’s injury and age, we could also be looking a backfield similar to what it looked like in 2020. That year Chubb and Kareem Hunt both finished as RB1s.
Hunt’s stat line for the season in 16 games played was carries for 840 yards and 6 touchdowns with 38 receptions for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns on 50 targets. That was good for an RB10 finish on the year in PPR. That year Chubb played in 12 games and never played more than 62% of snaps in a game, which is a reasonable projection for this year. The stats that Hunt had in 2020 are similar to what Ford had last year when he finished as the RB16, so the ceiling of low-end RB1 or mid RB2 at the price of RB41 is almost an auto-pick for me.
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