Fantasy Football draft advice and players you shouldn't sleep on

BOSTON -- With the 2024 NFL season less than a week away, Fantasy Football owners are gearing up for their annual draft. Owners have likely spent the last several weeks (and potentially months) doing their homework to prepare for this moment.

But no matter their commitment level, all fantasy owners can use a little more advice before they start making picks. CBS New Boston digital host Joe Weil spoke with CBS Sports senior Fantasy Football writer Dave Richard for his own draft purposes, but decided to share the chat for anyone else who needed some draft advice.

Who should Fantasy Football owners draft with the first overall pick?

Don't overthink this one. If you have the top pick in your fantasy draft, take 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and watch the points pile up every week.

"We saw last year over 24 PPR points per game – that's an average of what he did over the course of the season. He had a number of games were he had over 24 points per game," said Richard.

Don't fret about his strained calf or durability. McCaffrey makes the San Francisco offense go.

"The 49ers have a lot of issues right now on offense. Christian McCaffrey is the genesis of their offense, someone to touch the ball between 15-25 times a game. That is not in question whatsoever. You don't want to give that kind of players to other teams in your league," said Richard. "Christian McCaffrey has the most upside of any non-QB this season."

How should Fantasy Football owners balance their first two picks?

Richard is advising owners to go with a running back and wide receiver in the first two rounds. It's a deep pool of receivers this year, so don't think you need to draft two right out of the gate.

"It's deep and you'll find some good wide receivers through Rounds 6-7, maybe into Round 8," said Richard. "At the top, there are difference-makers; CeeDee Lamb , Tyreek Hill , Justin Jefferson , Ja'Marr Chase , Amon-Ra St. Brown , Garrett Wilson , and AJ Brown . Those are going to be the receivers that get prioritized and taken first, and most will go between 2-10. That will open the door for those same managers to go with running backs in Round 2."

After drafting a receiver and running back, go for any position you'd like in Round 3.

Players that Fantasy Football owners shouldn't sleep on this draft season

These are players you DO NOT want to sleep on this draft season. At running back, Richard likes Seattle's Kenneth Walker III to make the most of his playing time and rack up some points.

"He is a little injury prone and really hasn't shown what he can do as a pass-catcher. But when given an opportunity, he's run with it and Walker is in a position to be a feature back for [Seattle]," said Richard.

Other running backs to consider are Arizona's James Connor , Denver's Javonte Williams , Cleveland's Jerome Ford (with Nick Chubb out for at least the first four weeks), and Carolina's Chuba Hubbard .

Richard also sees Washington's Terry McLaurin and Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin as bounce-back candidates at receiver after having down years last season. He also thinks Marquise "Hollywood" Brown would be a good mid-draft selection now that he's in Kansas City.

"If you're catching passes from Patrick Mahomes , you have a good chance at putting up numbers week to week," Richard said of Brown.

Are any Patriots worth drafting to your Fantasy Football team?

The expectations for the New England offense are nearly non-existent heading into the 2024 season, which will likely make fantasy owners weary of drafting anyone in a Patriots uniform. But Richard says rookie receiver Ja'Lynn Polk is worth taking a chance on later in your draft.

"He appeared to be an every-down player for the offense in the preseason," Richard said of Polk. "He's a sure-handed, short-area target. He's not a down-field deep speed guy, but if the volume is there – five catches per game – those numbers will add up and he could be a good bench receiver for fantasy owners this season."

While Rhamondre Stevenson could rack up some big points in Alex Van Pelt's new offense, Richard urges owners not to reach for the New England running back.

"I know Stevenson will still be popular because he's going to touch the ball a lot, but he's a player I would be nervous to take at his average draft position. You want to settle for Rhamondre; I'm worried about how many touches and touchdowns he gets, and the offensive line didn't look great in the preseason," said Richard.