NFL Network fantasy expert Marcas Grant reveals sleep picks, overvalued stars, and who to target ahead of season start

NFL Network fantasy football analyst Marcas Grant has given his exclusive insight into some players to target, and some to avoid this season.

The 2024 NFL season is about to begin, and with it, fantasy general managers everywhere are creating their draft boards.

The US Sun

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For those lucky enough to end up with one of the top picks in their respective drafts, Grant had a few suggestions of who to target.

Speaking exclusively with The U.S. Sun, Grant admitted that for the majority of the offseason, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was widely seen as “the consensus number one pick,” he added a caveat to be wary of.

Grant noted that some people are “nervous” about drafting McCaffrey so high, given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding left tackle Trent Williams.

However, with Williams having ended his holdout and returned to practice on Tuesday, this could help ease those concerns.

For those looking elsewhere high up the board, Grant saw Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson as another viable option, along with fellow rusher Breece Hall of the New York Jets .

But for those looking to start with a receiver, Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb could be a safe bet now he’s signed a new four-year deal worth $136 million .

ROOKIE QUARTERBACKS

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Admittedly “excited” about the 2024 class of rookie quarterbacks, Grant said he has been high on Jayden Daniels Washington Commanders since the beginning.

However, he no longer believes Daniels will be the top rookie quarterback this season – that honor goes to Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears .

“I watched him these last two years in college at USC. He was a lot of fun to watch,” Grant said.

“He was a playmaker. I know the [Patrick] Mahomes comparisons have been there, which I think…that’s a hard label to put on anybody.

“But in the way that he sort of extends plays, the way he can sometimes make something out of nothing, I think you’re going to see a lot of that in Chicago this year.”

Outside of Daniels and Williams, Grant predicted that the other rookie gunslingers may not be as impactful in year one.

“I liked what I saw out of guys like Drake Maye and Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. right now has he’s blocked by Kirk Cousins, but I thought he performed well when he had the opportunity,” Grant explained.

“So I think those guys, maybe you’re waiting another year or two for them to be really, truly fantasy relevant.”

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With this season’s schedule now revealed, eager NFL fans are looking to secure tickets to their favorite games.

You can start buying tickets for some games on several sites now:

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WIDE RECEIVERS

When it comes to one of the top wide receivers, there are concerns about the availability of Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase, who remains a holdout.

Thankfully for fantasy managers, “The good news is there’s no deeper position across fantasy football than wide receiver, even if we’re a little shaky at some of the guys at the top,” Grant said.

He was particularly high on some of this year’s rookies, such as the young Bears star Rome Odunze.

Arguably the most well-known rookie receiver this year is Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals , who has major footsteps to follow in those of his Hall of Fame dad.

“You gotta pay kind of a hype tax, if you will, on Marvin Harrison Jr.,” Grant said.

“I mean, he’s the guy that’s going kind of in the later part of the second round because it’s a matchup of talent and opportunity, which is what we love in fantasy.”

Grant likes Harrison’s situation as the immediate top receiver who will be working with “a good quarterback in Kyler Murray.”

New York Giants rookie Malik Nabers is also one to consider, although Grant added he doesn’t “love the quarterback situation with Daniel Jones.”

However, the lack of other quality targets on the Giants’ offense should help Nabers see plenty of targets.

Other rookies to watch at the position included Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Keon Coleman with the Buffalo Bills .

As for a potential safe mid-round or even sleeper pick at the position, Grant suggested considering Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the Seattle Seahawks, who he believes “has a chance to really be an ascending player.”

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TIGHT ENDS

For the top spot at tight end, Grant felt it’s between the “gold standard” in Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions star Sam LaPorta, who is fresh off of a “phenomenal rookie year.”

Once the top two are off the board, there’s a dense pack of potential options where it’s really the dealer’s choice.

This includes Trey McBride of the Cardinals, one of Grant’s favorites, Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens , and Kyle Pitts of the Falcons.

“He’s kind of a lightning rod in fantasy where you sort of either love him or he has burned you in the past and you’ve sworn him off altogether,” Grant said of Pitts.

“But I tend to want to draft [a tight end] early because it’s not the deepest position.

“There’s again, maybe six or seven guys that I think you can really count on week to week after that.”

Another potential option mentioned later in the draft to consider is Dalton Kincaid with the Bills.

Grant’s suggestion, though, is to go for a tight end around round five in order to feel secure about the position for the entire season, given that consistent late options are lacking.

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RUNNING BACKS

The standout name here for Grant is now-Ravens star Derrick Henry.

“I think we all, to a person said, ‘It’d be great if he was in Baltimore, right?’ So he goes to Baltimore and we all sort of rejoiced,” he said of Henry’s move from the Tennessee Titans .

Along with Henry and McCaffrey and Robinson, Grant added Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions and now- Philadelphia Eagles rusher Saquon Barkley to that top-tier bracket.

“Then there’s a little bit of a gap,” Grant warned.

“And so I think for instance when I’m looking at drafting running backs, I think I want to get one of those top guys in the first couple of rounds after that, I might wait until the fifth or sixth round before I draft another one, because there’s sort of, there’s a handful of mid-tier guys that I don’t really feel great about.”

However, some safer picks to consider could be Arizona’s James Connor, David Montgomery with the Lions, and the Miami Dolphins ‘ Raheem Mostert.

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ONES TO AVOID

“A couple of guys that jump out that I’m really starting to stay away from – one is Tyler Lockett in Seattle,” Grant begrudgingly admitted.

He felt that combining the ascendance of Smith-Njigba with the “decline” of Lockett, “I think you’re going to see a locket kind of take a step back in that offense.”

Another player Grant felt was worth avoiding was now Houston Texans receiver Stefon Diggs, who “finds himself in a really crowded situation” alongside the likes of Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

While he believed Diggs had “been very good for a long time” he also felt the former Bills star had started “to regress at the end of last season.”

Following this theme of aging receivers, Grant also said he would perhaps stay away from Keenan Allen who will suit up for the Bears this year.

Allen finds himself in another crowded receiver room alongside DJ Moore and Odunze, leaving Grant feeling like he is “potentially is the low man on the totem pole in Chicago.”

And while Grant was full of praise for Allen for having taken on a mentor role within the Bears’ receiver room, he added, “It’s great for the Bears. It’s not great for Keenan Allen’s fantasy value.”