NFL Draft Rounds 2 & 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft saw plenty of fantasy-relevant players join their first NFL teams, with some boasting the possibility of immediate production and others landing in rough spots to emerge in 2024. With the new crop of athletes heading to their first NFL jobs, we also see some veterans come out winning due to a lack of investment in rookies at their positions.

Keep in mind that the home run, slam dunk, and whatever other sports phrase we want to use picks happened on Thursday night, so assessing the fantasy value of the selections from the next two rounds is even more difficult to pinpoint. Some of these guys may become major fantasy players, while others won’t crack a starting lineup in 2024.

In the coming days and weeks, the 4for4 staff will have in-depth player profiles on every relevant rookie’s redraft stock, but for now, here’s my stab at the biggest fantasy winners and losers from Rounds 2 and 3.

More 2024 NFL Draft: Round 1 Tracker | Rounds 2 & 3 Tracker | Fantasy Winners & Losers Round 1 |

Round 2 & 3 Winners

Gardner Minshew, QB - Raiders

Let’s just assume Gardner Minshew wins the starting role for Las Vegas over Aidan O’Connell or any other QB the Raiders may draft in Rounds 4-7. Not only did they not trade up to draft an elite QB or take one as competition on the second day of selections, but Vegas’ first three draft picks all boost Minshew’s outlook for the 2024 season.

The Raiders added the uber-athletic-do-everything TE Brock Bowers in Round 1, then bolstered their offensive line on Friday night by taking center/guard Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon), who won the 2023 Rimington Trophy for the best collegiate center in the country, then doubled up with Maryland tackle Delmar Glaze in Round 3. Oh, and he still has a WR by the name of Davante Adams as his WR1. Minshew isn’t in the redraft conversation but makes for a nice best ball option (Underdog QB34) or a sneaky QB2 in Superflex leagues.

While we’re here, let’s anoint Raiders RB Zamir White as a winner, too. He already came out in a fantastic spot from free agency with just the addition of the underwhelming Alexander Mattison to the Vegas RB room. Now, White gets a supped-up O-line and no RB competition of significance from the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, plus he gets to play with former UGA teammate Bowers which is a fun bonus. White is currently undervalued in early Underdog drafts as the RB30 with a 9.03 ADP, but has the makings of a fantasy RB2 in 2024.

Keon Coleman, WR - Bills

The first pick of Day 2, Keon Coleman, landed in arguably one of the juiciest spots for rookie WRs. The Bills have 317 available targets from 2023 up for grabs, with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, among others, no longer in Buffalo. Josh Allen has plenty of bodies to throw to in the middle of the field, but Coleman gives him an outside threat which helps his fantasy value from Day 1.

Coleman’s current Underdog ADP is WR61 at spot 12.03, but his landing spot will likely cause a rise into WR4/5 territory, which may eventually land as a WR3 before the season starts, depending on how he gels with Allen in training camp.

Ladd McConkey, WR - Chargers

It wouldn’t be my article without mentioning Ladd McConkey, right? Well, I’m not just being a homer here, as the former UGA WR did land in a great spot for fantasy football purposes. He was selected right after Coleman with the second pick on Friday night and will be a solid new weapon for Justin Herbert in LA.

The Chargers have the most available targets in the NFL and despite this offense projected as more run-heavy with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman calling the shots, McConkey has a shot to make his mark in Year 1. With his smooth-as-butter route running and tight-space magician work, the 22-year-old has the chance to be Herbert’s favorite target, not that there’s too much competition considering he’s dealing with Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston in that department. McConkey is WR54 right now on Underdog at pick 10.05 but may climb into single-digit rounds after this favorable landing spot.

Dak Prescott, QB - Cowboys

Throw Fest 2024 in Dallas is upon us, folks. The Cowboys may sign Ezekiel Elliott and will likely draft an RB on Day 3 or later, but for now, they are rolling with Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and newly acquired veteran Royce Freeman as their RB room.

Last year the Cowboys were eighth in the NFL in pass attempts which was a big bump from 2022 when they sat 19th as more of a run-heavy offense. Back in 2020, Dallas attempted the second-most passes in the league (40 per game), and not surprisingly, Prescott was the QB1 in fantasy points per game with 27.0 to start the season before he was sidelined due to injury. If we get back there again, Prescott certainly has the ability to outproduce his current draft stock of QB8.

Honorable Mention Winners: Adonai Mitchell, WR - Colts: He cascaded down draft boards to pick No. 52 but soft-landed in Indy. He gets a tremendous play-caller in Shane Steichen with Anthony Richardson under center and the chance to compete for targets with Josh Downs and Alec Pierce behind Michael Pittman Jr.

Round 2 & 3 Losers

Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, RBs - Rams

Another year, another murky RB situation in Los Angeles for fantasy managers. Kyren Williams is coming off a solid RB2 season in half-PPR points per contest due to a combination of high volume and efficiency. Early drafters have been taking him as RB5 at the top of the second round, and then the Rams had to go and ruin everything by drafting former Michigan RB Blake Corum on Friday night.

Williams should still be the lead back here, but Corum won’t sit there quietly. The third-year RB (but same age as Corum) is more versatile, but this could end up as a 1A, 1B situation, which is never ideal for fantasy purposes. Williams’ draft stock may fall a smidge but he’ll likely remain a top 10 back, but expectations may need to be tempered a bit after this addition. As for Corum, he was being drafted based on thoughts of going to the other LA team, and he’s currently RB39 at pick 11.11, which likely won’t change too much in either direction.

Chuba Hubbard, RB - Panthers

The Panthers broke the seal on RBs in the 2024 NFL Draft with Jonathan Brooks at No. 46 overall. Their free agency haul included improvements to the o-line but Carolina hadn’t addressed the backfield until Friday night.

Chuba Hubbard took over the starting gig from Miles Sanders last year around Week 12 and was the RB14 in half-PPR scoring on a per-game basis from Weeks 12-18. A second-round RB is certainly no guarantee, but Brooks has the makings of a later-season league winner. He’s still rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered in November, but reports indicate he’ll be ready by July. Beating out Hubbard and Sanders shouldn’t be too difficult for the talented Brooks, but he does have to hope this offense takes a step or two forward for any fantasy RB1 conversations to take place. Brooks was already being drafted above Hubbard in Underdog drafts, but I suspect the rookie will land around the sixth or seventh round, with Hubbard falling to RB5/6 land.

Honorable Mention Losers: Ja'Lynn Polk, WR - Patriots: The Pats aren’t exactly known for successfully drafting rookie WRs, and Polk is their latest victim. This offense is a mess with arguably the worst WR room in the NFL, and with a QB situation likely influx between Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye, Polk’s fantasy value may have to wait until Year 2. MarShawn Lloyd, RB - Packers: Good luck getting much fantasy value behind Josh Jacobs and A.J. Dillon. The Packers' offense has plenty of pass-catching weapons at Jordan Love’s disposal, and Lloyd, sadly, isn’t in the best spot to produce in 2024.