Dynasty Fantasy Football 2024 NFL Draft: Veteran Winners and Losers from Day Two
Dynasty managers have been looking forward to this weekend for weeks, maybe even months. This year’s second round featured a huge run on wide receivers, a surprising tight end selection and finally some running backs off the board. With all the talented players entering the league, NFL veterans will feel the impact, some fearing for their respective jobs while others will breathe a sigh of relief, at least for one final 24 hours. Let’s take a look at some of the players who could see their dynasty value affected by this first round rookie class. On to the initial veteran winners and losers from day one.
WINNERS
Josh Allen, QB BUF
The Bills passed on a whole host of receivers as they kept trading back in the first round but ended up with Keon Coleman at the top of round two. Allen sorely needed weapons after losing Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs and gets a huge one with Coleman in the fold. Allen is going to be forced to do much more than he’s used to next season but Coleman should be a big addition to help him.
Justin Herbert, QB LAC
Much like the Bills, the Chargers’ wide receiver room was decimated this season as they lost both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. Herbert got some offensive line help on day one with Joe Alt but also got a much needed pass catcher as Los Angeles snagged the uber-productive Ladd McConkey in round two. Herbert is another quarterback who is going to have more responsibility next year and much like Coleman with Allen, McConkey should be an immediate help for him.
Drake Maye, QB NE
The Patriots went into the weekend with one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL. They addressed that need early on day two with Ja’Lynn Polk (and added Javon Baker early on day three) to help Maye out. While he’s still going to be quite jealous of the crew given to Caleb Williams in Chicago, Maye is at least going to have a chance to survive with some added talent at the wideout position.
Anthony Richardson, QB IND
Adonai Mitchell dropped in the draft and fell right into the laps of the Colts in round two. Richardson still has a lot to prove in terms of both his ability and durability but you have to like the fit here. The Colts are also “all-in” on Mitchell after defending his character vehemently. They’ll clearly give him a long runway to be successful and Richardson should benefit.
Veteran Running Backs
Players like Rico Dowdle, Gus Edwards, Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, Nick Chubb, and Zamir White are all still sitting there on top of their respective depth charts. The second day looked like the one that was going to wipe out some of their values but the only veteran runners who are really going to be challenged as a result of the day two picks are James Conner and Kyren Williams. Let’s take a look at these one by one.
- Dowdle is looking like a big winner as he’s going to have a role even if the Cowboys bring back Ezekiel Elliott, as expected. Deuce Vaughn is also going to have a say in this but Dallas just didn’t get anything done on day two and even adding someone on day three isn’t going to give them a new bona fide starter.
- Edwards is likely going to form a committee with former teammate JK Dobbins but this was a big development for him as it truly looks like he’ll be a starter next season.
- Singletary is certainly going to have a chance for big-time production but it’s fair to wonder just how successful he can be behind that offensive line.
- Moss is a HUGE winner as it truly looks like he’s at least going to be the “1A” for the Bengals next season – this is the opportunity he’s looked for his entire career.
- The Browns must be confident Chubb is going to come back at some point this season. Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman look like they’re in place to hold down the fort in the short-term as well.
- White is big winner for certain. He’ll have a chance to be the featured runner for the Raiders next season.
LOSERS
Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard, RBs CAR
The Panthers traded up to take Texas running back Jonathon Brooks in round two. Brooks is going to need some time to get healthy but Hubbard and Sanders are simply not going to do what they did last season – form one of the most uninspiring committee approaches in the league. Their values are both going to spiral as a result of Brooks being added to the roster as he’s simply more talented and skilled than the others.
James Conner, RB ARI
The Cardinals had a lot of holes to fill and chose to add Trey Benson to their running back room. Conner has been a warrior throughout his career and could remain the starter or at least the main ball carrier next season but Benson is clearly the future here. It’s going to be tough for Conner to keep him off the field and his addition could make Conner a tough player to trust on a week-to-week basis. Father Time remains undefeated.
Kyren Williams, RB LAR
The Rams are notorious for adding players to their running back stable and they did it again with Michigan’s Blake Corum. Williams was fantastic last season in Sean McVay’s uber-friendly running back system but Corum is going to push him for carries right away. Simply put, the idea Williams was going to be an elite and bona fide bell cow RB1 next season now has some real doubt hovering over it now. While Corum isn’t going to come in and take his job, he could be a goal-line option and that would be devastating for Williams’ value.
Demario Douglas, WR NE
The Patriots found a diamond in the rough with Douglas last season but he has major competition now with Polk and Javon Baker. It’s hard to see Drake Maye making multiple receivers valuable early in his career so Douglas has his work cut out for him.
Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel, WRs NE
If the Bills would have kept punting on the position, these two would have been clear winners. With Coleman in tow, they both likely move one spot down on the depth chart.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
