Eric Hardter: Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings Explained

Welcome back to another installment in our series of articles where DLF rankers not only explain their dynasty fantasy football rankings, but also include a number of the 2024 rookie draft pick selections so you can see how we each, individually, value those dynasty rookie picks in comparison to players as if it were a dynasty fantasy football startup draft. As would be expected, you will find a great degree of variability in the valuation of these picks as well depending on the style of the ranker. Each draft class has its own quality and depth and, depending on how the ranker values that quality and depth, individual rookie selections will appear earlier or later on the list.

Be sure to catch all of the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings Explained series.

DLF has always offered our readers multiple sets of dynasty fantasy football rankings from different experts to provide a broad view of player rankings. With many different strategies for building a successful dynasty team, no single set of rankings could possibly meet the needs of every coach. Instead, we've long subscribed to the idea of our experts providing their own individual rankings, ultimately giving our readers the opportunity to gravitate to a particular expert who closely matches their own style of ranking or, perhaps, instead choosing to use an average ranking across all experts.

A note about the tables. The Rank column indicates this ranker's personal rankings. The AVG column indicates the consensus rankings value at the time these rankings were created. The "+/-" column indicates how much higher or lower the ranker is to the consensus average.

Each week we will provide rankings for 120 players and 2024 rookie draft picks, alternating between 1QB and Superflex rankings. For a deeper list of rankings, please visit our consensus dynasty fantasy football rankings.

1QB DYNASTY FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS: Eric Hardter

When I performed this exercise last year, I tried to make my keystone point that we should all rank players however we want. Perhaps no time is this truer than immediately following the NFL’s Free Agency period! While not exactly a blank canvas, we’re forced to look anew at players who may have gained or lost value without commensurately gaining or losing talent. This can lead to massive changes to rankings and/or ADP, though this should not be confused with the dreaded “hot take” (or however the kids are spelling it these days) – rather, we receive new information, process it, and come up with outputs accordingly.

With that in mind, here are a few tenets that guide my 1QB rankings:

Old Man River

I try to be what I would call “appropriately forward-thinking.” Yes, I’d love a roster full of guys who will be putting up points for the next 5-10 years, but there simply just aren’t enough players like that. So I’m also looking in one- and three-year windows, making sure I’m keeping my eyes on the immediate and intermediate prizes. Given this, I’m less likely to punish veteran players I like.

Make a run for it

I’m not averse to running backs in dynasty, nor am I averse to older players at the position if they’ve proven both an ability to carry the load and a high-end outcome. Derrick Henry says “Hello!”

Quarter-back it up

These are 1QB rankings. For me to select a quarterback early, they need to have a trump card such as running ability or a range of outcomes that includes 5,000 yards and 40+ touchdowns…consistently. In general, I’d rather load up on skill positions early and take two signal callers back to back, maybe about midway through the draft, and try to play matchups on a weekly basis. Still, there is one guy who may now just transcend this general mold…

The Tightest of Ends

The tight end position is in flux. The old guard is getting, well, older, and the newbies are showing some spunk. Given the dearth of upside at the position, I’m almost universally higher on who I consider to be the top guys.

Special delivery

I’m prone to players doing something “special” at a young age. It might be hyperbole to some, but doesn’t a guy like Sam LaPorta have an argument for going in the first round of drafts? This also means I’m more than likely to overrate potential one-hit wonders (e.g., Andre Ellington) who come off big seasons, but I’d rather swing and miss than get called out looking.

Forgive and forget

If there’s someone I believe in, or someone who has shown something good to special in the past, I will be less reactive in bumping that player down. Time is running out, but I will continue to back Terry McLaurin based on his early career success with poor quarterback play. Maybe he’ll become the next Allen Robinson, but I’m keeping the flame lit.

Shiny new toys

I don’t consider myself any sort of “risk averse” in dynasty, and will tailor my strategy on a yearly, monthly, and sometimes weekly basis. That said, I’m likely on the more conservative end of the spectrum when it comes to a preference of veterans over rookies. See the section*- titled “Old Man River” above.

Finally, these are just my personal rankings! If my estimation differs from the masses, I’m not expecting folks to cater to me. We’ll find a middle ground in making a deal, or we won’t. Additionally, relative values are going to fluctuate depending on the time of the year and the state of one’s team – these are the “micro” bits of rationale as to why the same trade may make more sense at one point in time versus another, or with one pair of teams versus another.

So with that preamble in hand, let’s get to it!