Riskiest First-Round Picks in 2024 Fantasy Football

Fantasy football draft season is in full swing and the question that comes up every time around this year is even more questionable than usual. “Who should I take in the first round?”

Christian McCaffrey is the top pick via ADP, but he is not consistently ranked first overall in a year where there is no clear-cut consensus No. 1 pick. The whole first round looks very different from draft to draft. The goal in Round 1 should always be to make the safest possible pick. This is the player that is going to anchor your team for the year. 

What players should be avoided in Round 1? Unfortunately, more players than usual have question marks this season. These six players are all going in Round 1, but come with some risk involved.

• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
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Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers running back is one of the faces of the NFL. Christian McCaffrey was an animal in fantasy last season and has been in every season that he has remained healthy. The 28-year-old has finished no lower than the RB2 since 2018 in years when he stayed healthy for more than seven games.

Here’s an exchange that Kyle Shanahan had today with reporters that explains why he is not overly concerned about RB Christian McCaffrey missing the majority of camp with a calf injury: pic.twitter.com/YPb40PJw4O

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 20, 2024

Unfortunately, he only played in 10 games from 2020-2021 due to injuries. McCaffrey has been sitting out at practice the past few weeks due to a calf injury. It is more precautionary than anything given McCaffrey’s injury history, but be careful and potentially think twice before picking him first overall.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys and Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Two of fantasy football’s most dominant receivers are no-brainer picks in the first round -- until you realize that neither has yet reported to training camp.

Chad Ochocinco says that Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase is not touching the field until he gets a new contract 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/YfJK2uUDjA

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) August 20, 2024

Both CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase are currently holding out in hopes of securing a new contract, and the longer the holdouts go on, the more worried fantasy owners should be. These situations with star players usually work themselves out, but keep in mind when selecting Lamb and Chase that there is always the slight chance that they miss games due to contract negotiations.

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

With J.J. McCarthy (meniscus) set to miss his rookie season, Sam Darnold is in line to start for the Vikings this year. Is that enough of a reason to be cautious when picking Justin Jefferson in Round 1? It should be.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts and Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley are routinely picked at the end of Round 1 or the start of Round 2 in fantasy drafts this season. While both running backs have immense upside in offenses that should be scoring a lot of points, they have both dealt with their fair share of injuries.

Keep in mind that they could also be frustrating to own due to their quarterbacks stealing red-zone touchdowns.

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