Fantasy football gurus love to talk about the guys who are set to breakout or breakdown. But what about the guys in the middle? The fantasy draft mainstays who provide a steady hand all season long?
Those guys never get the attention. Until now.
After running through seven “boom or bust” players who will make or break your season if you draft them, let’s take look at the guys who are exceptionally mid.
You don’t need to spring for any of these players in your draft, but trust if you take them they won’t define your season one way or the other. Will these players impress you with their output? Typically not. But they will stay incredibly consistent with it. And there’s something to be said about drafting someone when you know exactly what they bring to the roster.
All stats via Fantasy Pros using PPR scoring
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2024 ADP: 60.4
2023 Fantasy Stats: 201.5 total points, 15.5 points per game
James Conner has been at this awhile and at this point we know what to expect. He’s played more than 14 games in a season just once in his seven-year career and has still yet to suit up for a full season. He’s had only one season with at least 1,000 yards rushing — which was last year. Now Conner shares the backfield with Trey Benson and it’s fair to expect some regression. We’re talking about a solid RB2 or Flex here, nothing more.
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2024 ADP: 171.0
2023 Fantasy Stats: 231 total points, 13.58 points per game
Despite playing with a rookie QB in Bryce Young in 2023, Thielen’s first season in Carolina could’ve gone a lot worse. He crossed the 1,000-yard threshold for the first time in his career, though that came with a career-low 9.8 yards per reception and just four touchdowns. If Young is even a little better this year, Thielen should be just fine. But he’s also 33 years old now and all those hits start to add up.
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2024 ADP: 21.6
2023 Fantasy Stats: 213.9 total points, 15.27 points per game
The third-year tailback out of Rutgers is a totally serviceable runner both in fantasy and real life. The problem is that he plays in an offense run by Patrick Mahomes, who continues to prove he can and will make any throw. That leaves us with capable back on a contender that doesn’t rely on running the ball. He’s the clear RB1 in Kansas City — ahead of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Deneric Prince — but is nothing more than a high-upside RB2 in fantasy.
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2024 ADP: 133.6
2023 Fantasy Stats: 276.6 total points, 17.28 points per game
The days of reaching for Trevor Lawrence early officially came to an end last season as interceptions continued to be a problem for the former No. 1 overall pick, but that doesn’t mean he’s not worth the selection in fantasy. He played the second half of 2023 as a Top 10 fantasy QB thanks to four consecutive weeks with at least 20 points. Equally important is the fact he finished with single digits in just two games. Not bad for QB who should be available in middle-to-late rounds.
2024 APD: 136.8
2023 Fantasy Stats: 76.8 total points, 6.4 points per game.
He’s no Heath Miller, but Pat Freiermuth doesn’t have to be. The Steelers tight end just needs to stay healthy and get some stable quarterback play. Freiermuth played 12 games last season and put up a paltry two touchdowns for the second year in a row. If you plan on loading up with RBs and WRS early on, you could do a lot worse than the fourth-year pro late in the draft.
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2024 ADP: 75.4
2023 Fantasy Stats: 203.2 total points, 11.95 points per game
McLaurin is typically good for a big play or two every week. He hauled a reception of at least 25 yards in eight of 17 games and has averaged 14 yards per reception for his career. He just hasn’t always gotten a ton of receptions (an average of 4.6 per game last year). If rookie quarterback Jaylen Daniels can take advantage of McLaurin’s big-play ability, he might be the ultimate boom this season. But even if it takes Daniels time to settle in, the floor is still pretty high here.
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2024 ADP: 55.6
2023 Fantasy Stats: 227 total points, 15.13 points per game
If not for a 51.5-point outburst in Week 16, Cooper’s fantasy stats in 2023 would look rather abysmal. The fact that he’s reportedly been included in trade discussions for Brandon Aiyuk should tell you how Cleveland feels about him as WR1 — and the feeling appears to be mutual. If he remains a Brown, playing a full season with a healthy Deshaun Watson should keep his floor high enough to keep him in your lineup.
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2024 ADP: 112.4
2023 Fantasy Stats: 136.3 total points, 9.73 points per game
Thanks to the Tush Push, we know goal line touchdown throws to the tight end are virtually non-existent. That helps explain why Goedert has only caught three TDs in each of the last two seconds. Yet he continues to average nearly 3.5 catches per game for his career and one of those typically goes for 20+ yards. Goedert isn’t a TE you need to spring for, but you can feel comfortable if he falls to you in the draft.
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2024 ADP: 128.8
2023 Fantasy Stats: 240.2 total points, 18.47 points per game
It’s easy to get seduced by the offensive weapons at Herbert’s disposal. Between Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, DJ Chark and Quentin Johnston, but under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, expect this offense to run the ball first and foremost. That caps Herbert’s value tremendously. If you plan on drafting him, load up elsewhere first or suffer for it later.
