Fantasy Football Today: Player outlooks for every sixth-round draft pick by consensus PPR rankings

The 2024 Fantasy Football season is on the way and the Fantasy Football Today team has drafted their initial player outlooks for the entire player pool heading into training camp. Things will change on the injury front, in free agency, and possibly on the trade market, but the Fantasy Football team led by Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and Dan Schneier have created player outlooks based on 2024 projection, June ADP (average draft position) and where these players have come off the board in our mock (and real) drafts through May and June. We’ll use the FFT consensus PPR rankings (Jamey, Dave, and Heath’s rankings) to go player-by-player for the sixth round (12-team leagues) of your drafts.

*These consensus rankings are updated through June 10th.*

Round 6

6.1: Tony Pollard, RB, Titans

“Pollard’s first shot at being a feature back didn’t go as planned. He received 55 more carries than the year before and produced two fewer yards on the ground. He saw 12 more targets and had 60 fewer receiving yards. Needless to say, the efficiency regressed with volume. But that may not be the full story. Pollard himself has said he wasn’t 100% to start the season and his rushing production did pick up in the second half. In Tennessee he’ll compete for touches with Tyjae Spears and while we expect Pollard to be the 1A, we do envision a close split. Start looking for Pollard in Round 5 as a low-end No. 2 running back and be thrilled if he falls to you in Round 6.” – Heath Cummings

6.2: Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens

“Flowers enters his second season in the NFL as the No. 1 receiver for the Ravens and a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. He’s worth drafting as early as Round 5. As a rookie, Flowers averaged 12.8 PPR points per game, but the best stretch of his production came with Mark Andrews (ankle) sidelined toward the end of the season. Flowers scored at least 19.6 PPR points in four of his final five games of the regular season, including catching four of his five touchdowns over that span. Andrews is back at 100 percent, but Flowers should continue to improve in his sophomore campaign, especially with Odell Beckham Jr. now with the Dolphins. Rashod Bateman should also have a prominent role, and the Ravens could be more run-heavy with the addition of Derrick Henry. But Lamar Jackson should continue to develop a rapport with Flowers, and he should keep improving as he gets more experience. Flowers has top-20 upside in all formats entering 2024.” – Jamey Eisenberg

6.3: C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans

“Stroud broke out in an uncommon way for a rookie quarterback by immediately meshing with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. He racked up the seventh-most Fantasy points per game and limited his turnovers en route to building an immediate rapport with rookie WR Tank Dell. He also helped facilitate the Nico Collins breakout. The situation gets better for Stroud in Year 2 after the Texans traded for Stefon Diggs. Having an extra year in the system and NFL should also help Stroud work through his progressions faster. The Texans were one of the more pass-heavy teams in 2023 and that should repeat in 2024. Stroud is a high-upside QB1 you can get in the sixth round of your drafts.” – Dan Schneier

6.4: Najee Harris, RB, Steelers

“Harris enters this season playing for a new contract, and we’ll see if that motivation helps him perform at a high level this year. We view Harris as a low-end No. 2 running back in the majority of leagues, and he’s worth drafting as early as Round 5. There are several reasons to like Harris this season. He dropped weight this offseason and is around 235 pounds, which is a plus. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith should help the run game, and Harris remains the best option to carry the ball in Pittsburgh’s offense. And the quarterback play for the Steelers should be better with the addition of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. But Harris also has to contend with Jaylen Warren, who is among the best backup running backs in the NFL. That said, Harris has three seasons in a row with at least 255 carries, 1,034 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. His role in the passing game has decreased each season, which is a negative, but hopefully the Steelers lean heavily on Harris with his contract expiring. He’s no longer a Fantasy star, but Harris should be serviceable as a low-end starter in all formats. ” – Dave Richard

6.5: Jonathan Brooks, RB, Panthers

“Brooks was arguably the highest-upside RB prospect in the 2024 class due to his ability to set up blocks, force missed tackles, and operate as a receiver out of the backfield. The latter point is key here with head coach Dave Canales coming over from Tampa, where he helped fuel Rachaad White’s 2023 breakout via the ninth-most targets among all RBs. White also finished with the fifth-most touches among all RBs in 2023. Brooks’ situation is different as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered last season at Texas in a more crowded backfield than Tampa’s was in 2023 with Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard, but if he can earn a heavy workload, he’s one of the highest-upside sixth-round draft picks you can find at any position. You might have to dip into Round 5 to grab Brooks if he recovers in time for training camp. Brooks is a candidate to be off the board in the top five of rookie-only drafts as the consensus RB1.” – Dan Schneier

6.6: D’Andre Swift, RB, Bears

“Swift joined the Bears in the offseason, where we expect he’ll be the 1A in a committee approach. In a full PPR league, Swift should be drafted no earlier than Round 6, and he can go a round earlier in non-PPR. Swift’s 229 carries last year were a career-high and slightly more than we are projecting for 2024. The less clear question is what his role will be in the passing game. Shane Waldron’s offenses haven’t generally featured running backs catching the ball. Add in a rookie quarterback and three high-end wide receivers and Swift may struggle to reach 40 grabs. You will feel a lot better about him if he’s your flex rather than your RB2.” – Jamey Eisenberg

6.7: James Conner, RB, Cardinals

“Conner has averaged at least 15 PPR points per game in each of his three seasons with the Cardinals. Don’t assume a fourth will come easy. While Conner remained highly effective as Arizona’s lead back last season, he did lose out on most third downs to two other runners. In April, the Redbirds took Trey Benson in the NFL Draft, adding a younger power back with similar skills to Conner to their RB room. And you can’t forget about Conner being an eighth-year veteran at age 29 who has missed at least three games in five of his past six seasons. When he’s on the field, he’s generally been very good, which is why Fantasy managers won’t mind settling for Conner as soon as Round 6, but not before since he has some considerable concerns. It’s also not a bad idea to target Benson in Round 8, even if Conner isn’t already on your roster.” – Dave Richard

6.8: Jayden Reed, WR, Packers

“Reed emerged as the No. 1 receiver for the Packers during his rookie campaign in 2023, scoring 10 total touchdowns, and we’ll see if he can build off that performance in Year 2. We like Reed as a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he’s worth drafting as early as Round 6. Last year, Reed averaged 13.6 PPR points per game, and he scored at least 15 PPR points in seven of his final eight games to close the regular season. Green Bay has a crowded receiving corps, and most of Reed’s production came when Christian Watson was dealing with hamstring problems, which are hopefully under control this season. That said, Reed was used in a variety of ways (he had 11 carries for 119 and two touchdowns), and he’s someone Jordan Love should continue to rely on. We hope Reed doesn’t take a step back in production, and he has the upside to be a top-20 Fantasy option in all leagues, especially if he can score double digits in touchdowns again this year.” – Dave Richard

6.9: Evan Engram, TE, Jaguars

“Engram set a new career high with 114 receptions in 2023 as the Jaguars were dealt a blow on the injury front when Christian Kirk went down. This led to Engram finishing as the TE2 overall and a borderline weekly winner in PPR leagues. The Jaguars offense is expected to take a more vertical approach in 2024 with an improved offensive line plus the additions of Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas at WR. The return of Kirk should also eat into Engram’s role. Engram’s target share should dip, but this is already accounted for in his ADP. Engram can be had in the Rounds 7-9 range of your drafts and will likely return value at that price even if his receptions take a step back.” – Dan Schneier

6.10: Zack Moss, RB, Bengals

“Moss joins a Bengals backfield that leaned on Joe Mixon (he had the fifth-highest snap percentage among all running backs) in 2023. With Chase Brown as the main competition behind Moss, the veteran who came over from the Colts should have an excellent opportunity to carve out a lead role for himself. Brown is an explosive talent, but he’s 5-foot-9, 200 pounds and unlikely to claim the lead role. Moss should see scoring opportunities and settle in as an RB2. He is worth drafting as early as the eighth round of your Fantasy drafts.” – Dan Schneier

6.11: Aaron Jones, RB, Vikings

“Jones signed with the Vikings this offseason after being released by the Packers, and he has the chance to remain a No. 2 Fantasy running back this year. Jones is worth drafting as early as Round 6 in the majority of leagues. With the Vikings, Jones should lead the team in touches, and his main competition for playing time is Ty Chandler, which is a plus for Jones. Minnesota’s offense also has the chance to be explosive, and Jones should be able to make plays all over the field, especially in the passing game. But at 29, Jones has to prove he can stay healthy, which was a problem in 2023 in Green Bay. He missed six games and parts of others, mostly due to hamstring injuries, but he finished the season strong with five games in a row with at least 108 rushing yards, including the playoffs. Hopefully that’s the running back we see all season. Don’t overvalue Jones based on his name and history, but at the right price he can be a low-end starter or flex in all leagues.” – Jamey Eisenberg

6.12: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots

“We’re drafting Stevenson as a low-end No. 2 running back as early as Round 7 in PPR leagues. Stevenson struggled last year to a career-low 4.4 yards per touch and has been abysmal on a per-target basis the last two seasons, averaging fewer than five yards per target. The biggest question is whether the Patriots will keep throwing him the ball four-plus times per game or if Antonio Gibson will take that role. There’s also a question whether Alex Van Pelt’s offense will have as many designed running back targets, as he comes from an offense that funnels more targets to tight ends. If Stevenson loses passing downs to Gibson, he’ll have a tough time justifying his ADP unless he tops his career-highs of 210 rush attempts and five rushing touchdowns.” – Heath Cummings