Three fantasy losers from the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL draft is over which means fantasy football drafts are just months away. Fourteen skill position players were taken in the first round, but these three could take a while to have fantasy success.

Michael Penix Jr. (QB) Atlanta Falcons

Penix led all FBS quarterbacks with 4,903 yards last season but few believed he’d be an immediate NFL starter. No kidding. Less than two months after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180M deal ($100M guaranteed) the Falcons turned the draft upside-down by taking Penix eighth overall.

With so much money guaranteed to Cousins, Penix holds little value in dynasty or redraft formats. Here’s what The Athletic’s Jake Ciely had to say about his fantasy prospects

"Penix needs to improve his anticipation, and even then, his upside is Matthew Stafford, and more in his later years. Penix is off the redraft radar, and this is far from a good landing spot for fantasy, as we're looking two-plus years out."

We don’t anticipate many fantasy managers will wait two years for Stafford-like numbers, which makes Penix a fantasy afterthought unless Cousins gets injured.

Ricky Pearsall (WR) San Francisco 49ers

Wait, did the team trade Brandon Aiyuk? As a skilled route runner with good size and soft hands, Pearsall became something of a sleeper pick in the days leading up to the draft. But not many had him going in the first round, much less to the 49ers.