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It’s officially the best time of the year, as NFL Best Ball is back on DraftKings.
This format gives players a chance to draft a fantasy football team for a season-long competition that requires no active in-season management, but still provides a full season of drama and competition.
You can find all the details, scoring and rules for the format in this overview post along with links to the rest of our season preview content.
Below I have ranked my top-20 rookies for the 2024 DraftKings NFL Best Ball season.
Check back throughout draft season for more content to help get you ready for all your Best Ball contests.
DraftKings NFL Best Ball is live! Click here to start drafting your team
Rookie Rankings
| Ranking | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Name | Team |
| 1 | Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARZ |
| 2 | Malik Nabers | NYG |
| 3 | Xaiver Worthy | KC |
| 4 | Rome Odunze | CHI |
| 5 | Brian Thomas Jr. | JAC |
| 6 | Jonathon Brooks | CAR |
| 7 | Keon Coleman | BUF |
| 8 | Ladd McConkey | LAC |
| 9 | Caleb Williams | CHI |
| 10 | Jayden Daniels | WAS |
| 11 | Brock Bowers | LV |
| 12 | Trey Benson | ARZ |
| 13 | Ricky Pearsall | SF |
| 14 | Blake Corum | LAR |
| 15 | Jaylen Wright | MIA |
| 16 | Adonai Mitchell | IND |
| 17 | Drake Maye | NE |
| 18 | Xaiver Legette | CAR |
| 19 | Ja'Lynn Polk | NE |
| 20 | Roman Wilson | PIT |
1. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Easily the most NFL ready receiver prospect in this year’s draft, Harrison Jr. is in position take the league by storm in his rookie year. Out of all the top wideouts selected, MHJ easily steps into the best landing spot in Arizona, with virtually zero competition for targets and legit-NFL starter Kyler Murray throwing him the rock.
Harrison Jr. won the Biletnikoff award in 2023 (given to nation’s top WR), as he amassed 14 touchdowns (tied for third in the FBS) for the second straight season, along with 1,211 receiving yards. The Ohio State product is an athletic marvel, standing 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, with an ability to win at all levels of the field.
Harrison Jr. should be a target hog and premier touchdown scorer from day one, and should easily be the first rookie drafted in 2024 best ball contests.
3. Xaiver Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs traded with their arch rival Bills to snag Worthy with the 28th pick in April’s draft. Worthy is the dream fit with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as he ran the fastest 40-yard dash ever recorded at the NFL Combine at 4.21 seconds.
Kansas City has not had this type of deep threat since Tyreek Hill got traded to Miami, and Worthy will join an absolutely loaded group of pass catchers, consisting of Travis Kelce, Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice.
Worthy had his best collegiate season at Texas in 2023, where he led the Longhorns in receptions (75) and receiving yards (1,075) despite sharing the field with fellow-NFL prospect Adonai Mitchell. Worthy also ranked second in the entire FBS in yards punt return at 16.9. He is an absolute burner and Andy Reid will find many creative ways to get the ball in his hands.
Worthy is the poster boy for the “better in best ball” moniker, because he’s going to have quite a few spiked weeks in 2024 playing with Mahomes, we just don’t know when they are going to come. We should be expecting quite a few deep-touchdown connections from this QB/WR pairing this season, and because of that I have Worthy ranked as my No. 3 rookie in best ball formats.
In addition, there is uncertainty regarding the availability of Rashee Rice due to an off-the-field incident that occurred earlier in the offseason. A lengthy suspension is not out of the question, meaning the stock of Worthy could rise even higher.
6. Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
New head coach Dave Canales traded up to snag Brooks with the 46th overall pick. This is the same Dave Canales who turned Rachaad White into the RB8 last season in Tampa bay, so I am extremely bullish on this landing spot for the former Texas Longhorn.
Brooks has prototypical NFL RB size at 6-foot, 216 pounds, and broke out during his junior season in Austin, rushing for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 187 carries. Unfortunately, Brooks tore the ACL in his right knee in a November game vs. TCU, but by all accounts is expected to be ready for training camp this July.
The competition for RB touches in Carolina may end up being a non-issue, as Miles Sanders was signed under the Panthers’ old regime and could wind up getting traded, while the Chuba Hubbard is simply not a threat long term.
I expect Brooks to be the Panthers lead back by Week 8 at the latest, and I am glad to take him as the sixth rookie off the board in best ball drafts.
11. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
This Bowers rank is a case of “love the player, hate the landing spot.” Most pundits do not have Bowers this low among rookies, but I have serious question marks surrounding the Raiders QB play, along with the target competition Bowers will be facing as a rookie tight end.
Last I checked, Las Vegas still has Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers in tow, along with the newly-signed Michael Gallup. In addition, Bowers also has to compete with fellow-tight-end Michael Mayer, who the Raiders drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft.
Talent usually wins out, and Bowers is a special talent, but I just do not see a path for an immediate impact in this offense right now.
14. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
Another RB’s landing spot I am pretty bullish on is Corum’s, who was selected by Sean McVay and the Rams in the third round. Last season, Kyren Williams took the fantasy football world by storm, but McVay has already come out and said they will look to scale back his workload a bit in 2024.
Enter Corum, who was the engine of the 2023 National-Champion Michigan Wolverines offense. Corum had one of the best collegiate careers you’ll find during his three years in Ann Arbor, as he broke the school’s all time rushing touchdown record with 58. This was in large part due to his 2023 season, where he finished with a whopping 27 scores, which of course led the nation.
As for his NFL prospects, Corum has a really stocky frame, standing 5-foot-8, 213 pounds, and should be an absolute bruiser at the next level. He showed in college that he can handle a massive workload without issue, posting 505 combined carries over the past two seasons, and I expect him to be the 1A to Kyren Williams in 2024.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.