Fantasy Football Draft Day Comparisons | Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown or Ja'Marr Chase, Derrick Henry or Isiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice or Chris Godwin and More

Answering trending draft questions from the FantasySP Who Should I Draft tool.

We started a series on Monday where we answered some of the trending decisions on the FantasySP Who Should I Draft page and it was extremely well received, so we’re back with more!

We have two running back and receiver decisions to make, along with a tight end debate. Let’s dive right in!

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Draft Justin Jefferson or Amon-Ra St. Brown or Ja'Marr Chase?

Let’s start with a doozy, breaking down three of the top fantasy wide receivers in the game.

According to our ADP data, Jefferson, St. Brown and Chase are the 5th-7th picks in fantasy drafts this season.

Jefferson is coming off a season in which he missed several games with an injury. He still went for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. Jefferson had over 1,400 yards in his first three NFL seasons, with at least seven touchdown grabs in those years.

Jefferson proved he could put up numbers without a good quarterback, but now he’ll be tasked with doing that over a full season. I really struggle taking him over the other top fantasy receivers simply because of the guy throwing him the ball.

Chase didn’t have his quarterback for a decent portion of the 2023 season and still had 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. He has over 1,000 yards and at least seven scores in his first three NFL seasons.

Joe Burrow is healthy again, which means Chase is one of the top fantasy wideouts again. Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon also left Cincy, so there’s two less playmakers to steal away touches from Chase.

St. Brown just keeps improving. He went for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago. He’s improved his receptions, yards and touchdowns in each of his first three seasons.

The Lions’ offense is pretty much identical to a season ago, so you can expect more big things from St. Brown. Most of the offensive playmakers are young, so each guy could really erupt at any time, but ARSB will be at the forefront of things.

I’ve written about these receivers several times this season, and if you’ve read some of my work, you know I’m not high on Jefferson this season. I like Chase and St. Brown, and really think it’s a coin flip when picking between them.

I’d take Chase, then St. Brown and finally Jefferson if forced to make a decision on the trio. The determining factor between Chase and St. Brown is less playmakers in Cincy, which means more opportunity for Chase. I wouldn’t consider Jefferson until at least pick 10 or so.

Draft Gus Edwards or Jonathon Brooks?

This is an intriguing decision between Edwards and Brooks. Edwards is expected to serve as the lead back in Los Angeles, but he’s never been a really well-rounded fantasy option. Brooks would be the top back in Carolina if he wasn’t dealing with an injury - he’ll miss at least the first four games.

Edwards spent the first five years of his career in Baltimore. He hadn’t gone over 800 rushing yards in a season until last year. Edwards only had 810 rushing yards, but scored 13 times too. He has never been a big part of the passing game, which hurts his stock in PPR leagues.

I expect Edwards to be the clear RB1 in LA, but for J.K. Dobbins and maybe rookie Kimani Vidal to also carve out offensive roles. Edwards might be a flex option if he can prove to be a touchdown-scoring machine again, but he really doesn’t have a ton of upside.

Brooks is on the PUP list to open the season. I don’t expect Carolina to be all that great of a team this season, so the team might choose to ease him into the swing of things instead of immediately handing him the starting job in week 5 (if he’s ready to go then).

Brooks has more upside than Edwards, but given the uncertain workload when he returns, is Brooks worth stashing? Brooks is currently RB33 and going around pick 90, although he’s been falling a bit of late. Edwards also has fallen a bit, and is currently RB38 and going around pick 109.

I’d take Edwards over Brooks, but also am fine with either player given your fantasy team setup. If you are looking for a flex option or top backup, I like drafting Edwards over Brooks, just because we don’t know when Brooks might make an impact. If you went RB heavy early in your draft, taking a flier on Brooks makes more sense then adding Edwards, who would be stuck on your bench otherwise. 

Draft Rashee Rice or Chris Godwin?

This is an interesting decision between two receivers going back-to-back on our ADP list. Rice is WR33 and going around pick 71 on average, while Godwin is WR34 and at pick 74.

Rice excelled in his rookie season, going for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. He looked like a future star with Patrick Mahomes throwing to him, but then got into some trouble off the field this offseason. The Chiefs added a couple receivers to the mix as well, and now it’s anybody’s guess who might lead the way.

Given Rice was a part of the offense in 2023, he’d be my guess to serve as WR1 in KC over Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy. Rice is still a risky pick because the other two wideouts are there, and because he might face a suspension at some point.

Godwin has pretty quietly gone for over 1,000 receiving yards in three straight seasons. The only problem is that he’s only scored 11 touchdowns over that span.

Godwin is still the No. 2 wideout in Tampa Bay to Mike Evans, but he’s also one of the better No. 2 options in the league, and has shown he can be a good fantasy option several years in a row. 

I’d take Godwin over Rice if forced to make a choice between the two. Both have some question marks, but there’s just less around Godwin, so he’s the safer pick in my mind. I believe Rice has higher upside, but there’s also a greater chance he busts. With an eighth-round pick, I want safer options, so Godwin gets the nod from me.

Draft Dalton Schultz or Dallas Goedert?

Let’s briefly hit on a tight end decision between Schultz and Goedert. Both guys are going near each other in drafts, with Goedert as TE12 and around pick 110 and Schultz as TE14 and around pick 119.

Schultz was solid in his first season with Houston, going for 635 yards and five touchdowns.

Houston added Mixon and Stefon Diggs to an offense that already had Nico Collins and Tank Dell. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, so Schultz appears destined for a bit of a lesser role.

Goedert battled an injury in 2023. He had 592 yards and three scores after having over 700 yards the previous two seasons.

The Eagles’ offense added Saquon Barkley and Jahan Dotson, but overall, the Eagles’ offense isn’t as stacked all around as the Texans is. Goedert looks like a bounceback candidate.

I like Goedert over Schultz for a couple reasons. Goedert is in an offense in need of playmakers, while Schultz has several playmakers around him. Goedert also has better career marks in just about every statistic, while narrowly trailing in touchdowns. It’s close, and both are fine options as backup tight ends, but I think Goedert offers a bit higher ceiling in his offense.

Draft Derrick Henry or Isiah Pacheco?

We’ll cap things with a fun debate between two great fantasy backs. Henry is RB9 and going around pick 18, while Pacheco is RB10 and going around pick 21.

Henry has been a stud with the Titans over his career, and now joins a better Ravens’ offense where he should thrive alongside Lamar Jackson. Henry has over 1,000 rushing yards in five of the past six seasons, with 80 rushing scores over that span.

Pacheco has emerged as a real difference maker for the Chiefs in his brief two-year NFL career. He went for 935 rushing yards and seven scores in just 14 games last season. He added 220 receiving yards and a score.

I view both as undervalued fantasy players this season, and think they’ll both be draft steals by the end of the season.

I like Henry over Pacheco this season. I ranked Henry as my No. 5 fantasy back for the season, while Pacheco is 10th. I don’t think they’ll be separated by as many points as five fantasy slots might seem, but I think Henry’s touchdown numbers are going to make him a fantasy stud this season. Again, both are great picks this season, but I have to go with Henry here.

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