NFL Fantasy Football: A look at which rookies you should be targeting

Very rarely are rookies standout players in fantasy, with so many failing to make the step up in year one. However, when you do draft one that hits the ground running, not only do you feel like a genius, you may just win your league too. Let's take a look at some of this year's rookies to target in your fantasy football drafts!

Harrison is currently being ranked as a second round player in Yahoo Sports drafts. It might be tough for fantasy managers to look at Harrison’s name next to the likes of proven fantasy stars like Mike Evans, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, but the hype seems to be warranted.

Harrison Jr. is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, so he’s been around the league his entire life. NFL Draft Countdown wondered aloud whether Harrison Jr. is the best wide receiver prospect ever. Time will tell, but he should command the lion’s share of targets in Arizona, which should help him produce at his average draft position.

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Nabers might be the most promising rookie when it comes to taking the ball to the house on any given play. Bleacher Report noted that Nabers was tabbed as the draft combine’s most electric athlete, having ran a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. He’ll have a great opportunity to thrive in fantasy with a depleted group of Giants skill position players.

Even though there are legitimate questions about the quarterback play in New York, Nabers has the type of skill that might overcome lackluster passing. The team should look to devise ways to get the ball in Nabers’ hands on short throws, and let his natural speed take over from there. It wouldn’t be advisable to reach for Nabers, but snagging him in the fifth round feels right.

ESPN fantasy football and NFL Draft analyst Field Yates thinks the world of Odunze. “Landing Odunze here is a grand slam for the Bears when considering the impact he can have… I had Odunze rated sixth overall, and there was a case for him to be even higher. His 24 contested catches last season tied for the FBS lead.”

Yates’ statistics indicate that Odunze is the type of player who can come down with the football if its thrown anywhere in his vicinity. He might not have immediate fantasy value playing behind Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore, but he profiles as perhaps the best wide receiver handcuff in fantasy. He’s a lottery ticket that could pay enormous dividends.

Brooks is a player on the mend. He suffered a torn ACL last November while playing for the University of Texas. Had he not gotten hurt, it’s possible that he could have snuck into the first round of the NFL Draft. CBS Sports believes that Brooks has the potential to be a top 12 running back in the league.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales doesn’t expect Brooks to suit up for the team until Week 3 or Week 4 of the regular season, per Carolina beat reporter Josh Norris. With this in mind, reaching for Brooks wouldn’t seem like a wise idea, but his name has to be kept in mind as early as round seven or eight.

The Chargers no longer have Keenan Allen, Mike Williams or Gerald Everett, and someone is going to have to catch passes. McConkey could quickly rise up Los Angeles’ depth chart, and become a favorite target of quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Chargers website calls McConkey a bit undersized, but he should be able to make a name for himself in the slot. Many expect Los Angeles to deploy a run-heavy scheme under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Greg Roman, but McConkey could be the primary target when Herbert airs it out.

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Bleacher Report believes that Benson’s long speed is elite, as he generates separation from the back with every stride. They’ve also touted his burst and acceleration. Benson is not going to start in the backfield for Arizona right away, but he figures to be an important part of the team at some point.

Starting running back James Conner has missed four games in each of his last two seasons with the Cardinals, and has never played every game of an NFL campaign. History has a good chance to repeat itself here, which means that Benson could ascend into a top 15 options during the weeks that Conner is not able to give it a go.

Williams has been touted as one of the best quarterback prospects this century, and he’ll have an immediate opportunity to show what he can do. ABC Chicago believes that he has the natural ability, as well as legitimate talent around him, to help Chicago take a huge step in the NFC North in 2024.

It cannot be overstated just how good Williams has it with proven NFL talent behind him and next to him. Chicago already had D.J. Moore on the outside, and brought in Keenan Allen through free agency and Rome Odunze in the draft. They also signed tight end Gerald Everett, and brought in running back D’Andre Swift. Williams might only need to play point guard, which could give him fantasy relevance.

In the storied history of the Michigan football program, no player rushed for more touchdowns than Corum did during his time in Ann Arbor. The back got into the endzone 56 times, according to College Football Network. His ability to carry a backfield was evident with the Wolverines, and he may be a sneaky value pick in fantasy drafts.

Sean McVay told Rams Wire that the team is looking to “be smart” with starting running back Kyren Williams, who has gotten banged up from time to time in his short NFL career. Rather than trotting Williams out for nearly every snap, Los Angeles might elect to bring Corum in with a sizeable workload to keep the former fresh.

Some viewed Las Vegas as a curious landing spot for Bowers, considering that the Raiders invested premium capital in 2023 to draft Michael Mayer. With that said, it feels unlikely that the Raiders would have spent the 14^th pick on Bowers if they wanted him to play a complimentary role. Two tight end sets should be pretty common in Las Vegas.

Even though the Raiders have one of the least inspiring quarterback rooms in the NFL, it could be just solid enough to support another pass catcher over and above Davante Adams. Former NFL star Dez Bryant told Sports Illustrated that Bowers is a future Hall of Fame tight end, which is obviously massive praise.

Buffalo completely revamped its receiving corps in the offseason, parting ways with Stefon Diggs and letting Gabe Davis walk in free agency. While they have supreme confidence in quarterback Josh Allen, someone is going to have to absorb the boatload of targets and yards vacated by Diggs and Davis.

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Athlon Sports quoted Allen as saying that Coleman has “unreal ability”, which bodes well for his chances to fit in physically at the NFL level. Coleman will need to work on getting on the same page as Allen before Week 1, but the opportunity for Coleman to do a lot of damage is legitimate.