Which NFL rookies shined and stumbled in fantasy football during Week 1?

Drafting NFL rookies in fantasy football is one of the most exciting moves for a manager. They're like a box of chocolates... You never know what you're going to get.

Week 1 saw certain rookies put a stamp on their prospects to be major contributors in their first year in the NFL. Others were nowhere to be found, but might still have promise down the line.

Harrison was 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.

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With that said, Harrison Jr. was a no-show for fantasy purposes in Week 1. He caught just one pass for four yards, on three targets. Better days figure to be ahead, as NFL Draft Countdown wondered aloud whether Harrison Jr. is the best wide receiver prospect of all-time, but there's no doubt his debut game was a dud.

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.

Nabers had a solid performance for New York in Week 1, logging five catches for 66 yards on seven targets. He'll be a focal point of the offense, but concerns about how the Giants will get him the ball won't dissipate after Daniel Jones' lackluster performance against the Minnesota Vikings.

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 it's thrown anywhere in his vicinity. He might not have immediate fantasy value playing behind Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore, as evidenced by Week 1. Still, 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 an injury stash who could make an impact later on.

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. He led Los Angeles in targets with seven in Week 1, and brought in Herbert's only touchdown pass of the game.

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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 was below average in Week 1, but still has massive upside.

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 able to do the same if called upon for the same role in the pros.

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. However, they did not give him a touch in Week 1.

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. Gardner Minshew looked Bowers' way eight times in Week 1, which resulted in six catches for 58 yards.

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. He's off to a good start, posting four catches for 51 yards in his debut.