NFL Rookies with Immediate Fantasy Value
Each year these young players come into the league and some have an immediate impact on the field. Obviously though when it comes to rookies, you have to take some risks in fantasy football. The past few years we have seen guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Alvin Kamara, and Kareem Hunt make big splashes. Guys like Elliott and Fournette were taken off the board early on, where if you took a chance on Kamara or Hunt you were greatly rewarded. Here are my top 5 fantasy rookies of the 2018 NFL season.
Top 5 Fantasy Rookies 2018
1. Saquon Barkley ,RB, New York Giants.
Barkley can easily be the number one fantasy rookie this season, and even a top 5 RB overall. The Penn State product was undoubtably the best athlete in the draft. Barkley will look to have a rookie season like Ezekiel Elliott to bring the Giants offense back on track. His impact will be immediate and I predict 1700 total yards and 14 total touchdowns for the Giants RB.
2. Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks.
Penny, who was the second RB taken off the board in April, was an absolute stud in college. In 2017 he ran for 2,248 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging 172.9 yards per game. These are some crazy stats and you can definitely expect a drop off to the NFL. Especially behind Seattle’s suspect offensive line. Penny could give Barkley a run for his money this season, but I don’t see that happening. Sharing touches with Chris Carson, I predict Penny gets 1400 total yards and 10 total touchdowns.
3. Derrius Guice, RB, Washington Redskins.
Guice lands in my 3rd spot here solely because he is in the best position to make an immediate impact. The Redskins just picked up Alex Smith. Smith is a good quarterback, but I think they will lean on their running game this year. After what he did at LSU, I can see Guice taking over the lead role in that backfield. I predict 1200 total yards and 11 total touchdowns.
4. Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jones has shown some serious big play making potential. With the Buccaneers having problems with Jameis Winston, I think Jones takes control of that offense in the first few games. After Winston comes back from suspension teams will have to worry more about the air threat opening up more running lanes for Jones. This will result in a better than decent rookie season for the Bucs new running back. I predict 1100 total yards and 9 total touchdowns.
5. Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots.
Michel is essentially replacing Dion Lewis in the Patriots backfield. Lewis had a fantastic season last year with the Patriots and I’m sure they were sad to see him go. However I think Michel can easily fill his shoes. Michel would be higher on my list, but there are a few reasons why I have commitment issues with New England running backs. The backfield is crowded and Belichick loves to mess with fantasy owners (not really). With Jeremy Hill, Rex Burkhead, and James White, I don’t think Michel will get enough touches, but I just can’t keep his talent off my list. I predict 1000 total yards and 6 total touchdowns.
~Jon Tetreault ( @JonTetreault13)