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Which rookies have the most long-term fantasy football value?
Looking for fantasy football rookie rankings for your dynasty or partial-keeper league? We have you covered.
Of course, injuries and radical personnel changes cannot be forecasted with much certainty. Variations in league settings and scoring formats notwithstanding, here are snapshot rankings depicting how the top rookies stack up for the long haul.
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Recapping all of the noteworthy fantasy football picks from Rounds 4-7.
StThe 2023 NFL Draft’s final day is here, bringing us Rounds 4-7. We’ll examine any noteworthy selections who may have a role in fantasy football.
Be sure to check out our Day 1 and Day 2 coverage for a better feel of how these rookies all fit into fantasy plans for the upcoming year and beyond.
Live blogging all of the notable Day 2 fantasy football selections.
The 2023 NFL Draft brings us Day 2, comprising of the second and third rounds. It was a trade-filled opening day that included several fantasy-relevant picks. Follow along on the second day for all notable fantasy football reactions of the night.
Live blogging the impact of each fantasy-relevant pick from Round 1.
The 2023 NFL Draft is finally upon us, and prospects are now rookies with NFL cities to call home. Follow along for real-time analysis of the opening round’s impact on fantasy football plans for 2023.
Fantasy draft season may not be close to hitting its crescendo, but hardcore gamers have been selecting players prior to the conclusion of the collegiate bowl season. It’s time to let the real fun begin!
Rookie rankings for IDP dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Evaluating notable Day 3 selections from a fantasy football lens.
The 2022 NFL Draft’s final day is here, bringing us Rounds 4-7. We’ll examine any noteworthy selections who may have a role in fantasy football.
Be sure to check out our Day 1 and Day 2 coverage for a better feel of how these rookies all fit into fantasy plans for the upcoming year and beyond.
Fantasy football reaction from Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 2022 NFL Draft brings us Day 2, comprising of the second and third rounds. It was a frenetic opening day, which included a host of swapped picks and a pair of traded receivers. Follow along on the second day for all notable fantasy football reactions of the night.
The 2022 NFL Draft is finally upon us, and prospects are now rookies with NFL cities to call home. Follow along for real-time analysis the NFL draft’s opening round’s impact on fantasy football plans for 2022. Fantasy draft season may not be close …
The 2022 NFL Draft is finally upon us, and prospects are now rookies with NFL cities to call home. Follow along for real-time analysis the NFL draft’s opening round’s impact on fantasy football plans for 2022.
Fantasy draft season may not be close to hitting its crescendo, but hardcore gamers have been selecting players prior to the conclusion of the collegiate bowl season. It’s time to let the real fun begin!
Dolphins’ Waddle
The Dolphins used their 1.6 pick in the draft to reunite Jaylen Waddle and Tua Tagovailoa, who were teammates at Alabama. Their season together in 2019 resulted in Waddle catching 33 passes for 560 yards and six touchdowns (16.6-yard average). Waddle supplied the speedy downfield threat that year, while the talent-rich Crimson Tide also used Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith.
With Jeudy gone last year, Waddle dominated by starting his season with four straight games of over 120 yards and a total of four scores but severely dislocated his ankle and was lost for the season. He underwent surgery and the Dolphins want to be careful with him to avoid any setbacks. Waddle is only 5-10 and 182 pounds but runs a sub-4.4 40-time and flashed enough speed and talent to become the second wideout selected last April – in front of his Heisman-winning teammate DeVonta Smith.
He is currently showing up in Average Draft Position rankings around No. 46 for wideouts, typically in the tenth to twelfth rounds of fantasy drafts. By comparison, Ja’Marr Chase is the No. 24 and DeVonta Smith is No. 30 though all three were all Top-10 draft picks. Chase reunites with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati but also plays with Tee Higgins. Smith reunites with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia but the second-year quarterback has been a better rusher than passer so far. Waddle squeezes in with DeVante Parker and Will Fuller.
His ankle recovery will be at least a mild concern as a rookie until he can prove he’s regained his speed and looks healthy. He had a scare on one of the first days of training camp which doesn’t help but was fine. There is also concern with Tua Tagovailoa, who has yet to live up to his 1.05 draft pick last year.
Taken as the 46th wideout in fantasy drafts is a steal. That’s already in the area of positional backups. And while the Fins also have Parker and the newly signed Fuller, the reality is that Parker has spent six mostly mediocre seasons in Miami, aside from the freakish end to 2019. He returned to a more typical No. 40 fantasy wideout last year.
Fuller hasn’t lasted long enough in any season to be any real factor. Over five years in Houston, he missed 27 of 80 games, played injured in many more, and averaged just under ten starts per season over the last four years. He, of course, left his first day of training camp with an undisclosed injury.
Waddle has been compared to Tyreek Hill in his blazing speed and sheer athleticism. His talent level compares to many of the current elite NFL wide receivers but he could take time. His ankle must hold up after the surgery. But the start of training camp, the Tagovailoa-Waddle connection already started.
The advantage of Waddle is that while both Ja’Marr Chase and DeVonta Smith are drafted as fantasy starters, Waddle comes off the board as a WR4 or even a WR5. He’s a player that should improve as the year progresses and step into your starting lineup if only later in the season. He comes cheaply enough that a fantasy team owner can wait to ensure he is a safe start and then reap the benefits from the highest drafted wideout in Miami Dolphins history.
Day 3 of the NFL draft’s impact on fantasy football.
After an unconventional selection experience last year, the 2021 NFL Draft returns to a sense of normalcy.
Fantasy football draft season may not be close to hitting its crescendo, but hardcore gamers have been selecting players prior to the conclusion of bowl season.
Follow along for real-time analysis the NFL draft’s Day 3 impact on fantasy football plans for 2021.
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107) RB Michael Carter, New York Jets: The North Carolina back shared with Javonte Williams, a second-round pick by Denver, but has NFL-caliber skills in his own right. Only 5-foot-8, Carter is a solidly built 201 pounds, and brings a decisive nature to this rushing attack. He has a noticeable second gear and is a capable weapon from the backfield. There is some Clyde Edwards-Helaire in his game, and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah used Devonta Freeman as a comparison, which may be more apt. New York has bolstered its offensive line the past two drafts and invested a pair of early picks in the passing game. Carter should compete with Lamical Perine and fellow newcomer Tevin Coleman. There’s enough to like about Carter to give him the benefit of the doubt to eventually take over the primary chores as the season goes along. He’s an RB3 target in single-year drafts and could stand out as a rookie in this zone-blocking scheme.
109) WR Dez Fitzpatrick, Tennessee Titans: This offense needed more receivers, so it was only a matter of time before the position was addressed in the draft. Fitzpatrick will compete right away for a top-three spot, and his biggest opponent for touches will be free-agent addition Josh Reynolds. A product of Tulane, Fitzpatrick is a midrange possession guy, and he has the size to compete in the red zone at 6-foot-2, 208 pounds. The offense remains focused on Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown as the primary weapons, as well as the tight ends getting theirs, so there’s not a great deal of upside, despite the opportunity. Fitzpatrick is a late-round flier in 2021 drafts.
112) WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: This fourth-rounder has a chance to immediately see the field and matter in fantasy leagues. Jared Goff loved throwing to the slot in LA, which is the spot where one can expect St. Brown to reside most of the time. The younger brother of Green Bay Packers WR Equanimeous St. Brown, Amon-Ra is highly competitive and plays larger than his 6-foot-0, 197-pound frame suggests. He’s not overly fast, and his fantasy game will be stronger in PPR leagues … there’s a real opportunity in this situation for St. Brown to thrive as a rookie. He has WR3 potential in Year 1 and could be even better.
