taking a look at NFC rookies who can impact your fantasy teams

By Martin Richardson

When it comes to fantasy football, we all have our favourites. This is usually based on prior success or the fact that they play for your team. As a Bucs fan, I was delighted with Rachaad White and would be looking to pick him up again this year. But, you can’t just load up on prior successes, you have to be looking forward and this year’s draft class has some gems just waiting to be picked up to make an impact on your fantasy season.

Taking a look at the NFC first, there are some quality players ready to be immediate starters, as well as some names that could be worth stashing just to see how they start or how they are utilized by their teams. Let’s take a look.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Marvin Harrison Jr

What can I say? Harrison could well be a generational talent at wide receiver who has it all. The talented WR fell right to the Cardinals in the draft who had a huge need at WR since they moved on from DeAndre Hopkins. Harrison will be a massive hit in Arizona with Kyler Murray. 14 touchdowns, over 1000 yards, this will easily translate into the NFL as long as Murray stays healthy in 2024.

Fantasy Outlook: Early round pick up, he’s a top talent don’t overthink it

Trey Benson

An interesting pick up by the Cardinals given that we know James Connor’s injury history. 14 total touchdowns at Florida State last year and nearly 1000 yards rushing, Benson could be a handy stash in Fantasy leagues if Connor goes down which is highly possible.

Fantasy Outlook: Late round stash in case of an injury to Connor

ATLANTA FALCONS

Michael Penix Jr

Given how long Penix has been in college, it is no surprise that as he progressed he got better each year. 67 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Washington earned him being drafted, surprisingly, by the Falcons in this years draft. But, will he see the field ahead of Kirk Cousins in the next two years, probably not. Unless Cousins is injured again or he doesn’t bounce back from his current Achilles injury.

Fantasy Outlook: Waiver pick up if Cousins goes down

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Xavier Legette

Giving Bryce Young an extra weapon is not bad thing. But will he make a huge impact in his rookie year with veterans Adam Thielin and Diontae Johnson as the main ball catchers on the Panthers offense. What you can’t look past is his ability to move the chains. With an average of 17 yards per catch, Legette has the potential to get you some valuable points, but I imagine his redzone production will only be if the veterans are off the field.

Fantasy Outlook: Waiver wire pickup if there are some injuries to Thielin and Johnson

Jonathon Brooks

I was tempted to focus solely on Legette, but Brooks has the potential to be a late round sleeper that will help you make that playoff push. He is currently rehabbing after an ACL injury and that is something that you need to look at, but if he starts the season healthy, then Brooks could be a steal. He is not just a rushing threat, he is a catching back too, which is what new HC Dave Canales is used to if you look at his offensive play style with Rachaad White in Tampa Bay last season.

Fantasy Outlook: Late round stash if still on the injury report, mid to late round sleeper if healthy

chicago bears

Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze

I can’t separate them, and that is going to be key in fantasy football: they will both need each other and you will need both of them to do the business if you’re going to win your fantasy matchups. The talent of both of them is unquestionable and this needs to be remembered when you’re drafting them. Williams goes straight in as a starter and will have targets like DJ Moore, Cole Kmet and new RB DeAndre Swift to help him amass points for your fantasy matchups. However, for Odunze, DJ Moore has just got a monster new deal and will want his share of the ball from Williams, so maybe don’t draft Odunze as anything more than a stash with big upside.

Fantasy Outlook for Caleb Williams: Mid round pick up in the mix with Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott

Fantasy Outlook for Rome Odunze: Late round stash with a high ceiling

Dallas Cowboys

Does anyone know what the Cowboys are doing this offseason? They didn’t take a running back when there were a plethora available and they have yet to tie up the two deal they need to in Prescott and Lamb. What they did do in the draft is sure up the offensive line with Tyler Guyton to give Dak Prescott as much time as possible to get the ball to CeeDee Lamb et al.

Fantasy Outlook: Dak was great without Guyton last season, with him this season, that can only be a good thing on the offensive side of the ball.

detroit lions

The Lions addressed their offence last season in the draft and this season they addressed their defense. They drafted defensive back Terrion Arnold as well as trading for former Buccaneer Carlton Davis. How does this impact your fantasy lineup, well the Lions D just became a whole lot more interesting when thinking about pick up a DEF/ST if you are scrabbling around to fill your fantasy roster.

Fantasy Outlook: Late round pickup once you have the rest of your team set up

Green Bay Packers

MarShawn Lloyd

Yet to really take off in training camp due to injury is not a way to start a rookie report, but this may be worth noting if you are looking for whether or not to pick him up. What camp reports have suggested is that he could be on track to push out AJ Dillon as RB2 in Green Bay already, even with a small sample size, and we all know that HC Matt LaFleur loves a two back system. Add this to the fact that Josh Jacobs isn’t exactly the most reliable of RBs, no matter how much he backs himself.

Fantasy Outlook: Waiver wire watch if Jacobs does previous Jacobs things

la rams

Blake Corum

I really don’t want to take anything away from Kyren Williams, he was the main reason I won my fantasy league. But, this draft pick up worries me for Williams. With 28 touchdowns for Michigan, over 1200 yards rushing as well, you do not draft such a talent just to have him be on the bench for the season. Plus, HC Sean McVay has a habit of letting his RB room be a committee and change them at the drop of a hat. Like I say this pick, as a Williams fan, worries me. But in terms of fantasy football, he could be steal if he gets going.

Fantasy Outlook: Late round pick up and stash.

Minnesota Vikings

JJ McCarthy

This was the one of the most talked about moves pre-draft. The Vikings made moves with the Texans in order to be able to package a deal to move one spot to get McCarthy at pick 10. His Michigan stats are off the chart with 44 touchdowns in 2 years and only 9 interceptions, but will he see the field of play this season? At the moment, the answer is no as Sam Darnold currently has the starters job. However, anyone who has watched Darnold knows that there is a reason he has moved about the league so much. I think McCarthy gets game time this season, but it will just be when. Is he worth stashing at this point, I don’t think so. Is he worth watching in case the Vikings get twitchy after a few losses, absolutely.

Fantasy Outlook: he will play this season, but he is not worth stashing just yet. Watch him on the waiver wire for now.

New Orleans Saints

Kool-Aid McKinstry

The Saints defense has a history of being a Fantasy football staple when it comes to drafting a DEF/ST. Now they have added an elite defensive back and ball hawk who could get a least one interception a week, as well as the odd pick 6 such is his talent. Look to pick up the Saints when other teams are drafting their defenses.

Fantasy Outlook: Mid to late rounds, strike before others take their defenses

New York Giants

Malik Nabers

Well, what can I say, that hasn’t been said already. Just like Marvin Harrison Jr in Arizona, Nabers has the chance to be something special in New York. He threw up ridiculous numbers, just like Harrison: 14 touchdowns, over a 1000 yards receiving, so can he be someone to lean on in fantasy, I think so. Get him in as a flex and by the midpoint of the season he will be your WR2 and I bet people will be envious that you were the one to pick him up.

Fantasy Outlook: Early to mid round pick up- just watch him do his thing and enjoy

Philadelphia Eagles

Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean

HOW DO THEY KEEP DOING THIS?! I watched the draft this year and when I saw these two on the board, I expected them to be drafted to most of the teams before the Eagles. But, once again, the Eagles have managed to load up on defense ready for an important season. The Eagles needed to improve on stopping teams marching down the field and DeJean’s utility makes him one to watch for interceptions. Does this make the Eagles an elite defense? Maybe not, but it certainly elevates them into the discussion when looking at adding them to your fantasy roster.

Fantasy Outlook: Mid to late round pick up. If the Ravens, Bills and Saints are off the board, take a punt on the Eagles.

San Francisco 49ers

Ricky Pearsall

To use a well worn cliché: you need zig when everyone else zags, and that was very apparent when the 49ers ‘reached’ to take Pearsall with the 31st pick of the draft. GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan may have been looking to the future with this pick, with the future of Brandon Aiyuk up in the air at the moment. Should he stay, then Pearsall will have to contend with being behind Deebo Samuel as well as Aiyuk. But, should that change, Pearsall could be another find that has an impact for the 49ers sooner rather than later. He led the Gators in yards (965) and yards per game (80.4), so he has the talent if QB Brock Purdy and the offensive team can get him involved.

Fantasy Outlook: Late round stash if it looks as though Aiyuk gets his trade wish

Seattle Seahawks

We’ve got another defensive pick up here that could be a massive difference maker for which DEF/ST you pick up here and that is in the form of Byron Murphy. This guy has the potential to be an absolute unit for the Seahawks defense and cause all sorts of chaos for the opposition’s offense. At nearly 300lbs, five sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss, Murphy can be a real disruptive force for anyone thinking of picking up this DEF/ST. Add Murphy to the fact that new head coach Mike McDonald was part of the defensive team that made the Ravens such a tough team to play against, all signs point to the Seahawks having a much-improved defensive unit.

Fantasy Outlook: look to the Seahawks as a streaming DEF unit once the bye weeks start.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucky Irving

I love Rachaad White. He was my guy last season. As a Bucs fan, I was delighted that he balled out and proved people wrong. I think he has to do it all again with a new OC and sustain his success going forward. Which is what makes the Bucky Irving pick so interesting to me. Just like I said with Corum and the Rams, you don’t pick a player like Irving and have him on the bench all season. Whilst White put up the numbers, he was best as a catching back, in my opinion. He rarely broke through the lines and gained big chunk plays, with his longest run being 38 yards. So what do the Bucs get that different with Irving? A lot more rushing yardage- over 1000 and less of a catching back. But that was Oregon. The Bucs will certainly utilize him in their offense; just how much remains to be seen.

Fantasy Outlook: Late round stash if Rachaad White doesn’t sustain that last season form

washington commanders

Jayden Daniels

When you have Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr as your WR1 and WR2, is anyone shocked that he threw for 40 touchdowns in his final year at LSU? What makes him even more of a fantasy threat is that he rushed for 10 more touchdowns on top of that. Can he do it on the big stage with a Commanders team that needs a new talisman? I don’t doubt it. He has Terry McLaurin as his main target who must be licking his lips at the prospect of finally having an elite QB to throw him the ball. Could this also mean that Jahan Dotson may be on the rise in 2024? After all, McLaurin can’t get the ball all the time.

Fantasy Outlook: Mid to late rounds. When those QBs start disappearing, Daniels is certainly worth a look.

MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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