Rookies and fantasy football have an interesting relationship. As rookies have no previous pro experience, judging their potential can be tricky. If the right rookie is in the right system, they can break out and be a starting player for most fantasy teams. Last season saw two rookies be top-12 running backs and a few other guys contribute good number to their offenses. For 2017, these are the best rookies for fantasy football.
Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers
Running Back
The Stanford product is well positioned to have a great rookie season for the Carolina Panthers. McCaffrey is a multi-talented back, with above average running, catching and blocking abilities. As Jonathan Stewart enters the tail end of his career, McCaffrey will see starting duties for the Panthers. If the Panthers offense performs as it did in 2015, McCaffrey’s ceiling is over 1000 rushing yards and 60 receptions for 500 receiving yards.
Leonard Fournette – Jacksonville Jaguars
Running Back
After being drafted fourth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the expectations for Fournette are very high, encroaching upon “Offensive Rookie of the Year” or bust territory. Fournette is a powerful runner with great vision and a knack for finding the end zone. The expectation entering the 2017 season is for the Jaguars to run the ball a lot making Fournette a prized fantasy option. While he is not likely to be as good as Ezekiel Elliot was last season, he is the frontrunner to lead all rookies in rushing yards this season.
Joe Mixon – Cincinnati Bengals
Running Back
Putting the controversy aside, Joe Mixon is one of the best rookie running backs in the NFL entering the 2017 season. The biggest thing holding back Mixon is how crowded the Bengals back is, with Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill still fighting for carries. Neither back has been able to take over full duties, which led to the Bengals taking Mixon in the second round. Mixon may not be a fan favourite, he still has good value in fantasy and is worth a mid-to-late round pick. He should see the most carries of any back on the team this season. The challenge is that Bernard will pilfer receptions and Hill will get goal-line carries, which could limit Mixon’s value.
Kareem Hunt – Kanas City Chiefs
Running Back
Out of all the players on this list, Kareem Hunt is the biggest surprise. Drafted in the latter half of the third round, originally Hunt’s name did not carry much weight. However, after the injury to Spencer Ware and the strong performance by Hunt, the young back has people talking. Andy Reid, the head coach of the Chiefs, has a shown a commitment to the running game, which opens the door for Hunt having a big first half of the season before Ware returns healthy. And there’s a good chance Ware doesn’t come back this year. And beyond that, he may not get his job back. Remember, he replaced an injured Jamaal Charles and Charles never got his job back.
Hunt is one of the most valuable backs in fantasy now. He’s still a rookie, so temper expectations, but he’s a clear RB1 with little pressure from anyone to give up that job.
Corey Davis – Tennessee Titans
Wide Receiver
As the top receiver picked in the 2017 NFL draft, going fifth overall to the Tennessee Titans, Davis is expected to make an immediate impact. Although the Titans remain a run first offense, Davis has a chance to be one of the top targets in the system this year. He should be a favorite for Marcus Mariota when the Titans are in the red zone and could lead the team in receiving touchdowns.
The one downside with Davis is we haven’t seen much production out of him this preseason. He’s missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury. He’ll be on the waiver wire in most leagues. Set reasonable expectations for Davis and view anything over 1000 yards receiving and eight touchdowns as an extreme win. What’s more likely is that he gets healthy, proves that he’s NFL-ready early and starts to flash his skill in the second half of the season.
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