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NFL Rookies To Watch In Week 2

NFL rookies who made an impact in Week 1 of the 2017 season. Martin Konstantinov identifies sleepers and future fantasy football stars to watch for Week 2.

Each week, we will look at rookies who have either performed well the previous few weeks or who have a favorable matchup in the upcoming week. These may be high-profile names or under-the-radar depth players; the only thing that matters is that they are first-year pros ready to make a name for themselves.

Hopefully, by the time the season ends, many of them will be household fantasy names and be remembered for their performances in the 2017 season.

For Week 1, we have a limited track record to analyze, but there were certainly some standout performances from the new crop of NFL players.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Rookies Worth Your Attention

The Stud Youngster

Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

After recording a record performance for a rookie in Week 1, Kareem Hunt looks poised to have an established workhorse role in his first season with the Chiefs. In what will no doubt be a historic rookie running back class, Hunt looks like a favorite to lead the group in all-purpose yards as a result of his undeniable talent and fantastic situation. Despite fumbling on his first NFL carry, there are few concerns about his ball security. Hunt should be considered a locked in RB1 who owners should not be afraid to start given his situation. Despite only having a mediocre matchup against the Eagles in Week 2, Hunt will hope to build on his Week 1 performance and establish himself as the best rookie running back and one of the top backs in the league.

 

The One Week Wonder

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

After posting a two touchdown game in Week 1 against the Cardinals, Golladay looks to be a fixture in the Lions receiving core for the foreseeable future. However, the Lions have several receiving options at the position, including Marvin Jones and Golden Tate. To add to this, receiving back Theo Riddick and tight end Eric Ebron are also top options for quarterback Matthew Stafford to target. While Golladay's talent is undeniable, both of his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter after the Cardinals defense was tired from being on the field for the majority of the game following the injury to running back David Johnson and quarterback Carson Palmer's offensive woes. Golladay should definitely not be dropped by any of his owners; however, owners should not consider him a locked-and-loaded starter until there is some more sustained production from the Lions offense and Golladay.

 

The Locked-In Starter

Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

After being drafted with the fourth overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 NFL Draft, there were very high expectations for rookie running back Leonard Fournette. Fournette delivered on those expectations with over 125 all-purpose yards and a score as the Jaguars demolished the Texans despite an injury to star wide receiver Allen Robinson. Fantasy owners most likely paid a late second round price for the running back, so he will be in most lineups that he has been drafted into week in and week out. Despite having a difficult matchup against the Titans front seven in Week 2, Fournette should be carried by the sheer volume of touches that he will receive as the undisputed workhorse back in a run-heavy Doug Marrone Jaguars offense. It is unlikely that those of you who have Fournette will bench him no matter the matchup, but you should still be confident that he will make the most of the opportunities he is given.

 

The Under The Radar Sleeper

O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Bucaneers

While O.J. Howard certainly is not an under the radar football player, the first round tight end has not gotten much love from the fantasy community. Of course, there is a justifiable stigma in playing rookie tight ends because there have been few memorable season-long performances from rookie tight ends in recent history. However, that does not mean that high-profile players at the position can't be used as matchup-based streaming options. Howard will want to make his presence known from the get go, and an extremely favorable matchup against a Bears secondary will allow him to make the most of his abilities and show Bucs fans why their front office made the smart decision to draft him in the first place. Who knows - Howard has been labeled as the greatest tight end prospect in recent years, so his ceiling could be higher than what many of us expect from rookie tight ends as a whole.

 

The One To Stash

Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts

After being hyped as a preseason sleeper due to the age of starter Frank Gore and inefficiency of backup Robert Turbin, Marlon Mack split carries evenly with Frank Gore and had a touchdown in his official Colts debut. Mack also had another touchdown mistakenly taken away from him, and he looks to be a constant and versatile scoring threat for a Colts team lacking an offensive identity in the absence of franchise quarterback Andrew Luck. Mack should not be considered a playable option despite his blow-up potential. However, once Luck returns, if Mack is able to take over the starting role for an offense that has historically been generous in opportunities to its running backs, he could be a very useful late season option for fantasy owners. Keep an eye on Marlon Mack - he has a lot left to give this season to his team and yours.

 

More Week 2 Lineup Prep




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