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Matt highlights fantasy football rookie draft sleepers for 2024 dynasty leagues. These NFL rookies are late-round targets to draft in fantasy football.
There is no offseason when it comes to dynasty football. The draft has come and gone for the NFL, rookies have reported, and training camps are about to fire up. At this stage in the fantasy cycle, we have seen how the landscape has changed. We know which players landed where, and we are getting clarification on these rookies' roles with their new teams.
For most fantasy rookie drafts, the first two rounds are pretty straightforward. We want to find that diamond in the rough. Find that player that every other manager in our league is overlooking.
Here are six rookie sleepers to target in 2024 in the later rounds below.
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Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants
The New York Giant running back is currently being drafted at the back end of the third round or early in the fourth. That seems crazy to me for a back that steps into a Giants running back room that consists of Devin Singletary and Eric Gray.
Singletary will begin the season as the lead back, and rightfully so, and he has earned the opportunity to do so. That said, Tracy is going to have a role. Outside of fellow rookie Malik Nabers, Tracy could mess around and finish second on the team in receptions.
Barkley, last season, saw 60 targets after seeing 76 and 57 the previous seasons, while Singletary has never seen more than 45 in any given season thus far. Tracy is a converted wide receiver so pass-catching will be one of his strengths. Tracy is as difficult as and back to bring down as any prospect in recent years.
Tracy is a stud athlete. He has a 40" vertical to go with a 4.48 40-yard dash. As a first-year starter, he would average 4.44 yards after contact per attempt, with 22.97% of his carries going for more than 10 yards.
How difficult? Here are some additional metrics that should excite fantasy managers for his potential. Tracy’s 23.1% explosive run rate has ranked in the 97th percentile since 2018, while his missed tackles forced per attempt have come in the 98th percentile over that same period at 0.39.
Need a little more? How about 4.20 yards after contact per attempt, again in the 90th percentile, adding .20 targets per route run, which is among the 85th percentile for the running back position?
Some Tyrone Tracy hype for those who participate.
Tracy has the type of profile we want to bet on in Fantasy.
A potential ADP riser in July and August. 📈🚀 pic.twitter.com/XkNJliYgss
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) July 10, 2024
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Anyone who follows my work knows how I feel about Jalen McMillan. In fantasy, we have that “what have you done for me lately” mentality. With McMillan missing much of last season, people may have forgotten just how good the former Washington Husky receiver was. To say he has been my flag plant player may be an understatement.
McMillan landed in a pretty good spot in Tampa Bay. While I'm not excited to hear that Chris Godwin is moving to the slot, I’m looking at the bigger picture. Future Hall of Famer Mike Evans is now 30, and Godwin, who is 28, is a free agent in 2025. While both receivers are still producing, that age cliff is quickly approaching.
McMillan feels like one of the more underrated fantasy picks this season. He gives me that Puka Nacua disrespect-type vibe. McMillan is not Nacua, but Tampa's new receiver may be one of the more productive receivers in this class in five years. McMillan is going towards the end of the third or early fourth.
Dare I say it, he’s discount Rome Odunze. In the last two seasons, McMillan would average 2.40 yards per route run. Over his career, he averaged 5.6 yards after the catch. To top it all off, he would record a 9.43 relative athletic score. Little known fact: McMillan would score more fantasy points over the Huskies' final three contests than Odunze.
While McMillan battled injuries last season, he was good during his 2022 campaign when he posted a 79/1,098/9 stat line in 13 contests. To quote Baker Mayfield, “ McMillan is a young stud with a ton of potential.”
Jalen McMillan
⁃ higher-ranked recruit than Rome Odunze (both 4-stars; 97 v 94 Prospect Grades)
⁃ more receiving yards (470) & YPRR (1.55) than Rome Odunze as a SO.
⁃ more receptions (79) than Rome Odunze as a JR.
⁃ more receptions (20), receiving yards (305), & receiving… pic.twitter.com/umC4UVnYrd
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) March 26, 2024
Devontez Walker, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Once upon a time, wide receivers would go to Baltimore to disappear. Remember Sammy Watkins and Odell Beckham Jr. as Ravens? I wish I didn’t.
It used to be a fantasy death sentence for a receiver to be in the Ravens' offense, but that is about to change. In just one season at North Carolina, Devontez Walker would average 85.7 receiving yards per game and 2.28 yards per route run in eight contests after missing the season's first five games.
Walker, at 6-foot-1, has the size, and with 4.36 speed and a 40.5” vertical, he is as explosive as any rookie receiver from the 2024 draft class. That combination should put him in a good position with Lamar Jackson, who happens to be one of the most efficient passers outside the numbers.
Dating back to his time at Kent State before transferring to Chapel Hill, Walker averaged 3.43 yards per route run against single coverage. That is worth noting since he will likely see plenty of single coverage while sharing the field with Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers.
PFF @PFF_Sam had a lot of good things to say about Devontez Walker:
- Drops are overblown; had just 2 all season & miserable Senior Bowl
- Legit speed, competes at catch point
- Had a 2nd round grade on him & thinks he’s a steal
- Better value than Brian Thomas #Ravens
— Dev Panchwagh (@devpanchwagh) May 1, 2024
Audric Estime, RB, Denver Broncos
Right now, the Broncos' backfield is as crowded as they come. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we are seeing Audric Estime’s ADP around 37 during rookie drafts.
Here is the thing. No Bronco running back has separated themself from the pack. Not Javonte Williams, whose value took a drastic hit since that knee injury. Not Samaje Perine, who is excellent in pass protection and a competent receiver out of the backfield. Not even Jaleel McLaughlin, who, even with his opportunities, has left managers yearning for more.
I use the term “little ball of hate” when describing Estime. It’s a real scouting thing, trust me. The last time we saw him in-game action, he tore the Stanford Cardinals defense apart, churning out 238 yards on the ground. In that game, just like most of his college career, you weren’t going to arm tackle the 5-foot-11, 225-pound back with a throwback quality that reminds some of Jerome Bettis.
The most significant metric that stood out is that 6.4 yards per carry last season led to 1,341 yards, many of which came between the tackles, something Sean Payton surely noticed.
“Rookie Audric Estime is making the team. If he shows up and shows out, Williams’ footing becomes slippery. The room sets up as Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin and the music humming w/ one chair remaining for [Javonte] Williams and [Samaje] Perine.” - @TroyRenckhttps://t.co/M7VKoWetMu
— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) July 20, 2024
Javon Baker, WR, New England Patriots
There may not be a prospect that believes in themselves more than Patriots wide receiver Javon Baker.
New England revamped their offense this past offseason, attacking the draft with a purpose. First, the Patriots drafted Drake Maye to be their franchise quarterback, and then they added Ja'Lynn Polk along with Baker in the draft to pair with Demario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne. In other words, the wide receiver pecking order is wide open in Foxborough.
With Polk receiving most of the hype, people must remember how good Baker is. Despite a disappointing tenure at Alabama, Baker hauled 52 receptions for 1,139 yards for UCF. Baker creates separation by changing his speeds and attacking leverage, and he made his money by showing that he can be a quarterback's best friend, winning at the catch point and making difficult grabs look easy.
Baker's current ADP has him going in the third round, and if you have a chance to land a team's No. 1 receiver who happens to be targeted by a rookie franchise quarterback, you have to do it.
Three more full #ReceptionPerception profiles hit the site this morning.
Along with most of the other top prospects, you'll now find my evaluation and RP data on...
- Javon Baker
- Ja'Lynn Polk
- Jalen McMillanHappy draft week! These are the last full profiles that will be on… pic.twitter.com/URrn0tC35r
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) April 22, 2024
Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers
Here’s a bonus pick for you. Jalen Coker went undrafted but was a priority UDFA signing for the Carolina Panthers as soon as the 2024 draft concluded. Just like the NFL draft, there’s a chance that Coker is available after your rookie draft, and you can add him without using any draft capital.
Coker is not a speed guy. Let’s clear that up right now. His 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the combine likely scared off some NFL personnel. Coker brings physicality and route-running ability to the Panthers, which complements both Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette nicely. Coker has that Adam Thielen-type feel and could be the veterans' replacement in due time.
With no established alpha receiver in this offense yet, Coker will have an opportunity to develop himself with Bryce Young. Last season, Panthers receivers struggled at getting open; Coker demonstrated in college that he has quite the repertoire of releases off the line, the ability to work himself open, and, most impressively, a 42.5” vertical jump that he displayed at the combine. That is going to come in handy down in the red zone.
Yep. Adding Jalen Coker to MY GUYS. https://t.co/knxweoCXGM pic.twitter.com/oaQya0d3Py
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) April 22, 2024
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