RADIO
James Robinson emerged from a murky Jacksonville backfield to become the team's lead back, and he is now the RB4 on the season in PPR leagues. Justin Herbert has risen to weekly fantasy starter status, as he has put up the eighth-most fantasy points among all QBs. Justin Jefferson has had four 100-yard performances already, cementing himself as a quality receiving option for both the Vikings and fantasy managers.
There is a common trend that connects all of these players, and it is that they are all rookies. First-year players can often exceed expectations and become fantasy-relevant much quicker than anticipated. Identifying who these players will be is a challenge that fantasy managers in both redraft and dynasty leagues must tackle.
Every week, this article takes a look at five rookies who can return significant value in fantasy leagues. Some are more well-known than others, but all have significant promise and potential. Keep reading for some rookies to watch this week, starting with an up-and-down quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.
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The Wounded Leader
Tua Tagovailoa (QB, MIA)
Tagovailoa was quoted saying that he expected the NFL "to be a lot harder" before last week's game against Denver. The Broncos may have used that quote as bulletin board material, as they held Tagovailoa to just 83 yards passing, sacked him six times, and forced Miami to bench him in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Head Coach Brian Flores has said that the team is committed to starting Tagovailoa moving forward as long as he is healthy; the rookie passer sustained a thumb injury in last week's loss.
Tagovailoa has certainly shown promise in his four starts to this point, but he has come up short for fantasy managers. His pitiful production against Denver was only slightly worse than his 93-yard showing against the Rams. The Alabama product has only surpassed 200 yards passing once in his first four starts; while he does have six touchdown passes over that span, that yardage output will simply not get it done for fantasy purposes. Should he play this weekend, look for him to rebound against a winless Jets outfit.
Editor's Note: Tua has now been downgraded to "doubtful" for week 12.
The Surging Standout
Michael Pittman Jr. (WR, IND)
Michael Pittman Jr. has been on a roll as of late. His three best showings yardage-wise have been in the last three weeks, including a 101-yard outburst against the Titans in Week 10. Adding to his momentum is that his first career touchdown came against Green Bay last Sunday. Since Week 9, Pittman has been the WR18 in PPR leagues, which is extremely promising for his future outlook.
There goes Michael Pittman, Jr! 45 yards for his first career touchdown.
?: #GBvsIND on FOX
?: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/tUoK0wsA9N pic.twitter.com/bweqh0Nwg7— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2020
Some deeper statistics paint a rosy picture as well. Pittman's true catch rate of 96 percent ranks fourth among all wideouts; his 31 targets are the sixth-most among wide receivers without any drops. Pittman also has a solid 2.01 fantasy points per target average, which ranks 34th at his position. Finally, his passer rating when targeted is 23rd among all wideouts. Clearly, Pittman is finding some success in the league, and on Sunday he faces the same Titans Defense that he lit up two weeks ago. If he produces good numbers again this week, redraft managers can become much more confident when playing him for the rest of the season.
The Unpredictable Backfield
Jonathan Taylor (RB, IND)
Jonathan Taylor saw his fantasy stock skyrocket after Marlon Mack suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. For a few weeks after the team's bye though, he was one-upped by his teammates in the backfield. Both Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines cut into his workload, leaving him with just 17 touches in Weeks 10 and 11 combined. Of course, this led many fantasy GMs to sit him last week when he regained the lead position in the backfield, totaling 26 touches for 114 yards.
? FOX pic.twitter.com/oyomojFtXw
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 22, 2020
The Colts' backfield has become a headache for fantasy managers everywhere. Taylor has put up three games of 100 or more scrimmage yards this year, so we know that he can be productive. Should he see the majority of the team's carries once again, perhaps we can write off his previous struggles as being tied to an ankle injury that was reported? But if Hines shreds the Titans again as he did in Week 10, doubts about Taylor's ROS outlook would be warranted.
Editor's Note: Taylor has been ruled out for Week 12
The Deep Sleeper
Freddie Swain (WR, SEA)
The Seahawks passing attack, led by MVP contender Russell Wilson, has been on fire this season. Any receiver that sees a significant role in this offense will be a viable fantasy option. To this point, that status has largely been limited to Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, but with David Moore suffering an injury in practice this week, Freddie Swain may be worth watching.
The rookie from Florida has seen just 15 targets so far, but his best game came just two weeks ago against the Rams. That week, he caught three of his four targets for 37 yards. These aren't earth-shattering numbers, but his 9.8 YAC average is extremely impressive. Moore has been averaging around three targets per game, so if he sits, Swain would have a slightly larger chance to produce. If he takes advantage of the opportunity, you should be ready to pounce on him in waivers next week.
The Deeper Sleeper
DeMichael Harris (WR, IND)
Look, writing about CeeDee Lamb and Chase Claypool every week starts to get stale after a while. So why not take a moment to address a very deep sleeper named DeMichael Harris? Harris has only seen nine targets this year, but he has caught all nine for 78 yards. Notably, he also has 47 rushing yards on four attempts. Even more notably, this has all come in the team's last five games.
DeMichael Harris continues to flash his speed in his first NFL game. 2 targets, 2 catches, 23 yds. pic.twitter.com/txSzbm5Bg5
— USMVoice (@USMVoice) October 18, 2020
I'm not saying that you should rush to acquire Harris in your fantasy league, but you should at least be familiar with his name. The Colts are willing to use him in both the passing and ground games, and he has averaged 9.6 yards per touch to this point. With 63 of his 78 receiving yards coming after the catch, he can make some things happen on his own. Keep an eye on his usage this week against the Titans.
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