RADIO
It may be just Week 8, but many first-year players have already had great starts to their careers. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has been the biggest surprise, as the fifth-rounder leads all rookies in PPR points so far this season. Vikings wideout Jordan Addison has also impressed, especially last week with his position-leading 31.3 PPR points. C.J. Stroud, De'Von Achane, Bijan Robinson, and Sam LaPorta have all adjusted to the NFL excellently as well.
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has already given this year's rookie class a strong beginning to the week. Kincaid set a new career high with 17.5 fantasy points, catching five of seven targets for 65 yards and a touchdown against Tampa Bay. This performance came just a week after Kincaid caught all eight of his targets for 75 yards versus the Patriots. Kincaid is one rising first-year player, but he is far from alone in that group.
Whether you're a redraft manager or a dynasty manager, being ahead of the curve with rookie players is vital to your team's success. For that reason, each week I will be breaking down which rookies you should be watching out for. This column will be split into two parts: one pertaining to players most relevant in redraft leagues, and the other for rookies particularly worth watching in dynasty formats.
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NFL Rookies to Watch in Fantasy Football Redraft Leagues
Tyjae Spears (RB, TEN)
Titans running back Tyjae Spears has been effective this season behind starter Derrick Henry. Spears picked up 27 yards on three carries in his debut, and in Week 2 he carried the ball eight times for 49 yards. His best performance so far came in Week 5, when he totaled 69 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Spears enters Week 8 with the third-highest breakaway run rate, second-best juke rate, and fifth-most yards per touch among all running backs.
Spears has the 12th-most fantasy points per opportunity among RBs, but he is only 52nd in opportunity share. That may be changing soon. The NFL's trade deadline is next week, and the Titans are rumored to be shopping Henry. Tennessee has already dealt safety Kevin Byard to Philadelphia, so they are definitely sellers in the trade market. While there is no guarantee another team will acquire Henry, Spears may be in line for a larger role from November onward.
This situation means that Sunday's matchup between the Titans and Falcons is crucial for fantasy managers to monitor. How Spears fares in that game will determine his value in fantasy leagues if the roster is indeed shaken up. Moreover, the team may utilize Spears more to ensure Henry remains healthy. This week's outing is shaping up to be a key moment for Spears and his fantasy managers.
Puka Nacua (WR, LAR)
Puka Nacua has been ridiculous this season. The young Rams receiver stepped up for the first four weeks with star teammate Cooper Kupp injured, catching 39 of his 52 targets in that timeframe. He finished as a top-10 wideout in three of those four weeks, including in Week 2 when he posted 15 receptions for 147 yards against the 49ers. Nacua accomplished this despite being an unheralded day-three selection out of BYU in this April's draft.
Since Kupp returned, Nacua's numbers have not fallen off. His route participation rates have remained above 90 percent in each of his past three games, and he has had double-digit targets in two of the past three weeks. Last Sunday, Nacua posted eight grabs for 154 yards versus Pittsburgh, finishing as the week's WR5. Entering this week, Nacua ranked sixth among receivers in yards per route run, 10th in fantasy points per route run, and sixth in EPA. He is the real deal.
Nacua and the Rams will face the Cowboys this weekend. Dallas has allowed the fewest receiving yards and second-fewest receptions to opposing wideouts this season. The absence of cornerback Trevon Diggs, who tore his ACL in practice before Week 3, has not prevented the Cowboys pass defense from being stifling. If Nacua can continue producing at a high level against the likes of Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland, both of whom have yielded sub-50-percent catch rates this year, it will be yet another test passed.
Rashee Rice (WR, KC)
Ever since Tyreek Hill was traded to Miami in 2022, Kansas City's superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes has not had a true number-one wide receiver to work with. The Chiefs have chosen to give Mahomes a host of young weapons to throw to instead, including second-round rookie Rashee Rice. Rice began his NFL career by scoring a touchdown in his debut versus Detroit, but he did not reach 60 receiving yards in any of the first five weeks of the season.
Rice has started to take off lately, however. The SMU product caught four passes for 72 yards against Denver in Week 6, and last week he made five catches for 60 yards and a score. Not only did Rice set a new career high with 17.0 PPR points last week, but he also achieved personal bests in routes run (29), route participation rate (67.4 percent), and snap share (60.6 percent). Rice is averaging the second-most fantasy points per route run among receivers with 0.64, and he is ninth at his position with 195 yards after catch despite being 50th in targets.
This Rice ascension is encouraging for both the Chiefs and fantasy managers. He will hope to continue his emergence on Sunday versus Denver, the very same team he put up decent numbers against two weeks ago. The Denver defense has been porous this season, as they are tied for the most receiving touchdowns permitted to opposing wideouts this year. Watch to see if Rice can sustain his gradual improvement.
NFL Rookies to Watch in Fantasy Football Dynasty Leagues
Will Levis (QB, TEN)
The Tennessee Titans will be experiencing a change at the quarterback position this week. Ryan Tannehill injured his ankle in Week 6 against the Ravens and was replaced by second-year passer Malik Willis. Willis struggled, however, and he took as many sacks (4) as he had completed passes. Now, the Titans will be turning to their rookie quarterback Will Levis a week after their bye, although Willis will reportedly get playing time as well.
Levis is famed for his arm strength, and he possessed possibly the strongest arm in this year's draft class. He also is a viable runner with an 88th-percentile Speed Score, and his 6'4", 229-pound frame gives him prototypical QB size. He has faced questions about his accuracy, though, and he also threw too many interceptions at Kentucky due to recklessness. Levis fell to the second round of the draft because of these concerns, but there are still plenty of promising traits for the coaching staff to work with.
In his only preseason game, Levis completed nine of 14 passes for 85 yards and an interception. He subsequently suffered a thigh injury in practice and did not appear in the team's other two preseason outings. Levis has not thrown a pass in the regular season, so this weekend will be extremely enlightening for his dynasty outlook. The Titans will take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Jaleel McLaughlin (RB, DEN)
Jaleel McLaughlin began the season as a largely unknown undrafted rookie, but he has worked himself into fantasy relevance very early in his career. When starting tailback Javonte Williams exited Denver's Week 4 matchup against the Bears with an injury, McLaughlin took advantage. The rookie accumulated 104 total yards and a touchdown on just ten opportunities. With Williams inactive the following week, McLaughlin put up 89 total yards and another score on 13 opportunities.
Williams returned in Week 6, but McLaughlin has still gotten some work. The former Youngstown State Penguin had his snap share plummet to 16.9 percent last week, yet he still had six touches and 46 scrimmage yards. McLaughlin ranks second among RBs in true yards per carry, breakaway run rate, and production premium. He also averages 1.25 fantasy points per opportunity, fourth at his position. McLaughlin has demonstrated elite efficiency.
McLaughlin has been a very dynamic option for the Broncos over the past four games, but both Williams and Samaje Perine saw more playing time than him last week. Week 6 remains the only week where McLaughlin has received more snaps than Perine. Watch to see if McLaughlin and his productive play can overtake Perine in the pecking order on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jonathan Mingo (WR, CAR)
While other rookie receivers like Nacua, Addison, and Zay Flowers have frolicked in the fields of fantasy points, Jonathan Mingo has been forced to watch from afar. A second-round draft choice by Carolina this year, Mingo has just 15 receptions for 133 receiving yards through five games. Mingo's best game was a five-reception, 48-yard performance in Week 5, but he has not reached 30 receiving yards in any of his other appearances.
Mingo has been involved in the offense, though. Other than his Week 3 game where he suffered a concussion, Mingo's lowest snap share and route participation rate are 84.5 percent and 85.7 percent, respectively. He tied his career high with 39 routes run in his last game, and he has had at least five targets in four out of five appearances. It feels like it is just a matter of time before Mingo provides fantasy managers with a reassuring performance.
The Panthers had their bye week last week, and they will face the Houston Texans on Sunday. This will be the team's first game since head coach Frank Reich turned offensive play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Keep an eye on Mingo this weekend to see if the new play-caller results in him getting more targets. A strong performance against Houston would lower the volume of the doubters.
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