September 3, 2016

The RotoBaller NFL writing team casts its votes for who will be the Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2016 NFL season.

This is the fourth installment of our series where RotoBaller's football writers give you their predictions for the upcoming NFL and fantasy football season.

In this article, we will get the predictions on who will be win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016.

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2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year Predictions

Laremy Tunsil, Dolphins OL

Joey Christopoulos (Tudddyguy)

Ezekiel Elliott is everyone's presumable choice, but I'm going to go with Laremy Tunsil. That's right, Ol' Gas-mask himself. Despite falling in the draft, Tunsil is still a supreme talent. The work that new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase did last year with Chicago's offense has Bears fans gushing about the future potential of former 7th round pick Charles Leno Jr. A year under Gase alongside a Ryan Tannenhill resurgence and a stud on the offensive line like Tunsil could finally cast the Dolphins off on the right course.

Sterling Shepard, Giants WR

Andrew Bua (@Andrew_Bua)

I’m rolling with an upset for this award. With the way Ezekiel Elliot is being heralded, one would think he not only has Offensive Rookie of the Year locked up, but has a spot in Canton as well. While there’s little doubt Elliot will be a star, the burden that he is expected to carry in his rookie season could end up being too great. Playing a position where he won’t get as beat up as Elliot, having Odell Beckham Jr. on the other side to draw multiple defenders on every play, as well as having bombs-away Eli Manning as his QB, puts Sterling Shepard in an excellent position to put up some serious numbers from an early standpoint.

Joe Sorensen

Even though Shepard is not one of the obvious choices, since he was not a first-round pick, he is in a situation that fits his skill set perfectly. Shepard should start the season lining up opposite one of the most explosive wide receivers in the game, Odell Beckham Jr., which will allow Shepard to see single coverage most of the time. In college and during training camp, Shepard has consistently shown the ability to get open and read defenses. With Eli Manning throwing the ball around in Bob McAdoo’s pass-happy offense, Shepard should see plenty of opportunities this season.

Nate Williams (@FFCatalyst)

The obvious choice here is Ezekiel Elliot, however, you should also look for Sterling Shepherd to catch a ton of passes from Eli Manning. Playing opposite of Odell Beckham Jr., it will be hard for defenses to contain both of these play makers, leaving Shepherd as very likely to prosper.

Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys RB

Pierre Camus (@Pfunk00)

I was tempted to zig here because I know everyone else will zag, but it's too hard to deny Elliott's potential. There is good reason that the rookie RB is unanimously being selected in the first round, even in re-draft leagues. The Cowboys still boast the top offensive line in the league, and having a promising young quarterback in Dak Prescott should solidify the offense as a solid unit. The only thing that could hold Elliott back is injury, but he showed no signs of fragility in college. To pick against him would be...unwise.

Bryan Levin

Coming into a strong, established offense with arguably the NFL's best offensive line, the former Buckeye is the no-brainer choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year this season. Look for the Cowboys to rely heavily on the fourth overall selection in this year's draft to bring back the strong running game that DeMarco Murray supplied during the 2014 season.

Andrew C. Lovell (@Andrew_Lovell)

Elliott is an easy choice, but sometimes, the obvious pick is the right one. The supremely talented Elliott will get a full workload behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Recent history is also on his side -- two of the last three Offensive Rookies of the Year have been running backs (Todd Gurley, Eddie Lacy).

Ben Ruppert (@Ben_Ruppert_21)

Ezekiel Elliot will win this award and it won’t be close. No rookie will ever come into the NFL better set up for instant success than Elliot is this season. He is behind the best offensive line in the league, and has the ability to be a three-down back due to his excellent receiving and pass-blocking skills. He is poised to be the Offensive ROY in the NFL and in fantasy, as his draft stock would indicate. This kid isn’t going to bust; the skill is off the charts and the situation is just too perfect.   

Cliff Clinton (@CliffClinton)

2015 was the Dallas Cowboys “worst-case scenario” season; what if your quarterback breaks down, and your wide receivers break down, and the only thing we can do is run the ball with Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle? So the Cowboys, despite all conventional drafting advice, went early in the draft to get their guy when nearly anyone would have benefited from running behind the league’s best offensive line. Nope, the Cowboys gave the golden ticket to the guy any other team would’ve drafted to compensate for their terrible line. Preseason has shown us what we wanted to know for sure; yes, Ezekiel Elliott is the rookie with the clearest path to being the best offensive player on his team from the start, the most consistent work, and the role of Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Derrick Henry, Titans RB

Tyger McGuiggan (@Tyger_McG)

Tyler Boyd, Bengals WR

Nathan Powell (@NPowellFF)