It is that time in the offseason where we are slowly getting closer to kickoff. NFL training camp is about a month away from starting up, and mandatory minicamps have wrapped up for teams across the league. With die-hard fans looking for any football action they can get, this is the perfect time for fantasy football players to get a head start on their pre-draft research for the 2024 season. With that being said, here are the top ten rookies with the best chance at early fantasy success for redraft leagues.
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Trey Benson
One of the more overlooked running back prospects in this year’s draft was Trey Benson, and he lands in a promising situation after being selected by Arizona in the third round. The Cardinals do have James Conner, who has been leading the backfield for three seasons now and just had his most efficient season as a pro, but he is 29 years old and never played a full season. It may take a few weeks, but I think if Conner misses time that Benson will thrive and take over the starting role. I like Benson as a late round handcuff and a great value pick, and I think that he could be a potential league winner if James Conner goes down or regresses, but it will all be dependent on whether Conner goes off or not in his contract year.
Xavier Worthy
Xavier Worthy shot up draft boards with a record breaking 40-yard dash time of 4.21 seconds in the combine and had fans freaking out when he was selected by the Chiefs with the 28th overall pick. I was personally not the biggest fan of Worthy as a prospect, but it is hard to deny that playing with Patrick Mahomes sets Worthy up in prime position to succeed as a pro. I personally think Worthy has the most boom or bust potential out of the list, as he could be near the top of the list if he takes over as the number one receiver like some predict but could also be one of the biggest disappointments if he ends up like some of the other speedy wideouts who a letdown in Kansas City have been recently. I think he will be somewhere in the middle of those outcomes, but he will need to bulk up and improve his strength in order to really get to the next level. We have seen super thin receivers struggle in the NFL, and I expect Worthy to have some of these struggles especially early on. I think his big play ability will eventually lead to big weeks, but this is a case where owners will definitely need to keep their presumptions about his production in check.
Rome Odunze
The NFL world was shocked when Rome Odunze fell in the Bears lap at the ninth pick, as it signaled that the offensively challenged organization is finally getting accustomed to the current NFL. Odunze lands in a great spot to succeed with Caleb Williams under center, but the Bears receiver room is crowded with talent, and it may take some time before Odunze breaks out to his full potential. Odunze will certainly have good weeks this season, but in a receiving room with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen there are weeks where owning any of these guys could be a fantasy headache. Odunze is worth a mid to late round pick based on talent alone, but patience will definitely be required with his situation.
JJ McCarthy
While JJ McCarthy may have been the fourth quarterback selected in the draft, he lands in the second-best landing spot for a quarterback in this draft class. JJ steps under center with both the best receiver in the NFL in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, who is a stud in his own right. Having these weapons to start out your career is huge and should lead to some big passing weeks for JJ right out of the gate. Sam Darnold is currently listed atop of the depth chart but considering his injury history and inconsistency as a pro, it should not take long for JJ to surpass him and take the reins. I expect JJ to have a pretty solid rookie year in arguably the most competitive division in the NFL.
Ladd McConkey
The Chargers are in the midst of a rebuild and a new era with Jim Harbaugh now in town, and after trading Keenan Allen and letting Mike Williams Walk, the offense was fully depleted of its receiving weapons. However, after drafting Ladd McConkey with the 34th overall pick, there is now some hope that McConkey can be the new number one guy. McConkey is a slippery route runner and great pass catcher who will give opposing defenses headaches. He should quickly become one of Justin Herbert’s favorite targets and will play an essential role to the offense in the slot. What hurts McConkey in the rankings this season is the fact that Harbaugh hired Greg Roman as offensive coordinator, who is very run first and has an old school football mindset. Roman’s offense will definitely hurt McConkey’s success at the goal line and puts a cap on his ceiling as a whole. He is definitely worth a mid-round draft pick in fantasy, but owners may need to temper their expectations a bit.
Jonathon Brooks
While this incoming running back class was viewed by scouts as a weak group, the one guy who I think is the clear best of the crop is Jonathon Brooks. Brooks could not have found himself a better landing spot, as he was selected 46th overall to a Panthers team in desperate need of offensive talent. The Panthers had one of the worst backfields in the league last season, as Miles Sanders looked like one of the worst running backs in football and Chuba Hubbard struggled as the lead back when Sanders was benched for poor performance. Brooks gives the Panthers the opportunity to drastically turn things around, as he had a workhorse role in college and should quickly become the starter in Carolina. Adding a talented back like Brooks will also take a lot of pressure off Bryce Young, and I expect the Panthers to run the ball a lot this season with their receiving core still being very weak. Brooks’ biggest question mark is health, as he tore his ACL before getting drafted which caused him to slide to the second round. While it may take him a few weeks to fully get back to the level of play he is fully capable of, I still expect Brooks to take over the Carolina backfield sooner rather than later and be a strong mid round draft pick for fantasy teams.
Brian Thomas
I personally thought that Brian Thomas was one of the most underrated receiving prospects of the draft this year despite being drafted in the first round, as the big three of MHJ/Nabers/Odunze stole all the attention away from Thomas. He flashed some serious big play ability at LSU, and the Jaguars clearly liked what they saw when they drafted him with the 23rd overall pick. With no true number one receiver in Jacksonville after the departure of Calvin Ridley, I think this was one of the best possible landing spots for a rookie receiver, and I think Thomas should thrive in Jacksonville early on. Trevor Lawrence has had some struggles with the lack of elite receiving talent around him, but I believe that Thomas will be the guy to help Lawrence overcome some of these struggles and quickly become Lawrence’s favorite target.
Caleb Williams
Ranking a rookie quarterback this high would typically be seen as bold, but Caleb Williams is coming into one of the best situations a rookie QB has seen in recent memory. The Bears added both Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze this offseason to a receiving corps that already has DJ Moore, who I think is a top ten receiver in the NFL. They also signed running back D’Andre Swift to help improve their backfield, which was one of the league’s most underwhelming ever since the departure of David Montgomery to the Lions. With these exciting additions in Chicago, Caleb is poised to have one of the best seasons for a rookie quarterback in recent memory and finally be the quarterback to break Chicago’s curse of drafting busts at the position.
Malik Nabers
The Giants have had arguably the worst receiving corps in the league for a few seasons now, but they finally have made the move for a massive upgrade by selecting Malik Nabers. Nabers would be the number one prospect at the position in most draft classes and has the most explosiveness of the bunch. Nabers became the all-time SEC leader in receiving yards during his tenure at LSU, and made highlight plays week after week. His insane athleticism is something the Giants have not had since the last LSU receiver they drafted in Odell Beckham. Nabers will instantly be the number one option in the Big Apple, the only question surrounding his ability to have success is the quarterback play around him, as Daniel Jones is facing a make-or-break year for his future as a starter. If Jones is able to play even somewhat consistently this year, Nabers will be primed for success.
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is arguably the best prospect at wide receiver in the past decade, and he could not have found a more perfect landing spot than the Cardinals. Arizona had one of the thinnest receiving corps in the league after losing Hollywood Brown in free agency to the Chiefs, and they replaced him by selecting a future superstar in MHJ. MHJ simply can do it all, he is such a complete prospect, and his speed, strength and route running make him someone you will regret passing on in fantasy drafts. With little competition for targets, he will be Kyler Murray’s favorite player to throw to on day one and should be a fantasy monster. His second-round grade may seem high off the surface for a rookie, but with the potential that MHJ has, fantasy players should just be happy they aren’t spending a first round pick on him.
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