2017 Dynasty Rookie Rankings: Consensus Second Round
Editor’s Note: Make sure you’re ready for your dynasty league rookie draft by checking out our rookie draft guide, rookie rankings, and rookie draft cheat sheet. There are simply no better resources out there for dynasty fantasy football enthusiasts.
We covered the consensus first round yesterday and that featured the heavy hitters like Corey Davis, Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey and a whole host of other great prospects. Â However, the fun certainly doesn’t stop there. Â This is one of the deeper drafts we’ve seen in recent years and it’s quite possible many of the players taken here in round two could outperform some of the first rounders. Â The second round starts with a running back in a great situation and ends with an intriguing young wideout. Â In between, there are a whole host of running backs who may be underrated and some receivers who have a boatload of talent.
Learn more about each of these players by clicking on their name and going to our exclusive Rookie Draft Guide Player Profile page for an in-depth look at each of them you’ll simply find nowhere else.  All of this should help you decide who to be interested in and hopefully dominate your upcoming rookie drafts.
Let’s dig in with this year’s second twelve, as comprised by our initial consensus rankings (keep in mind these will continue to fluctuate here and there throughout the off-season):
2.01 – Kareem Hunt, RB KC
Hunt led Toledo with 1,475 rushing yards and ten touchdowns, while adding 41 catches for another 403 yards and another touchdown last season.  He’s the school’s all-time leading rusher and landed in a great spot with the Chiefs. There are some character concerns with him (he was benched in 2015 for violating team rules) and he’s battled some nagging injuries to his hamstrings and ankles through the years.  However, this is a player who has immense upside.  While he may not be as powerful as Leonard Fournette or elusive as Dalvin Cook, Hunt is a solid player who will immediately compete with Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West for carries.  Make no mistake, Hunt has the ability to take this job and run with it (no pun intended).  He’s been taken anywhere from the late first to early second in early rookie drafts as a running back who won’t cost you a top five pick but could give you a top five return.
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2.02 – Zay Jones, WR BUF
If you thought Corey Davis put up some impressive numbers, take a good look at Jones.  He’s the all-time FBS leader in career receptions with 399 and comes off a season at East Carolina featuring a ridiculous 158 catches for 1,746 yards and eight scores.  There are legitimate questions about his frame (he’s 6’2″ and right around 200 pounds) but he’s a prime prospect who landed in a great spot with the Bills.  Sammy Watkins is the clear alpha dog in the receiving corps but the rest of it is rounded out with the likes of Corey Brown, Andre Holmes, Brandon Tate and Walter Powell.  Of all the landing spots offering a receiver to start early, Jones may have hit the lottery.  You could make the case Jones may be their second best receiver already and that’s an important note considering how often Sammy Watkins seems to be hurt.
2.03 – Curtis Samuel, WR CAR
The Panthers added a super dynamic weapon in the form of Christian McCaffrey with the eighth overall pick.  However, don’t sleep on the abilities of Samuel because he’s nearly as dynamic.  In Samuel, the Panthers have another player who can play running back or receiver and line up all over the place.  Keep in mind this diverse weapon caught 74 passes for 865 yards and also rushed 97 times for 771 yards and scored a total of 15 touchdowns last year for Ohio State.  He’s very much a hybrid player who may not have a defined position.  However, the Panthers will find a way to get him the ball and he’s great when he has it.  There are places for athletic playmakers on rosters in both fantasy and reality – this is the range where Samuel will be worth considering as an athletic swiss army knife.
2.04 – D’Onta Foreman, RB HOU
It seems fairly safe to say the next tier of running backs will be hotly contested.  In fact, we posted an article on the third day about just how the tiers were forming.  There are a whole host of running backs who are intriguing beyond the elite first rounders, including Foreman, Samaje Perine, Marlon Mack, Jeremy McNichols, Jamaal Williams, Wayne Gillman, Joe Williams, James Conner and even undrafted free agent Corey Clement, who signed with the running back needy Eagles.  A lot of this is going to be personal preference but Foreman is a great prospect who just dominated last year at Texas as he posted a very impressive 2,028 rushing yards and ran for at least 124 yards in every game he played.  In Houston, he’ll be asked to spell Lamar Miller and be a rotational back.  However, Miller has never been the most durable player and he went through some terrible stretches last season.  At worst, Foreman should overtake Alfred Blue as Miller’s backup and be a handcuff one injury away from a big opportunity.
2.05 – Samaje Perine, RB WAS
All the fuss (not counting the external distractions) in the draft surrounded Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. Â Lost in the mix somehow is Perine who has been nothing but productive throughout his career in Norman. Â There are concerns about his lack of elusiveness and there were times it looked as if he was worn down throughout the years. Â Still, this a dream spot for him to land. Â Rob Kelley is very unproven and Matt Jones has fallen out of favor in Washington. Â Perine will compete to start immediately and could be as productive as any rookie running back this season. Â While he may not have elite upside, Perine could be a nice RB2 in time and fits the Redskins nicely.
2.06 – Chris Godwin, WR TB
Godwin’s last two years at Penn State were great as he posted 154 catches for 2,421 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns, including a 59/982/11 line in 2016.  He also annihilated USC in the Rose Bowl with nine catches for 187 yards and two scores, which is no surprise as his best three performance all came in the Nittany Lions past three bowl games. Godwin needs some work and the Tampa offense is stacked with talent.  While this may scare some folks away, I actually think it helps him.  By the time DeSean Jackson is done, Godwin should be refined enough to take over beside Mike Evans.  You will need to be patient with him as he develops but that patience could be rewarded handsomely.
2.07 – Wayne Gallman, RB NYG
Gallman isn’t electric or dynamic in any way but neither is the Giants running game at the moment.  In fact, it may not need to be with all the playmakers they have to catch the ball.  Gallman will bring an element of toughness to the Giants and could compete for touches early on if Paul Perkins fails to take advantage of his opportunity.  The concern with Gallman is the fact his stats are really inflated by huge performances against inferior competition.  He only had 32 carries for just 91 yards combined in the two National Championship games against Alabama and that’s concerning as even the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide doesn’t compare to the weakest of NFL defenses.  Still, Gallman is a tough runner and will have his chances.
2.08 – Marlon Mack, RB IND
Of all the situations for a young running back to land in, this was one of the best.  The Colts are looking for a back to take over for the aging Frank Gore and Mack should get a chance to do just that.  The problem with Mack is he has a major tendency to bounce runs to the outside when he doesn’t need to.  However, he is an explosive athlete who had 15 touchdowns last year with South Florida with six of them going for nearly 50 yards.  He’s a high risk, high reward player who is very productive but has some major question marks.  The Colts swung and missed with Josh Ferguson.  Could they have a home run with Mack?
2.09 – Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR
In a draft full of players who put up ridiculous numbers in college, Kupp has some pretty amazing stats of his own.  Kupp has the college mark for career receiving yards (6,464) on 428 receptions and scored 73 touchdowns on the red turf of FCS Eastern Washington.  While it’s easy to dismiss those stats because he played at a lower level, keep in mind Kupp is a player who dominated both Washington and Washington State when they played.  He projects as a player with a high PPR ceiling as a slot receiver for the Rams.  He’s limited athletically but certainly knows how to play the game and get himself open.
2.10 – Deshaun Watson, QB HOU
Watson is our top ranked quarterback in what is perceived as a weak class in both fantasy and reality. Â He’ll have an opportunity to play as soon as Week One and has the luxury of being a rookie quarterback not being asked to be the savior on a team since they have weapons on offense and an elite defense that won’t put him in bad spots all the time. Â Watson won’t be needed to throw the ball 40 times per game and while that may limit his ceiling early on, it will also allow him to learn on the job in a fairly safe environment. Â He’s a true winner and a great leader of men. Â If you want to grab a quarterback you can really enjoy watching develop, Watson could be your man late in round two or early in round three.
2.11 – Carlos Henderson, WR DEN
Henderson has flown under the radar in a lot of circles. However, we’ve been interested in him for quite some time (his pre-draft rookie ADP was 17). Â He has nice a nice size / speed combination and isn’t easy to tackle. Â There are questions about his ability to separate and about his level of competition (Henderson played at Louisiana Tech) but make no mistake, he has a lot of talent. Â If his game translates to the next level, he should move up the depth chart in Denver rather quickly.
2.12 – ArDarius Stewart, WR NYJ
Stewart’s numbers at Alabama simply weren’t very good as the quarterbacking for the Crimson Tide was lacking over the last couple of years. When you get beyond the lack of production, you see a player very adept at breaking tackles and excelling at picking up yards after the catch.  The Jets depth chart at receiver consists of Eric Decker, Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa and Jalin Marshall, which isn’t exactly keeping the Patriots coaching staff up all night.  Stewart will have a chance early on in his career and when you get this deep into a rookie draft, that’s really all you hope for.
We’ll be back soon with round three!
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Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
