DLF’s 2017 Predictions: Fantasy Rookie of the Year

Ken Kelly Posted On September 2, 2017

Most rookie drafts are in the rearview mirror and the NFL Preseason is winding down. We’re all busy combing the news sites trying to keep abreast of all the important developments as we prepare for the best time of the year, the NFL season. That can only mean one thing – it’s time for us to put a bow on those reams of off-season content with DLF’s 2017 Fantasy Predictions. As we do every year, we have several different prediction articles for you in the following categories:

Fantasy MVP
Fantasy Rookie of the Year
Sleeper Rookie of the Year (outside our top 24)
Bust of the Year
Fantasy Sleeper
Best Dynasty Buy
Best Dynasty Sell
Fantasy Comeback Player of the Year

We continue the series with Fantasy Rookie of the year.

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Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

The rookie class of 2017 has been hyped for what feels like years by dynasty players, myself included, and now we get to see if it was justified. While the depth of the class is something we’ve maybe never seen rivaled, it is a safe bet that the fantasy rookie of the year will come from the “Big Five,” the group of four backs and a receiver who have been established as the top tier in the majority of dynasty drafts. When looking at that group, narrowing down the rookie of the year is almost a process of elimination.

Jaguars back Leonard Fournette is already dealing with a foot injury, which also cost him much of his final college season. I am not ready to trust how the Panthers will use Christian McCaffrey, though I can’t wait to see him shake the poor linebacker sent to cover him one on one. Corey Davis has been the top pick in a majority of my leagues’ rookie drafts, but a bum hamstring and some solid competition for targets in the Titans’ offense could push him off the top spot.

I’ve already mentioned the offensive line concerns for the Bengals, so that leaves Vikings back Dalvin Cook. He’s off to a strong start and his prime competition, Latavius Murray, has missed a lot of action with an injury, basically eliminating any running back controversy that might have been created. The Vikes line has questions of their own, but I’ll side with Cook in this race. – Ryan McDowell

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

Cook is quickly becoming the Vikings all-purpose back. The Vikes will lean on their running game and Bradford will love targeting Cook out of the backfield. The sky is the limit for Cook in his first NFL season. – Anthony Santigate

Leonard Fournette, RB JAC

Rookie running backs tend to produce sooner, but generally have shorter careers. With that said, Fournette has a clear path to being the lead rusher in Jacksonville competing with two underperforming backs in Chris Ivory and TJ Yeldon. I expect Fournette to top 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in his rookie season. – Kevin O’Brien

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

I believe the trend will continue for rookie rushers to be the most NFL-ready of any position group. Dalvin Cook could not be in a better situation with Sam Bradford checking down versus a soft schedule. This is a PPR prediction. – Bob Brannon

Christian McCaffrey, RB CAR

He has been my number one player prior to the 2016 season started and it won’t stop now. Christian McCaffrey. Each day, week, month, and year he proves critics wrong. I don’t see Cook on the field to the extent of McCaffrey when he can’t block, and Fournette looks like a cautionary injury sign. He only knows one speed – go hard. The other issue is that he also only knows one direction – straight. – Mike Valverde

Leonard Fournette, RB JAC

I absolutely hate to make this pick but everyone else is too risky. All the other options are hoping opportunity works out for them. Fournette is simply guaranteed volume. There’s no-one else comparable to take the strain and the combination of Mike Mularkey and Tom Coughlin is bloody-minded enough to run him into the ground even when gamescript calls for the opposite. – Tom Kislingbury

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

Opportunity is such a huge factor when assessing which rookie will have the most immediate impact. McCaffrey and Mixon are my favorite backs from a pure talent standpoint, but Cook comes in and has an opportunity to become a three-down workhorse back. Murray is hurt and Cook has established himself getting first and second down carries, while also improving the pass game becoming a better blocker. His volume and home run ability give him the edge for me. – Eliot Crist

Deshaun Watson, QB HOU

What Watson lacks in arm talent, he makes up for in brains and athleticism. He has plenty of weapons, with a bona fide number one in DeAndre Hopkins, and the rest of Houston’s skill group. Watson was a much more efficient passer than either Russell Wilson, or Dak Prescott in college. Expect this to be his trademark in the NFL, as he finds ways to finish drives and put points on the board consistently. – Mo Brewington

DeShone Kizer, QB CLE

I don’t think there could be a bigger impact to real football or fantasy than another quality quarterback emerging from this rookie class. I don’t think Kizer is going to be a must-draft because of his fantasy points, but the impact of him winning and playing well, or even average would be huge. Not just for the position, but for all those juicy skill players we want to hype and have to add the stipulation “but he is on the Browns” at the end. – Peter Howard

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

This one was tough, because I could see any of Fournette, CMC or Mixon earn this honor as well. The nod goes to Cook due to the cheapest price tag (though it’s been rising recently) and the bell-cow status. – Nick Canzanese

Christian McCaffrey, RB CAR

McCaffrey has the chance to be a special all-around contributor at the running back position. In PPR leagues, he could be a key cog right away, and I think he’s good enough running the ball to play all three downs in the NFL. Carolina was a pretty nice landing spot, and as long as he gets the volume, he can be a PPR monster in 2017. – Austan Kas

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

I was debating between Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon here, but I ultimately chose Cook because I think he has a clearer path to a bell-cow role this season. I think Minnesota’s offense takes a step forward and surprises a lot of people this year and Cook will be a large part of it with both his running and receiving skills. – Kyle Holden

Leonard Fournette, RB JAC

There’s a large part of me that would like to select Dalvin Cook or Christian McCaffrey here but when forecasting 2017 production from the rookies, I simply can’t. Fournette’s role, as long as he stays off the training table, should be largely uncontested and substantial. The Jaguars haven’t had a runner like Fournette in years and they’ll lean on him heavily early and often. There’s just too much potential here to choose another rookie. – Jeff Haverlack

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

Fournette and McCaffrey have been getting the buzz, but Cook could end up with the role most closely resembling bell cow usage in his rookie campaign. He won’t be the fourth-rated running back from the 2017 class by this time next season. – Curtis Patrick

Christian McCaffrey, RB CAR

McCaffrey’s vision and balance work together in harmony to create what looks like visual “music” on the football field. CMC’s ability to read and react sets up impossible defensive pursuit angles at each level of the defense. I’m not worried about Cam’s history of inadequacies in the short passing game and I’m not concerned about Cam and/or Jonathan Stewart dominating goal line touches. Cam will master the short game now that he has a weapon like McCaffrey – a true threat to score from anywhere on the field. Last two points – not all touchdowns come from three yards out and a cloud of dust and covering CMC with a linebacker is akin to catching water with a fishing net. – Leo Paciga

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

forget what you heard or saw from his combine, kid is electric on the field. I think as a whole the Vikings offense is underrated; if he continues to improve in pass protection then the skies the limit on touches that’ll lead to solid production. . – Bee Salamat

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

It seems like Cook is the overlooked man in the pile of rookies, but for me he is the man with the least question marks and easiest path to fantasy stardom in year one. The Vikings have an already solid-yet-improving receiving corps, adequate quarterback play, and a mean defense. My only real question mark for him is what his share of the running back touches will be, but he looks primed to put those questions to bed. – Trevor Bucher

David Njoku, TE CLE

Njoku is going to get a lot of playing time during his initial rookie season. The Browns are going be behind in a lot of games, causing them to be in a lot of passing situations at the end of games, allowing Njoku to see an increased amount of targets. He definitely has the talent and it appears he will get the opportunity to become a fantasy asset early in his career. – Bruce Matson

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

While Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffery and Joe Mixon are getting a lot of run for rookie of the year, I don’t see any of them having as big of a year one impact as Dalvin Cook in Minnesota. He appears to have a clear path to a three down role on an offense built to produce a fantasy star. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Cook with close to 300 touches by the end of the season and a mid-RB1 finish. . – Eric Olinger

Christian McCaffrey, RB CAR

It’s hard to see McCaffrey not producing in 2017. He’s fine-tuned in every facet in the game, and should find some spot on the field to put up numbers, whether it be at back by supplanting Jonathan Stewart or as a slot receiver by serving as a space player before Stewart steps aside. Every player in front of him in community rookie rankings is in a worse 2017 situation (poor and unpromising offensive lines for the backs and a still-developing Marcus Mariota for Corey Davis) while just one was actually drafted ahead of him, which means his floor is higher than each other top tier rookie. – Steve Gill

Leonard Fournette, RB JAC

The Jaguars are in need of a strong running game to take pressure off their unstable quarterback position and Fournette is exactly the type of talent to make that happen. As long as the Jaguars’ defense can keep games close enough so they don’t have to abandon the running game, he should have plenty of attempts to do major damage. – Eric Dickens

Leonard Fournette, RB JAC

It isn’t a flashy pick, but I think he is the clear favorite for this honor. Not only is he a running back, a position which rookies can excel in, but he is on an offense in desperate need of a weapon. He also has the talent to be a true three down rusher. He should light it up this year, not quite to the level of Zeke last year, but he could be close. – Jacob Feldman

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

I don’t care about no stinkin’ combine numbers. Cook is electric with the ball in his hands. The Vikings will feature the run game to help offset Sam Bradford’s shortcomings and that means more touches for Cook. – Doug Green

Christian McCaffrey, RB CAR

Why are people worried about Jonathan Stewart preventing McCaffrey from being a fantasy force in 2017 but not concerned about Jeremy Hill or Giovanni Bernard affecting Joe Mixon? McCaffrey is showing how much better he is than Stewart this preseason. The differences on the field are staggering. Christian McCaffrey is my favorite player in this class and I’m betting he leads Carolina in receptions and yards from scrimmage his rookie season. – Matt Price

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

It wasn’t too long ago that Cook was the clear 1.01 choice in rookie drafts and arguably the best college back of the bunch. Then the off-field stuff happened, and he fell to the second round and subsequently off the top of rookie drafts. Whenever so much happens off the field but we haven’t seen anything on it to change our minds, it’s worth paying attention. He’s a special talent, and has stumbled into a clear opportunity. He’ll take the starting job in Minnesota and run with it. – James Simpson

Christian McCaffrey, RB CAR

I’m bullish on McCaffrey and even if he receives less carries than Jonathan Stewart, his overall touches should be high as the Panthers recognize quickly he is their best playmaker. His receiving ability should offer a weekly floor, and I expect the Panthers’ offense to stabilize this year, offering more scoring opportunities. In a third round littered with question marks, CMC is one of my favorite selections. – Rob Willette

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

This is a much more difficult category to pick compared to last year, where everyone had Ezekiel Elliott at the top of their rookie boards. There isn’t a shoe-in this year, and this is a gut pick more than anything. I do like Leonard Fournette quite a bit, but that situation scares me. I think Cook is a guy that may surprise us with a lot of work and a lot of success. – Ryan Finley

Corey Davis, WR TEN

Again, we may be looking at a slow start to the season while the hamstring heals, but it wasn’t long ago that Odell Beckham Jr. lit the world on fire coming off the same injury. A dominant player who took over the field in the limited action we have seen, I wouldn’t bet against him versus most rookie running backs. – Dwayne Brown

Taywan Taylor, WR TEN

Hear me out. There will be many players who outproduce Taylor this year, including fellow Titan Corey Davis, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook and others. I’m choosing Taylor because I believe he has a very high ceiling and could very well be the best bargain in rookie drafts this year. You can get Taylor in the late second round of most rookie drafts or shortly after and I believe he’s going to be a player who ends up eventually being amongst the top ten rookies who come out of this class. I’ll go against the grain here and take Taylor because of the value he’s going to provide based on his price tag. – Ken Kelly

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

Coming into the pre-draft process, Cook was my 1.01. Landing spot and the ascension of Corey Davis, Joe Mixon, and Christian McCaffrey got in the way of things, but a few months later we have come full circle. Davis is dinged up and has to deal with Eric Decker, Mr. Mixon hasn’t yet put Jeremy Hill out to pasture, and CMC is likely to share time with Jonathan Stewart in 2017. With Leonard Fournette battling yet another foot ailment, the door is wide open for Cook to come in and be the season’s most productive rookie. – Jeff Miller

Kenny Golladay, WR DET

Golladay is probably not the most popular pick for rookie of the year but he could end up the Lions’ top receiver this season. He will pass Marvin Jones early in the season and I believe he could edge out Golden Tate as Stafford’s favorite target soon after. – The FF Ghost

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

Besides walking into a starting role on a run first team, Cook brings a level of dynamic playmaking ability they haven’t had a the position since Adrian Peterson’s younger days. He is very slippery out of the backfield and will easily make people forget he fell to the second round. – Adam Tzikas

Leonard Fournette, RB JAC

He just has to get healthy with the nagging foot concern, and he should take on immediate bell cow status for a Jaguars’ franchise that really wants to win now badly. With no real quarterback under center, I could see 250 touches easily surpassed by Fournette in his first pro campaign. – Joe Redemann

Joe Mixon, RB CIN

With Gio sidelined and Hill #notgood, Mixon will get a lot of opportunities. Early and often, Marvin Lewis will feed his controversial rookie back to show the fan base why they spend an early pick on Mixon. Talent was never a question, and at least for his rookie season the Bengals will reap rewards. – Jaron Foster

The Final Vote Count

Dalvin Cook – 15 votes
Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey – 6
David Njoku, Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, Kenny Golladay, Joe Mixon – 1

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Ken Kelly

Co-Founder at DynastyLeagueFootball

Ken is a corporate trainer by day an a tireless editor of dynasty content by night. His passion for the World Champion Seattle Seahawks is second only to his love of fantasy football and the dynasty format.

Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK