This might be the most exciting time of the year to be a football fan and dynasty fantasy football player. As we approach the culmination of the NFL season, we are simultaneously turning our collective attention to the incoming rookie class. The 2019 rookie class was finalized less than a week ago with the completion of the underclassmen declaration period. Our early 2019 Rookie Rankings are the first step in the march towards the 2019 NFL Draft. These early 2019 rookie rankings, and of course all of our dynasty fantasy football rankings will be continuously updated throughout the year and into the NFL season.
Here at Dynasty League Football, we pride ourselves on keeping you informed. Although the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine and of course the NFL Draft are all yet to come this off-season, we have released our preliminary set of early 2019 Rookie Rankings.
When it comes to a sure thing at the top of the draft, the 2019 rookie class does not offer the certainty we enjoyed in recent years. Expect a heavy dose of turnover in rookie rankings and ADP in the coming months. The post-season all-star games, next month’s Combine and the plethora of pre-draft workouts will all play a large role in ultimately determining how to value these players compared to each other.
Early 2019 Rookie Rankings
1. Kelvin Harmon, wr north carolina state
Average Rank: 3.2
There is little difference between the players at the top of our rankings. First, former North Carolina State wideout Kelvin Harmon has drawn comparisons to Saints star Michael Thomas. While he won’t wow anyone with his speed, he does possess strength and physicality that will be attractive to NFL teams. He’s often been mocked as a first-round NFL Draft pick.
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2. D.K. Metcalf, wr mississippi
Average Rank: 3.4
The next receiver near the top of our board is Ole Miss beast D.K. Metcalf, who is considered the favorite to be the first receiver drafted in the NFL. Metcalf has the ideal blend of size, speed and strength but has dealt with injury issues throughout his college career, including a scary neck issue that ended his 2018 season after just seven games.
3. N’Keal Harry, wr arizona state
Average Rank: 3.6
For over a year now, the presumed jewel of this class has been Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry. As his college career came to a close, his game was put under the draftniks’ microscope, which hasn’t yielded fully positive results. Scouts and draft evaluators also seem torn on Harry’s draft-day upside. This is starting to feel like a Laquon Treadwell situation, when fantasy players were much higher on the prospect than the league was.
4. David Montgomery, rb iowa state
Average Rank: 4.8
Underclassman running back David Montgomery has been the long-favored RB1 in the class and that’s the position he holds in our initial rankings, though he’s receiving a strong challenge from multiple backs. Montgomery broke out as a sophomore and didn’t let up in 2018. According to Pro Football Focus, Montgomery led the nation in broken tackles in each of the past two seasons.
5. Hakeem Butler, wr iowa state
Average Rank: 5.8
Coming in right behind his college teammate, wideout Hakeem Butler is already seeing his dynasty value grow early in this process. It didn’t hurt that he put on a show in his final college game a few weeks ago. Butler has not typically been mentioned in the same conversations as many of the other esteemed wideouts in this class, but he might just be the best one.
6. A.J. Brown, wr mississippi
Average Rank: 6.8
This is among the lowest ranks you’ll find for Mississippi’s A.J. Brown, who many consider the top receiver in the class and potential 1.01 pick in dynasty rookie drafts. While his teammate Metcalf was out of the lineup, Brown took over and showed he could play all over the field, excelling in the slot and out wide. While he has the look of a prototypical NFL WR1, most of his work was done relatively close to the line of scrimmage.
7. Darrell Henderson, rb memphis
Average Rank: 8.4
Memphis back Darrell Henderson does a little bit of everything and he does it all very well. Henderson has been compared to Falcons starter Devonta Freeman and he finished his collegiate career with a bang, breaking 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scoring 25 touchdowns in the 2018 season. Henderson will be a solid day two pick and should make for a solid dynasty pick in the mid-first round.
8. Damien Harris, rb alabama
Average Rank: 8.6
Many expected Alabama’s Damien Harris to be part of the 2018 class before he surprisingly opted to return to school for yet another playoff run. As expected, Harris once again led the Crimson Tide in rushing, but he could be in danger of losing value in favor of other flashier performers. Harris is another player who will be a solid second day pick, though he could fall to the second round of rookie drafts as well.
9. Marquise Brown, wr oklahoma
Average Rank: 8.6
In recent seasons, dynasty owners have given up their obsession with finding ideally-sized players at each position, focusing more on playmaking ability. That’s just what undersized receiver Marquise Brown brings. Dubbed “Hollywood”, Brown exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in each of his two seasons with the Sooners but there has to be at least some concern about his 5’10”, 168-pound frame.
10. Josh Jacobs, rb alabama
Average Rank: 9.4
By far the hottest name in this draft class over the past couple of weeks has been Alabama backup running back Josh Jacobs. He showed off in the national semifinal, consequently leading to a ton of buzz in both the NFL Draft and dynasty communities. Jacobs has already been tabbed as the RB1 in the class by numerous analysts, including NFL Network scout Daniel Jeremiah. Daniel projected Jacobs as the fifth overall pick in his initial NFL mock draft. This rapid value rise reminds me of what we saw with former Georgia back Sony Michel a season ago. By the time you’re reading this, Jacobs may have already risen higher on our list of early 2019 rookie rankings.
11. Noah Fant, TE Iowa
12. JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR Stanford
13. Trayveon Williams, RB Texas A&M
14. Devin Singletary, RB Florida Atlantic
15. Justice Hill, RB Oklahoma State
16. Rodney Anderson, RB Oklahoma
17. Miles Sanders, RB Penn State
18. Benny Snell, RB Kentucky
19. Elijah Holyfield, RB Georgia
20. Irv Smith Jr., TE Alabama
21. Emanuel Hall, WR Missouri
22. Deebo Samuel, WR South Carolina
23. Riley Ridley, WR Georgia
24. Dwayne Haskins, QB Ohio State
25. TJ Hockenson, TE Iowa
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Isn’t Trayveon Williams a running back?
It’s a solid draft. Lacks a clear cut 1.01 or even 1.02, but the first 2 rounds have a lot of talent.
Can’t wait for the combine and draft.
No. Why would a premium placed on a position boost a player’s value that plays that position? If anything, i would move him down a spot or 2.
It would be nice if one could click on the player name and college stats were included. Am I missing it?
it’s interesting that if you click on Harry, both Ryan and FFGhost has him ranked 1, but he is 3rd on this list? can you explain?
Ryan do you see the first tier break at 7?
