Five Rookies I Am Acquiring
Your draft is over and your roster is set, but some things have changed in the landscape we call the NFL, and you’d like to cash in on some players who you think will turn heads before the preseason gets underway. The key to a quality acquisition is finding a player on the cheap.
Everyone I’m looking at has ADP of 3.01 or lower in rookie drafts, assuming 12-team leagues. These players will be easy to acquire since their value is already low, and if I play my cards right, I’ll have acquired a player I can either use to help build my team or flip for a profit.
Below are five rookies I’m acquiring before their value goes up, along with some trades these players have been acquired at in other leagues using DLF’s trade finder tool.
Darwin Thompson, RB KC
This sixth-rounder out of Utah was the only running back selected by the Chiefs in the draft. If you’ve read my earlier piece about Damien Williams, you’ll already know that he’s never carried for more than 256 yards in a season, he ended the year on IR the only time he won the starting job, and he’s 27 going on 28 and already past his prime.
Carlos Hyde is his backup, but Hyde comes with similar problems to Williams. On top of this, we all know how much Andy Reid loves to use pass-catching running backs, and he seems to find them late in drafts or as undrafted players.
In comes Thompson, who had over 1,000 yards rushing on 153 carries in only nine starts. He decided to forgo his senior season and join the NFL, so there’s plenty of tread left on those tires. With only two older backs in front of him, and being drafted to a high-powered offense, Thompson has a ton of upside.
His frame is diminutive, so if he does take over starting duties, I may keep him for this season only and then trade him for future 2020 picks. I don’t think he’d be the long-term solution at running back, but I do think his value would sky-rocket if given the starting job in Kansas City.
Dwayne Haskins, QB WAS
I don’t know how long Case Keenum can hold onto the starting position, but my guess is that it won’t be long. Keenum couldn’t keep his job in Minnesota despite guiding the Vikings to an NFC Conference Championship game. He signed with the Denver Broncos the following season, only to lead the team to a 6-10 finish before he was traded to the Redskins who were desperate at quarterback.
Then there is Alex Smith, who is recovering from an injury so severe that I don’t even want to talk about it. Smith isn’t even a lock to play in the NFL ever again, let alone fight for the starting job, so I’m not putting much stock into his ability to regain the starting role.
In comes Haskins, who I thought was the most accurate, quickest-thinking quarterback out of college in this 2019 NFL Draft class. His only year as a starting quarterback happened last season, where he set the single-season passing and touchdown records for Ohio State and the Big Ten.
In his lone season as the starter, he eclipsed 4,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns, making him just one of five NCAA quarterbacks to ever achieve these feats in a single season. He threw for more than 225 passing yards in each of his 12 starts, including eight games of more than 300 yards, and four games of more than 400.
Haskins is also a proven winner in the clutch. He threw for 499 yards and five touchdowns in the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, while also throwing for three touchdowns in the 2019 Rose Bowl, winning the MVP award in both games for his performance.
Josh Oliver, TE JAC
Nick Foles needs someone to throw to, and he currently only has Dede Westbrook and Marqise Lee. Josh Oliver is an intriguing player who impresses me more and more every day.
Taken in the early third round, Oliver finds himself on a team with virtually no competition ahead of him unless you count Geoff Swaim. Oliver was a receiving force at San Jose State, catching 56 passes for 709 yards with the Spartans, which actually puts him just behind the more-heralded Irv Smith Jr. (710), who is being drafted 14 spots higher despite sitting behind the newly re-signed Kyle Rudolph.
Tight ends usually take a while to develop, so if you buy Oliver you might have to wait a few years for his value to rise, which means he might take up a spot on your bench before he starts paying dividends. It’s a risk I am willing to take.
Myles Gaskin, RB MIA
This selection partially stems from my Kenyan Drake manifesto posted last month. I am not a Drake believer and I think the Dolphins will be looking at what they have in Gaskin before the season is over.
Gaskin was an uber-productive running back out of Washington, rushing for 5,323 yards in his four-year career with the Huskies. This puts him 13th all-time in college football history. The downside is that he only had 65 career receptions to go along with is 945 carries, which marks him as a one-dimensional player, which is one reason he fell to the seventh round in the NFL draft.
Regardless, I think Gaskin will find the field one way or another, and when he does, he’ll make a name for himself the same way that other flash-in-the-pan running backs have done so in the past. When that time comes, I’d easily flip him for a few second rounders or a first to a desperate owner, as I don’t think he’s the long term solution at RB due to his size and lack of overall ability.
Karan Higdon/Damarea Crockett, RBs HOU
I’m kind of cheating right here and giving you a twofer, but I have so little confidence in Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman that I’m willing to take a chance with anyone behind those guys.
The Texans did not draft a single running back during the draft, but they did stock up on linemen and a fullback. I think they plan on using more power-running moving forward, which Lamar Miller is not a fan of. Foreman had an Achilles tear, something which few NFL players have a hard time recovering from.
Higdon and Crockett were both undrafted. They have a similar style and the same opportunity to not only make the team, but push for carries. In a review of both players, I came away with the conclusion that Karan Higdon is the player to own, and doubled down on that statement by acquiring him on every team I manage. Both players can be found on the waiver wire, and are worth adding if you have extra spots sitting empty.
- 2023 Dynasty Riser, Faller and Longshot Predictions: San Francisco 49ers - July 28, 2023
- The Dynasty Value of Trading a 2023 Rookie Pick for a 2024 Pick - May 19, 2023
- How and Where to Pick Running Backs - May 15, 2023
