Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: A Final Look
Another season is finally upon us. With most of the rookie drafts in the books, it’s time to take one last look at our rookie rankings as we turn the page and enter into the regular season. Here’s a final look at our rankings prior to the season, with my own personal comments about each of these players.
1.) Josh Jacobs, RB OAK
Jacobs ends the preseason as our consensus 1.01 with a combined ranking average of 1.83 that puts him just ahead of Miles Sanders (2.17) and David Montgomery (2.83). I wouldn’t argue with anyone convinced Jacobs should be taken first, but this is far from the same type of consensus we’ve seen in years past, especially last year with Saquon Barkley. Jacobs will get a ton of touches in Oakland and will certainly get his chance to shine. He was as good a pick as any at the top of a rookie draft.
2.) Miles Sanders, RB PHI
The Eagles offense looks explosive on paper and Sanders should have an easy path to early playing time as he shares the load with Jordan Howard. He’s not going to be an exclusive three-down back, but his talent should prevail and give him more of the load as the season moves on.
3.) David Montgomery, RB CHI
I’m the only one on the ranking list who would actually take Montgomery first overall. I know it seems aggressive, but I’ve loved what I’ve seen from him thus far and Chicago is built on defense and a strong running game – you almost have to build a team like that when you play in their climate. I have Montgomery just slightly ahead of the other two backs and can make a case for any of the three to go first, really. In the end, I just see a bright future for Montgomery and believe he landed in the perfect spot.
4.) N’Keal Harry, WR NE
Harry is the biggest off-season loser as he battled injuries all throughout camp and ended up on the short-term IR. While he’s scheduled to return in just eight weeks, he’s missing out on some very valuable reps. The Patriots are not known for utilizing rookie receivers heavily and this is quickly looking like a lost season for Harry. The future is still very bright, but the start has not been what dynasty owners would have hoped for.
5.) AJ Brown, WR TEN
There’s a clear drop off from the top tier of players and Brown finds himself towards the top of the second tier. There’s no doubting his talent, but the Titans offense just looks anemic right now. Dynasty owners taking him will have to exhibit a tremendous amount of patience, but Brown should pay off down the road.
6.) DK Metcalf, WR SEA
Metcalf was showing well early in Seahawks camp, but a minor injury has him on the shelf at the moment. While there’s hope he’ll be ready for week one, it’s far from a certainty. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to be a huge part of Seattle’s offense moving forward. There’s risk with Metcalf, but there’s also a very high ceiling.
7.) TJ Hockenson, TE DET
Tight ends drafted as highly as Hockenson have a pretty good track record. If you’re looking for the safest pick, this might be the one. It’s fair to wonder if Hockenson will ever reach the truly elite tier and be a performer like Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce or George Kittle, but he should be a staple in fantasy lineups as a TE1 for a long, long time.
8.) Devin Singletary, RB BUF
Singletary is one of the fastest rising rookies, especially now that LeSean McCoy finds himself in Kansas City. There’s still a lot of risk with Singletary, but rookie running backs with legitimate starting opportunities are hard to come by. Singletary will have a massive chance to shine early and often this season.
9.) Deebo Samuel, WR SF
A lot of dynasty owners took the plunge on Samuel late in the first round of rookie drafts. He hasn’t played a ton this preseason, but he’s also been a staple with the first team offense all Summer and productive whenever he’s seen the field. In short, early returns on Samuel have looked very good.
10.) Darrell Henderson, RB LAR
Henderson could be the biggest lottery ticket in this year’s rookie draft. However, his rise is slowing now that he’s shown to be relatively pedestrian in preseason games and Todd Gurley is seemingly a little healthier than we thought. It’s clear Henderson is going to have a great opportunity this year, but it’s tough to draft him with a tremendous amount of confidence since Gurley’s health is really the key to him being a viable fantasy performer.
11.) JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR PHI
Rookie dynasty owners looks at JJAW’s short-term outlook and see a stacked receiver depth chart. Savvy dynasty owners see a player with real playmaking ability who may not help any time soon, but could be a real gem later on. He’s one of my favorite “draft and stash” rookies.
12.) Noah Fant, TE DEN
Fant should have no trouble carving out an every down role in Denver and would solve the woes of many dynasty teams who have been forced to stream multiple tight ends (and use up a lot of roster spots to do so). Like Hockenson, Fant has the looks of a long-term TE1.
13.) Parris Campbell, WR IND
The explosive Campbell has shown well thus far, but the loss of Andrew Luck doesn’t help his cause. He has major upside, but Jacoby Brissett will need to be much, much better this year than in his last stint as a starter with the Colts.
14.) Marquise Brown, WR BAL
There’s no doubting “Hollywood’s” talent, but this is going to be a ground and pound offense that doesn’t give him as many opportunities as he (and dynasty owners) would likely want, especially early on. He’s a tough rookie to own as he could be the next DeSean Jackson and simply give you some gut-wrenching days, followed by some blow-ups. Time will tell.
15.) Kyler Murray, QB ARI
It’s fair to wonder just what this new Cardinals offense is going to look like, but Murray represents a massive ceiling and a basement-level floor. This is going to be fun to watch.
16.) Justice Hill, RB BAL
Many are a little higher on Hill than I am, but he’s shown some pop over the Summer. With a backfield committee looming, Hill is going to have to make the most of his opportunities early if he’s going to give dynasty owners any type of early return on their investment.
17.) Mecole Hardman, WR KC
Hardman found himself in the first round of many early rookie drafts, only to see the Tyreek Hill situation resolved with Hill remaining on the roster and not facing a suspension. Hardman has a lot of talent and finds himself in a great offense, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Kansas City and he’s not going to be at the top of the list for quite some time.
18.) Andy Isabella, WR ARI
Isabella is also dropping in the rankings after being thoroughly outplayed by KeeSean Johnson this off-season in the desert. While his long-term future looks bright, he’s more of a dart throw than many initially thought.
19.) Damien Harris, RB NE
Say whatever you want about Patriot running backs, but Harris is likely going to have a pretty high floor. His week-to-week production is going to be hard to bet on, but he also has high touchdown potential.
20.) Diontae Johnson, WR PIT
There’s a massive void left by the departure of Antonio Brown and the Steelers have a great track record with wide receivers. Johnson seems like a solid second rounder in rookie drafts.
21.) Terry McLaurin, WR WAS
Early returns have been very good on McLaurin, even though he failed to record a reception in the preseason. The Redskins offense is rebuilding, but McLaurin should be a big part of their future. He seems like a nice value pick to me.
22.) Miles Boykin, WR BAL
There’s some real early sleeper potential with Boykin as it’s been reported he’s been the best receiver in Ravens camp thus far. He could end up being a steal in this year’s rookie drafts. Those who took Boykin early in the Summer have seen his value rise in the past couple of months.
23.) Darwin Thompson, RB KC
Few players have risen as much in the last few months as Thompson. The addition of LeSean McCoy throws a little cold water on his short-term value, but Thompson has looked electric all off-season. Damien Williams is clearly on notice as he now has two very capable backs on the roster who are looking to eat into his workload. Thompson could spend the year on the bench or blow up. Feel lucky?
24.) Jalen Hurd, WR SF
Hurd is an aggressive player who has a great opportunity on a 49ers team with a very unsettled depth chart at receiver. A do-it-all weapon who is a former tailback, the 49ers should find some creative ways to get him the football.
25.) KeeSean Johnson, WR ARI
Johnson is the fastest riser in the class as he’s gone from a relative waiver wire or late round target to a bona fide top 25 rookie. I have him a little higher on this last as he’s looked like the best receiver the Cardinals have. While we shouldn’t overreact at preseason performances (and this was nothing like what Kenny Golladay did a couple of years ago), it’s clear Johnson has a bright future with the Cardinals.
26.) Irv Smith, Jr., TE MIN
I was clearly higher on him prior to the contract extension of Kyle Rudolph, but Smith makes for a pretty solid bench stash in dynasty leagues. He has some really good upside for owners willing to be patient.
27.) Alexander Mattison, RB MIN
The Vikings seem really content to feed Dalvin Cook the ball as much as possible. However, it’s clear they view Mattison as their backup running back. He’s one unfortunate injury away from some serious short-term value.
28.) Tony Pollard, RB DAL
The Ezekiel Elliott contract situation is the story of the off-season. If Elliott gets into camp in time for week one, Pollard’s value is minimized. If he doesn’t, Pollard could be the best rookie of the bunch, at least in the short term. My money is on Elliott showing up, but this is getting pretty interesting with as well as Pollard has played.
29.) Jakobi Meyers, WR NE
Meyers was a relative unknown until he simply blew up this off-season in Patriots camp. It’s really tough to gauge just how much he’s going to play, but he clearly has a future in New England and looks like the waiver wire gem of the off-season. If and when Josh Gordon isn’t around again, Meyers will be given a golden opportunity. He may get one even sooner.
30.) Dwayne Haskins, QB WAS
Haskins has been up and down this preseason, looking a lot like a rookie in the process. He has a long way to go, but he projects as a solid future QB2 at worst at some point down the road in dynasty leagues. Again, owners need to exhibit some patience here.
31.) Daniel Jones, QB NYG
The laughing stock of the 2019 NFL Draft, Jones has raised some serious eyebrows by looking more than competent this preseason. While there’s a long way to go and he hasn’t really faced a first string defense, his progression has looked good and the Giants aren’t looking like a front office with egg on their face quite yet.
32.) Preston Williams, WR MIA
Williams is as troubled as he is talented. However, there are few dart throws this late in the rookie rankings who have the upside as he does. With Kenny Stills in Houston, there’s room for Williams to make some noise early. He has serious upside.
33.) Hakeem Butler, WR ARI
Butler is clearly one of the most disappointing players from this draft class, at least early in his career. An injury will put him on IR and he was outshined by many others in camp this off-season. Once a highly touted prospect, Butler is hardly roster worthy in most dynasty leagues.
34.) Jace Sternberger, TE GB
The allure of having a Packers tight end is good, but they also have a pretty dynamic offense. Sternberger looks like a classic rookie tight end who is going to take a few years to develop. Owners are going to need to stash him and hope for the best.
35.) Kelvin Harmon, WR WAS
Like Butler, Harmon was a pre-draft darling, only to see his stock fall on draft day. He’s shown some serious flashes in camp, but the Redskins offense might be dreadful this season. It’s going to be interesting to see if he can carve out some meaningful playing time if Washington starts losing games on a consistent basis.
36.) Ryquell Armstead, RB JAX
Leonard Fournette is reportedly back and more focused than ever. His owners hope that’s true, but what if it’s not?
Here we go! It’s almost go time!
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
