2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Consensus Third Round
Editor’s Note: These 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings are a starting point for your dynasty rookie draft. Make sure you’re ready for your draft by checking out our 2024 Rookie Draft Guide, which is now fully updated with post-draft profiles for all your favorite prospects, our current Dynasty Rookie Rankings and our convenient Rookie Draft Cheat Sheets. Looking to move or acquire some of those picks? Make sure you take a look at our Dynasty Trade Analyzer and import your leagues to get maximum value. There are simply no better resources out there for dynasty fantasy football draft preparation.
Every draft has its own uniqueness. This year’s version promised a deep class for both wide receivers and quarterbacks and boy, did it deliver quickly! As always, there are going to be some tough choices in dynasty drafts and we’ll be here all off-season to help you make the best moves possible. Let’s dig into these early 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings and start breaking them down.
Make sure you check out the write-up for round one and for round two as well. This is how it turned out.
TIER ONE
1.01 = Marvin Harrison Jr WR ARI
1.02 = Malik Nabers, WR NYG
1.03 = Rome Odunze, WR CHI
TIER TWO
1.04 = Brian Thomas, WR JAX
1.05 = Brock Bowers, TE LV
1.06 = Xavier Worthy, WR KC
1.07 = Jonathon Brooks, RB CAR
TIER THREE
1.08 = Ladd McConkey, WR LAC
1.09 = Keon Coleman, WR BUF
1.10 = Caleb Williams, QB CHI
1.11 = Trey Benson, RB ARI
1.12 = Ricky Pearsall, WR SF
2.01 = Jayden Daniels, QB WAS
2.02 = Adonai Mitchell, WR IND
TIER FOUR
2.03 = Xavier Legette, WR CAR
2.04 = Roman Wilson, WR PIT
2.05 = Ja’Lynn Polk, WR NE
2.06 = Malachi Corley, WR NYJ
2.07 = Jaylen Wright, RB MIA
2.08 = Drake Maye, QB NE
TIER FIVE
2.09 = Blake Corum, RB LAR
2.10 = MarShawn Lloyd, RB GB
2.11 = Jermaine Burton, WR CIN
2.12 = JJ McCarthy, QB MIN
Tier Five (Cont.)
We continue on with tier five which consists of some upside receivers and some solid running back prospects.
3.01 = Troy Franklin, WR DEN
Franklin took his game to a whole new level last year at Oregon as he posted 81 catches for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023, looking dominant at times while showing the ability to make people miss. His top-end speed at 4.41 is more than adequate but his short-area burst is in question after he posted a combine-worst 1.61 10-yard split in Indianapolis. In the end, Franklin’s draft stock plummeted after that poor off-season showing at the NFL Draft Combine and some tape that showed he may really struggle against more physical corners. In the end, he was taken at the top of round four by the Denver Broncos. He’ll be reunited with quarterback Bo Nix (whom the Broncos took at #12 overall) and could surprise if he can prove he’s strong enough to survive at the NFL level. Still, he’s clearly dropped in rookie drafts and looks like a late second or early third round rookie pick at the moment after being the 17th receiver off the board. His strength and physicality need to be improved but he has NFL-level traits. If he can prove to be more than a vertical threat, he could be a steal.
3.02 = Devontez Walker, WR BAL
Walker’s journey to the NFL Draft is one of the more interesting this year. After spending a ridiculous amount of time just fighting his own eligibility after multiple transfers, he finally found his way onto the football field and excelled for North Carolina this past season. Many will disregard his 41/699/7 stat line this year but when you look further, you find those numbers were posted in just eight games. Walker is truly an enigma as he looks absolutely elite at times and fairly pedestrian at others. His limited body of work makes him a difficult prospect to evaluate but the talent and genetic make-up is there with him. With Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman as the top two options at receiver, Walker could find some early success as well. In the end, he makes for a solid mid-round pick who could surprise, especially now that he’s landed with a solid franchise in Baltimore.
3.03 = Bo Nix, QB DEN
If you’re looking for solid passing numbers at a power- five school as the winning metric, you can stop here. Nix moved from Auburn to Oregon two years ago and put up some insane numbers in Eugene. His 74 touchdowns and ten interceptions came as he threw for nearly 8,000 yards the past two seasons. This year was especially crazy as he posted 45 touchdowns and just three interceptions, forcing some NFL scouts stop and re-evaluate him. In the end, Nix ended up being the sixth quarterback taken in the NFL Draft but the 12th overall selection, being taken by the Broncos. Denver is looking to quickly replace Russell Wilson and Head Coach Sean Payton is reportedly enamored with Nix. All of this adds up to him likely being the week one starter for Denver and gives him a decent runway to be successful. The numbers are very impressive here and Nix now has a pretty solid runway to playing time. Though he still needs to refine his footwork and do a better job of throwing receivers open, Nix should be NFL-ready and a solid addition to the Broncos. He looks like a pretty solid pick here in round three.
Tier Six
At this point in a rookie draft, you’re simply looking for upside and some potential diamonds in the rough. Lucky for us, there’s more than a few of those this year as this class is pretty deep at receiver, pushing some solid prospects down.
3.04 = Jalen McMillan, WR TB
It’s rare to see two wideouts from the same school ranked in towards the top of the draft (see Nabers, Malik and Thomas, Brian of LSU) but nearly unheard of to see three. Such is the case with McMillan, Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk of Washington this year. McMillan is a bit of a forgotten man but really shouldn’t be. Injuries limited him to just seven games and a 45/559/5 season but his last fully healthy year in 2022 yielded a 79/1,098/9 line that was borderline dominant. The challenge with McMillan is his lean frame and questions about his strength are also evident. However, he’s one of the few true route technicians in this year’s class and could be more NFL-ready than most in the class. He slipped all the way down to the late third round before being drafted by Tampa Bay. That wasn’t a huge shock based on the sheer number of wide receivers available this year. Tampa Bay is pretty set with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for the short-term but McMillan and Trey Palmer could be the future at some point. He will compete for slot duties early on and looks like a mid-round pick with upside in rookie drafts this off-season, especially in PPR leagues.
3.05 = Ray Davis, RB BUF
Davis spent his college career bouncing from place-to-place, spending time at Temple, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. He was effective at every stop, posting 1,129 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns last year for the Wildcats. He also caught 33 passes, which is significant. Even better, he dominated in a game against top-level competition, posting a massive 280 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Florida this season. He’s not the fastest, strongest, or most dynamic player in this class but he looks the part of a three-down option. It’s fair to wonder if he profiles as a career backup but Buffalo will soon find out. Davis is one of the easiest players to root for in the entire draft. He should slot in nicely behind James Cook and could quickly pass the likes of Ty Johnson and Darrynton Evans on the depth chart. While he has little chance of taking a lot of work away from Cook early in his career, he looks like a solid handcuff at worst and could be an injury away from relevance. As such, Davis looks like a solid mid-round pick in a rookie draft.
3.06 = Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE CAR
There’s a big gap between Brock Bowers (the undisputed TE1 in the class) and the others this year. However, Sanders shouldn’t be overlooked. While his counting stats (45/682/2 last year at Texas) aren’t anything that blow you away, his agility and ball skills are more than impressive. He needs to become more well-rounded in the blocking department to become a true three-down option but his skill set is solid enough to have teams very interested. In the end, Sanders was the first player taken in round four, being taken by the Carolina Panthers. With unimpressive options like Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas on top of the depth chart, he looks like a player with a quick path to a starting job. His athletic profile is off the charts and while his production at Texas left a lot to be desired, he has a huge upside. Sanders looks like a pretty solid pick here in round three. The gap between Bowers and Sanders is vast but missing out on the top TE1 and waiting on Sanders may not be the worst thing imaginable.
3.07 = Bucky Irving, RB TB
Irving is a lot different from the other running backs in this class as his home run potential can’t really be denied. He’s also been a productive pass catcher, increasing his reception number in each of the past three seasons, culminating in a 56/413/2 line this past season. He’s adept at eluding tacklers and can get up to his top-end speed very quickly. In addition, he has solid vision, shows creativity in his runs, and has the ability to take any carry to the house. The challenge with Irving is the fact he’s a poor pass blocker and comes from an offense that tends to produce some empty stats from players at times due to the unconventional nature of their system and level of competition. Still, Irving looks the part of an explosive back and if he hits on his potential, he could be a Devon Achane-like player. He lasted until the fourth round before being taken by the Tampa Bay Bucs. It’s an interesting landing spot as incumbent starter Rachaad White was good for long stretches last year but never consistent enough for anyone to believe he’s the sure-fire long-term answer at the position. Irving should slot in behind White and offer some change-of-pace ability at first but could also be an injury or two away from relevance. When you get to this point in the draft, you simply look for players with a chance and that’s what we have here with Irving.
3.08 = Ben Sinnott, TE WAS
Sinnott was surprisingly taken in the second round of the NFL Draft by the tight end-needy Washington Commanders. It’s a surprising development as most thought he wasn’t going to be taken until day three. The draft capital used, combined with the fact he was the second tight end taken overall is going to vault him up rookie draft boards. While he could be taken a little too highly, Washington was a premier draft spot for a tight end and that can’t be ignored. The late rounds of rookie drafts seem to always give us some good dart throws at this particular position. Sinnott was pretty productive at Kansas State but also struggles to separate consistently due to a perceived lack of speed. On the plus side, it seems he may be more NFL ready than a lot of other tight ends, giving him a decent floor. Again, the draft capital used on him clearly moves him the draft boards, likely here into round three.
3.09 = Audric Estime, RB DEN
Estime’s draft stock plummeted after he posted Dad-like athleticism numbers at the NFL Draft Combine. The Broncos aren’t buying it as Estime has been a road-grader of a runner throughout his very productive career. With Javonte Williams failing to really impress throughout his young career, Estime is going to be a popular sleeper in rookie drafts. While far from a three-down option, he could provide some value and landed in a solid spot. He has the build to be an absolute powerhouse of a runner at 5’11” and 227 pounds. He also improved each year at Notre Dame, culminating in a 2023 season that featured 1,341 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He showed elite-level ball protection, losing just one fumble, despite handling the ball 227 times on the season. Estime also has shown great patience, agility and elusiveness for a running back of his size – all traits that should translate to the next level. His NFL Draft Combine was a total disaster but he could easily carve out a role behind Williams and compete with Jaleel McLaughlin for primary backup duties. At this point in a draft, you make dart throws and this seems like a good one.
3.10 = Isaac Guerendo, RB SF
It seems every year brings us a relatively unknown prospect who just crushes the NFL Draft Combine and puts himself on the map. This year, it seems that player was Guerendo, who ran a 4.33 40 and posted a “99” on the athleticism scale according to NFL Next Gen Stats, good for first overall at the running back position. He was a quick riser in NFL Draft circles and wound up with the 49ers, who took him in round four. This pick is very interesting as Kyle Shanahan has one of the most fantasy friendly systems for any running back. Unfortunately for Guerendo, he’s going to find himself not only behind all-world running back Christian McCaffrey but also on a depth chart with other good backs to compete with. Guerendo is going to be a fun lottery ticket pick in rookie drafts this off-season as a mid-round rookie selection. His off-season performance and landing spot are just too much to ignore.
3.11 = Will Shipley, RB PHI
Shipley is clearly different than many other running backs on this list because he’s not really a between the tackles yardage-grinder and is much more of a player who has relied on sweeps and misdirection plays to find success. Still, that success has its merits as he scored 31 touchdowns and routinely posted more than five yards per carry at Clemson. The challenge with Shipley is simple – much like other running backs, he’s just not suited for a full-time job. Unlike someone like Audric Estime, Shipley would likely thrive as a third-down back or specialist more than someone who needs to grind out the tough yards. Still, there’s a lot to like here and it seems Shipley has the talent to carve out a decent career in the NFL. He fell to the fourth round of the NFL Draft before being taken by the Eagles and that’s a fun landing spot as Philadelphia is a run-first team that also find a lot of creative ways to get their playmakers in space. He could push Saquon Barkley for some third-down work and could also prove to be a decent handcuff should he pass some of the other runners on the depth chart. There are no guarantees with fourth round picks but Shipley looks like a mid-round player worth taking a chance on in a rookie draft.
3.12 = Javon Baker, WR NE
A big-time small school playmaker, Baker averaged a whopping 21.9 yards per catch en route to 52 catches for 1,139 yards and seven touchdowns for UCF last season. Before making the decision to stay away from him based on his small school pedigree, you need to also consider the fact he started his career at Alabama. His hands need some work but he certainly looks the part. The New England Patriots had one of the worst looking depth charts at wide receiver in recent memory and addressed it aggressively in the NFL Draft by adding Ja’Lynn Polk and Baker, who was taken in the fourth round. If Drake Maye can develop quickly, there some real upside here with Baker. He’s going to be a late round flier pick but one with a really high ceiling and low floor. If you’re feeling lucky about those dart throws we talked about, this might be one worth taking.
Just missed: Braelon Allen, Michael Penix, Jr, Luke McCaffrey, Jacob Cowing, Tyrone Tracy, Jr
2024 Rookie Rankings
2024 Rookie Draft Guide
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Rookie Draft Cheat Sheet
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
