Five 2024 Rookies to Buy in the Off-Season
The NFL season is over, and many are looking forward to the NFL Combine and then the NFL Draft. Most managers want the new shiny rookies to come into the leagues. This is the time before any off-season news to go get underperforming rookies from last season.
Some rookies perform right out of the gate, so the perception is if a player does not then they are a bust. There are six rookies below who can have a big uptick in their sophomore season. Using the DLF Trade Analyzer, I will give possible trades to get these players on the cheap.
MarShawn Lloyd, RB GB
The Packers drafted Lloyd in the third round, and I thought this was a perfect match. Matt LaFleur likes to use two backs in his offense and Lloyd looked like the perfect replacement for Aaron Jones. Lloyd only played 10 snaps in his rookie season. He dealt with injuries in his college career but at USC he averaged over seven yards a carry and showed his explosiveness. Josh Jacobs had a great year, but the Packers would like to take some load from him and Lloyd could add another dimension.
Keon Coleman, WR BUF
Coleman had bright spots for the Bills, but he never was consistent week to week. At Florida State, he was used in the slot on 30% of his snaps but only 12% of his rookie season. The knock on Coleman was his ability to separate which was true much of his rookie year. He only had seven or more targets four times this year but in two of those games he had his two most receiving yard games. Josh Allen and the Bills need a true number one receiver and Coleman could have a jump from year one to year two. According to Player Profiler, he was 22nd in explosive play ranking so the skills are there to be a bigger playmaker.
Xavier Legette, WR CAR
The Panthers picked Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and I was surprised that he went that high. He seems like the same type of receiver as Jonathan Mingo who they just drafted. Mingo was traded to the Cowboys and Legette like most of the offense saw signs of improvement near the end of the year. In the last five games, he had over 40% of his targets and 31% of his yardage for the season. Legette had over a 50% contested catch rate in his rookie year and complements fellow rookie Jalen Coker well. As long as Bryce Young continues to improve, Legette should be on the upswing for his career.
AJ Barner, TE SEA
Barner only had 600 yards and five touchdowns in his four-year career but still was drafted in the fourth round by the Seahawks. He almost matched his college touchdown total in one year with four touchdowns. Barner shared time with Noah Fant for much of the season but there was a three-game stretch where he played over 80% of the snaps. In that stretch, he didn’t have a large amount of production in terms of yards but did have nine catches on 14 targets. Before week eight he only had one game of three or more targets but after week eight he had five games. Barner is a good blocker and should continue to be a weapon near the red zone. This is more of a stash play to see if he can overcome Noah Fant on the depth chart.
Theo Johnson, TE NYG
Brock Bowers was the best of the 2024 tight end class, but I loved watching Johnson’s tape from college. He needed to improve as a receiver, but he was just a tenacious blocker, and for young tight ends that is so important to get on the field. Johnson only had one game with more than 30 receiving yards before week eight. Before getting injured, he had five straight games of over 30 yards. Johnson had 18 of his 29 catches in those last five games. He was the clear TE1 over Daniel Bellinger for the Giants before the injury.
- Five 2024 Rookies to Buy in the Off-Season - February 12, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Devin Neal, RB Kansas - January 28, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Jaxson Dart, QB Ole Miss - January 24, 2025
