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NFL Rookie Fantasy Outlook

RotoExpertsAdam Zdroik reviews the rookies to consider after the NFL Draft.

This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. For more insight from Adam head to RotoExperts.

With the 2015 NFL Draft over, it officially marks the start of the fantasy season. While there’s still plenty of time between now and your first draft, it’s always good to figure out what you need to know about players while they are still fresh in your mind. That means looking at some of the more relevant guys taken in this year’s draft. I’ll focus on offensive players for this article that should be targeted for the future, not including the obvious early-round picks like Jameis Winston, Todd Gurley, Amari Cooper and Kevin White.

The main thing when looking at these guys is opportunity. No matter the skill level for rookies, if there is no opportunity, they won’t mean much in Fantasyland. Here are some of the players with opportunity to keep your eye on this summer.

FantasyPros Draft Wizard

Running Backs

Jay Ajayi – Miami Dolphins
Ajayi went a bit under the radar at the draft, possibly due to a knee injury, but he should be good to go for the season. While Lamar Miller is the feature back in Miami, it can’t be forgotten that he didn’t reach 20 carries once in 2014. The most touches in a game he got was 24. The Dolphins have a couple other guys on the depth chart, but Ajayi has the talent to get carries from the start, especially at the goal line as he had 34 touchdowns in his final season at Boise State. He’s a sleeper to keep your eye on in the later rounds, especially if the ‘Fins offense improves as expected this year.

Tevin Coleman – Atlanta Falcons
With Steven Jackson gone, Coleman fills an immediate need for the Falcons. They have Devonta Freeman and Antone Smith on the roster, but those aren’t exactly players you want to give the ball to between the tackles all that often. In the offseason, they said Freeman would be the feature back, but it’s hard to see him out-touching Coleman this season. In addition to his big-play ability, Coleman can block, which should give him time early on. Considering how the Falcons ran the ball last year and the competition at RB, Coleman still isn’t a guy to take a gamble on. Wait until the middle rounds to draft him and if he’s still there, he could be a RB3 from the start.

Melvin Gordon – San Diego Chargers
Maybe some people don’t agree with the Chargers trading up to grab Gordon, but that doesn’t matter at this point. Gordon will step in and basically take Ryan Mathews’ old position with Danny Woodhead and Branden Oliver spelling him. Keep in mind, the Chargers only had six rushing TDs a season ago as Mathews was hurt for the majority of it, while Donald Brown plodded around for 2.6 yards per carry. With healthy backs and a better offensive line, expect improved numbers. Gordon’s hype over the next couple months will probably boost his draft position, but he’s a guy that could reach 1,000 total yards and eight or nine touchdowns, making him a possible top 15 running back.

Keep an eye on:

David Johnson – Arizona Cardinals
Andre Ellington is injury-prone and Johnson gives the Cardinals a big back to plug-in for short-yardage situations at the least.

T.J. Yeldon – Jacksonville Jaguars
Denard Robinson was never going to be Jacksonville’s running back of the future. Yeldon fits that role and while the Jaguars still aren’t a good team, he’ll have an opportunity to post RB3-like numbers if he impresses early. 

Wide Receivers

Nelson Agholor – Philadelphia Eagles
Amari Cooper and Kevin White are getting all the hype from this class, but Agholor should step right into a starting position for the Eagles and they are a fantasy wide receiver factory. Someone will have to take Jeremy Maclin’s numbers and it won’t be Riley Cooper or Miles Austin. Agholor has the ability to fit right in, even if the quarterback position isn’t set. He’ll be drafted as a WR4/5, but could easily become a WR3 in this offense because Jordan Matthews can’t do it all himself.

Breshad Perriman – Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens needed someone to replace Torrey Smith for Joe Flacco to toss bombs to and that’s exactly what Perriman brings. Steve Smith was great last season, but slowed down as the year went on and he’s only getting older. Perriman may only have WR3/flex appeal at best, but he is someone to take a flyer on as your fourth or fifth wide receiver. Torrey Smith only had 767 yards last year, but he did have 11 touchdowns and the guys Perriman is competing with aren’t all that great outside of Steve Smith.

Jaelen Strong – Houston Texans
Were the Texans simply going to replace Andre Johnson with guys like Cecil Shorts, Damaris Johnson and Nate Washington? No. So they went out and traded up for Jaelen Strong, who is a bit raw, but has all the qualities to become a starter in Week 1. He isn’t a burner, but has size and will be a nice target opposite of DeAndre Hopkins. Considering Houston’s issue at QB, it’s still best to temper expectations. He may only be a bye-week fill-in for the majority of the season, but is someone that should be grabbed in the later rounds due to potential, especially with all the focus on Hopkins now in this offense.

Keep an eye on:

Devin Funchess – Carolina Panthers
Whenever a team trades up for a guy, that usually means they want him. Funchess is an interesting talent as he was considered a tight end his first couple years at Michigan. With Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen getting all the attention, Funchess should get plenty of looks from Cam Newton, and he has the catch radius to snag all of the overthrown balls that come his way.

Dorial Green-Beckham – Tennessee Titans
DGB is a complete beast and could be catching passes from Marcus Mariota right away, as long as he can match what Hakeem Nicks brings to the table. With what many consider first-round talent, Green-Beckham will see one-on-one coverage with Justin Hunter, Kendall Wright and Delanie Walker all in the mix as well.

Tight End

Maxx Williams – Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens really lacked a tight end last season with Dennis Pitta hurt and now with his football future in doubt, they went for Maxx Williams early. Williams could easily fit that spot immediately and become a worthwhile tight end in the later rounds. With the TE position diluted at the moment, there’s no reason not to wait for Williams in your fantasy draft and hope Pitta doesn’t return.

Adam is a staff writer for RotoExperts. If you like your fantasy advice full of numbers and straight to the point, look no further. Find him @RotoZdroik on Twitter.


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