Jay Ajayi has a good chance of making an impact for the Dolphins this year

In Part One of this series, we dissected the top impact rookies. In Part two, we break down the deeper rookie names you’ll want to know, most notably for keeper and dynasty league formats. These are players who need something to break their way to climb atop the depth chart, but who also have the talent to flourish when given the opportunity. 

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Running Back

Jay Ajayi (Miami) – Believe what you want about Ajayi’s medical reports, but if he’s the same back who ran for 3,300 yards and 46 touchdowns over his last two years at Boise State, then the Dolphins got themselves a bargain in the fifth round. Granted that production came largely against Mountain West Conference foes, but he runs with an awfully similar burst and pad level as another former Bronco back in Doug Martin, only Ajayi is three inches taller. Lamar Miller has been productive (4.6 YPC), although he is in the final year of his rookie contract and has eclipsed 20 carries only once in 45 games as a pro.

David Johnson (Arizona) – Andre Ellington proved last year that he is best suited to a complementary role. The Cardinals’ selection of Northern Iowa running back David Johnson in the third round of this year’s draft creates an interesting situation for fantasy purposes. That’s because Ellington’s skillset overlaps with that of Johnson, a converted high school receiver who shredded Iowa for 203 receiving yards last season and also excelled at returning kicks. Checking in at 6’0, 224 pounds, Johnson logged three 1,000-yard rushing seasons in the FCS but, also similar to Ellington, brings questions about his toughness between the tackles. An athletic freak, the UNI star was No. 2 in SPARQ rating with a score in the 93.1 percentile relative to his peers.

Cameron Artis-Payne (Carolina) – Jonathan Stewart hasn’t exactly been Iron Man throughout his career in Carolina, but the backfield job is all his now that DeAngelo Williams is in Pittsburgh. But keep an eye on the rookie Artis-Payne, who replaced Tre Mason at Auburn last year and wound up leading the SEC in rushing with 1,608 yards (5.3 YPC) and 13 touchdowns. While not overly strong or fast, he is well-equipped to handle Carolina’s no-huddle offense after working in Gus Malzahn’s up-tempo system at Auburn, where teammate Cam Newton won a Heisman Trophy. Whether or not you take Stewart at his current fifth-round ADP, C.A.P. is almost too logical to pass up a hundred or so picks later.

Josh Robinson (Indianapolis) – Another sneaky late value pick, Robinson ran for 1,203 yards (6.3 YPC) and 11 TDs to go along with 28 catches for 370 yards last year at Mississippi State. While his 4.7 40 time raises legitimate concerns, Robinson boasted the second-best elusive rating in the country last year at 94.2 while averaging 3.54 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus. The Colts’ depth chart is a bit crowded behind 32-year-old starter Frank Gore as former sixth-round pick Daniel “Boom” Herron and oft-injured Vick Ballard also remain in the mix. But should Robinson get his chance, it’s not hard to envision him cementing a role on a dynamic offense.

Matt Jones (Washington) – Alfred Morris has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first three pro seasons, although his YPC has steadily dipped from 4.8 to 4.6 to 4.1. His contract expires after this season, and the Redskins new regime liked Jones enough to select him in the third round and sign him to a four-year deal. The former Florida Gator is an obvious choice for third down work, although he has his sights set higher. Do stash/handcuff but please, let’s keep this one on the hush.

Duke Johnson (Cleveland) – He’ll have a role, but there’s just no telling what his weekly workload will be in Cleveland with Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West already in tow. Quick in space with exceptional stop and start ability, Johnson figures to start his NFL career with a handful of dedicated packages aimed at getting him the ball in the open field. With a 5-foot-9, 207-pound frame last year at Miami (FL), he turned 242 rushes into a shade under 1,700 yards and an average of 6.8 YPC. However, he’ll need an injury or two for the chance to prove he’s capable of anywhere near that kind of workload as a pro.

Mike Davis (San Francisco) – At 5’9 and 217 pounds and with a strong lower body to run through tackles, Davis is a virtual clone of former 49ers franchise back, Frank Gore. The rookie averaged 5.4 YPC across 454 career carries at South Carolina, and he also hauled in 30-plus passes in each of his last two collegiate seasons. Granted, San Francisco’s backfield situation is a crowded one. However, Carlos Hyde failed to impress last year as a rookie, and newcomer Reggie Bush has long carried durability concerns. New coach Jim Tomsula is not hitched to any particular horse in this race.

Jeremy Langford (Chicago) – As the successor to Le’Veon Bell at Michigan State, Langford produced a combined 2,944 yards (5.2 YPC) and 40 TDs over his last two seasons. He then turned some heads with a 4.42 40 time at the combine. At 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, Langford has some shake and bake to his game, but scouts question his physicality at the next level. Still, with starter Matt Forte entering a contract year and set to turn 30 in December, the Bears will need to find out what else they have in the cupboard. Ka’Deem Carey starred at Arizona but didn’t exactly establish himself as the heir apparent last year as a rookie. Change-of-pace back Jacquizz Rodgers is the only other obstacle on the depth chart.

Javorius “Buck” Allen (Baltimore) – On the surface, there isn’t a very clear or instant path to carries in Baltimore with Justin Forsett in the way. He’s coming off a 1,200-rushing yard campaign and a Pro Bowl invitation after mastering Gary Kubiak’s zone blocking scheme in his first year with the Ravens. But Kubiak is now coaching in Denver and Forsett, a 5-foot-8 career journeyman, turns 30 in October. At six feet tall and north of 220 pounds, Allen is virtually the same size as teammate Lorenzo Taliaferro, another fourth-round pick who flashed as a rookie rusher last year. The winner of that depth chart battle will be in prime position as Forsett’s complement although the Ravens figure to pass more under new coordinator Marc Trestman. Allen averaged 5.5 YPC at USC and left school after breaking out for 1,489 yards as a junior.

Wide Receiver

As mentioned in Part One, the wide receiver position looks to have a much steeper dropoff than running back after the top tier. However, as we learned with last year’s WR class, there is still value to be found in the later rounds.

Phillip Dorsett (Indianapolis) – A world-class speedster not unlike T.Y. Hilton (4.34 vs. 4.33 40 time), Dorsett’s value takes a ginormous leap if the former ends up leaving in free agency after the season. Until then, the Miami Hurricanes product is left vying for snaps behind Hilton, Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, and a pair of tight ends in Andrew Luck’s pecking order.

Devin Smith (NY Jets) – This rookie is out to prove he’s not just a one-trick pony who ran the nine route and nothing else at Ohio State. That’s a little easier said than done with underwhelming Geno Smith at quarterback for the Jets. Still, if it’s a lid-lifter the third-year QB has been missing, then Devin Smith is his man. He never posted a 1,000-yard receiving season at OSU, but last year he averaged a ridiculous 28.2 YPC and saw 12 of his 33 catches go for touchdowns.

Tyler Lockett (Seattle) – Coming off a 106-catch, 1,515-yard season at Kansas State where he became the school’s all-time leading receiver and a Biletnikoff Award finalist, Lockett promptly drew rave reviews from coach Pete Carroll at Seahawks rookie minicamp. Seattle sent four draft picks to Washington in order to move up in the third round and grab Lockett, a quick, polished route runner who can play inside or outside. He was also a two-time Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year for his return skills, another area of need for the Seahawks.

Also check out Impact Rookies: Part One 

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Mike Castiglione is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, you can view his archive or follow him @RickDancin.