With the NFL Combine quickly approaching (2/24), the fantasy community has largely switched gears from reviewing the 2019 season to examining this year’s draft class and how it may change the fantasy landscape. Now that rookie scouting has become the industry’s primary focus, experts have determined which players they hold extreme optimism for and each pundit touts several lesser-known prospects who they like more than most. With that being the case, we’ve asked our featured analysts to chime in on which newbies they are most excited about along with which prospect isn’t getting enough mainstream love in fantasy circles. As a bonus, they also mention which sophomore they think will have the largest bump in production this year.

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Q1. What rookie are you most excited about and what are your short and long-term expectations in the ideal situation?

Jerry Jeudy (WR – Alabama) 
“Without knowing landing spots, we have to go with the player who’s the most talented and that’s Jeudy. If there’s one thing that translates on every level of football, it’s elite route-running. Jeudy can get open at every level of the field and gives his quarterback a bigger target with the separation he creates. He should start from day one and be a fantasy contributor, though landing spot will definitely matter. Long-term, he has a top-10 wide receiver ceiling.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“I’m most excited to watch Jerry Jeudy at the next level. Jeudy’s separation and start/stop ability are unmatched in this class. While some people are going to knock his concentration drops that he had towards the latter half of the 2019 season, he still has incredibly soft hands and is a natural receiver. Jeudy might just be landing-spot proof and should be a candidate to finish as a WR2 (if not low-end WR1) right out of the gates in 2020 for fantasy football.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

D’Andre Swift (RB – Georgia) 
“Long the consensus No. 1 player in the draft, Swift seems to be falling prey to the contentious nature of draft Twitter and its longing to expose holes in the top rookie’s profile. While I understand the value in debate, the downside is overthinking talent, which I see happening too often with Swift. He possesses everything you would want in a lead back, including being arguably the top receiving back in the draft (providing him with a high PPR floor right out of the gate), one whose vision and ability to seamlessly change direction without changing speed pops on tape. Throw in the fact that he will come into the league with low wear and tear (513 collegiate touches compared to 796 for J.K. Dobbins and 968 for Jonathan Taylor) and all this makes Swift my clear No. 1 in both dynasty and redraft.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)

Cam Akers (RB – Florida State) 
“Akers was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and produced in a horrible situation even from an early age with over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in his freshman year. J.K. Dobbins will get the press for winning the 2016 Nike SPARQ competition, but Akers was no slouch, placing third in the event. Akers possesses the athleticism and overall skill set to produce top-shelf numbers from year one as a back that can play in all phases of the game. Akers has the build and relatively clean injury history to hold up as the workhorse for a team.”
– Derek Brown (The Quant Edge)

CeeDee Lamb (WR – Oklahoma) 
“The route running is not that of Jeudy and the speed of Henry Ruggs III is not there, but the talent is undeniable. He catches everything in his ZIP Code and he is physical to the max. Once he gets the ball, you would be hard-pressed to tackle him. In an NFL that is getting more physical, he is going to be a Donte Stallworth-type wide receiver for a team willing to take a chance on him. In the mold of Golden Tate, he should be an outstanding possession receiver with All-Pro upside. The Raiders would be a home-run fit, but if he slides a bit, another great fit would be a team like Philadelphia who needs all the weapons they can get.”
– Dominick Petrillo (Fantasy Hot Read)

Q2. Which under-the-radar rookie is not getting the attention he deserves and why are you high on him?

Antonio Gibson (RB – Memphis) 
“The player who most interests me that won’t be found on anyone’s top-10 positional lists is RB/WR Antonio Gibson from Memphis. Gibson has lead-back size at 6’1” and 223 pounds (and is expected to excel at this month’s combine), but unfortunately for Gibson, he never had the opportunity to showcase potential lead-back ability as he was forced to try and carve out a role in a backfield that already featured Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard. Instead, Gibson was used as an “offensive weapon,” contributing as a wide receiver, running back, and kick returner, catching 38 passes for 735 yards, 19.3 YPC, and eight touchdowns while logging 33 carries for 369 yards and four touchdowns on the ground last season. Gibson clearly comes in with the ability to contribute as a pass-catching back immediately, however, his lack of experience in pass-protection could cap his playing time early on, making him more of a deep dynasty stash than a best-ball flier.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)

Ke’Shawn Vaughn (RB – Vanderbilt) 
“Vaughn is a no-nonsense one-cut runner that has the skill set to be a starter in the NFL. He produced 1,298 total yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019 behind an offensive line that ranked 50th in opportunity rating and 78th in line yards per Football Outsiders. Vaughn might not be flashy, but after finishing 28th or higher in this class in missed tackles forced and yards after contact per Pro Football Focus, he has shown he can make plays despite poor play around him.”
– Derek Brown (The Quant Edge)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – LSU) 
“He may not be under the radar in the sense that most haven’t heard of him, but knowing that Edwards-Helaire is going as the seventh-to-ninth player off the board in rookie drafts is gross. He deserves to be in the consideration for the No. 1 player overall in rookie drafts considering his versatility and how easily he’s inserted into offenses in today’s NFL. As is the case with all players, landing spot matters, but if Edwards-Helaire lands in a good situation where he’ll get 12-plus touches per game, he’s going to be a weekly fantasy asset with RB1 upside.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Devin Duvernay (WR – Texas) 
“Duvernay had some buzz coming out of the 2019 CFB season, but his chatter has seemingly fallen off a cliff. When I watch Duvernay on tape, I see a combination of Golden Tate and Deebo Samuel. Duvernay is going to excel out of the slot in the NFL and he turns into a running back with the ball in his hands. Not only is he quick, shifty, and runs great routes, but his top-end speed is going to surprise some people at the NFL Combine. He’s going to be a steal in the later rounds of your rookie drafts.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

Jonathan Taylor (RB – Wisconsin) 
“Taylor is a top-five running back in most consensus rankings, but he seems to be fading into the background. People are concerned about his long-term viability, but with running backs, as long as you can get them through their first contract and possibly a second, they will be a success. He may not be a 12-year starter, but he will be very good for five or seven years. That is worth a second-round pick.”
– Dominick Petrillo (Fantasy Hot Read)

Q3. What second-year player do you believe will make the biggest leap in fantasy production in 2020?

Darius Slayton (WR – NYG) 
“Slayton possesses the overall skill set to make a massive leap in year two. He proved in year one that he can win in a variety of ways by finishing with a 57 percent or higher catch rate and a 106.9 passer rating or higher versus man, zone, and press coverages. Slayton finished the year as the WR37 in point per reception (PPR) scoring, which underscores his actual production. After taking over as a starter for the Giants, Slayton was the WR24 in PPR, which is where he can finish in 2020 as a mid-to-low end WR2.”
– Derek Brown (The Quant Edge)

Mecole Hardman (WR – KC) 
“The 2019 rookie class ended up looking like a special class, especially at wide receiver as an abundance of rookie receivers exceeded expectations. One player that flashed but didn’t truly break out yet was Hardman. Sammy Watkins is set to earn $21 million next season, making the often underwhelming former No. 4 overall pick a potential cap casualty (cutting Watkins could save KC $14 million against the cap). If Watkins was gone, Hardman would be first in line to soak up the vacated 90 targets. Even if Watkins were to stay, it would be easy to envision an increased role for the second-year speedster, making Hardman a buy in dynasty and a top late-round target in early best-ball leagues.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)

D.K. Metcalf (WR – SEA) 
“Coming into the league, Metcalf was considered a ‘raw’ receiver who had to learn how to run the full route tree. Not only was his curve sped up rather quickly, but many seem to forget that he had his knee scoped just two weeks before the regular-season opener. You saw the ceiling he could have in the playoffs when he set a rookie record against the Eagles, tagging them for 7/160/1. It’s very possible that Metcalf is the receiver you want to own on the Seahawks.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Hakeem Butler (WR – ARI) 
“Butler is the most likely to make the biggest leap in fantasy production in 2020. While this is a bit of a ‘cheat’ answer due to him not playing at all last year, Butler is someone who I’m remaining excited about from a fantasy football perspective. He has a great size/speed combination and was someone I was very excited about coming into the 2019 NFL Draft. In this Arizona offense, Butler could emerge quickly as a top option and the primary read in the red zone.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

Miles Sanders (RB – PHI) 
“Sanders was good as a rookie, but the Eagles generally were not when it came to offense. With a lot of the bags that were in Philadelphia gone, he could take over more of the role as the lead back. We saw last year that he does have running ability and a great receiving acumen and they should flourish if the team is healthier on offense.”
– Dominick Petrillo (Fantasy Hot Read)

Thank you to the experts for giving their top rookies to watch and second-year studs. For more great fantasy advice, please be sure to follow them on Twitter.

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