Identifying sleeper rookies for dynasty involves assessing several key factors to gauge their potential impact. How a player’s skill set translates to the NFL is important but team situation can be the biggest trump card. In mid-March, that is a big puzzle piece we don’t have access to, so today’s article will lean primarily on players who have intriguing or overlooked skill sets.
- 2024 NFL Mock Drafts
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
- 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Profiles
As of this exercise, we are also looking at college statistics, awards and overall performance. While college success doesn’t always translate to the NFL, it can be a good indicator of talent and work ethic, which can endear rookies to an NFL staff.
2024 Dynasty Rookie Sleepers
Blake Corum (RB – Michigan)
This year’s running back class is weaker than years past but there are a few diamonds in the rough. Rookie rankings are very inconsistent at this point in the process but it appears Blake Corum is going somewhat overlooked. Corum was ultra-productive at Michigan, racking up 58 career rushing TDs and rushing for over 2,700 yards in his final two seasons. He was a big part of the Wolverines winning the National Championship in 2023 and he showed himself to be a capable pass-catcher, reeling in 56 passes in his career. He was also twice named the Big Ten Running Back of the Year.
Corum’s athleticism doesn’t wow you and he is a bit on the small side (5-foot-8, 215 pounds) but he excels between the tackles and has an obvious nose for the end zone. He ran well enough at the combine, clocking a 4.53 40-yard dash but his short-area burst is where he excels. He will need to improve in pass protection if he wants to be more than an early-down back in the NFL but he is one of the few rookie running backs who could find himself in a 15-touch role in Week 1. I’ve seen him ranked as low as the RB8 in this class, which seems like a gross undersell of Corum’s fantasy potential.
Will Shipley (RB – Clemson)
Like Corum, Will Shipley is flying under the radar but his skill set translates better at the next level than a lot of running backs dynasty owners will take before him. Shipley was a weapon in the passing game out of the backfield at Clemson, catching 69 passes in his last two seasons for the Tigers. He also burned up the combine, clocking a 4.42 40-yard dash and he checks in with a 90th-percentile speed score. He was also one of the nation’s best kick returners in college, which helped him become the first player in ACC history to be chosen as a First Team All-ACC honoree in three different categories: running back, all-purpose and specialist.
Shipley will be best used in space at the next level, which makes sense given his pass-catching ability. Shipley isn’t going to be a 25-touch running back but we’ve seen plenty of guys in his archetype carve out useful fantasy roles. In PPR leagues he should be pushed up a bit. On the right team, he could be a nice piece as a rotational/third-down back. A lot will depend on where he is drafted but the fact he was able to be used in so many ways in college will quickly endear him to an NFL staff.
More Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- 7 Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers
- Dynasty Rookie Draft ADP Data Analysis
- 8 Dynasty Rookie Draft NFL Player Comps
- How to Prepare for Your Dynasty Rookie Draft: Feb
- 3 Overvalued Dynasty Rookie Draft Picks to Avoid
- 3 Undervalued Dynasty Rookie Draft Picks to Target
- Top 5 Dynasty Rookie Draft IDP Targets
- Comparing 2023 & 2024 NFL Draft Classes
- Erickson’s Top Dynasty Rookie Wide Receivers
- Erickson’s Top Dynasty Rookie Running Backs
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings & Tiers: Wide Receivers
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Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.