Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Jacob Cowing, Audric Estime, Spencer Rattler (2024 Fantasy Football)

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone. While the real NFL draft is over, the fantasy football drafts are just beginning! That’s especially true when it comes to dynasty rookie drafts. NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft pick values. Let’s dive into our dynasty rookie draft outlook and advice for a few rookies.

Fantasy Football Rookie Draft Outlook

Here’s what Fitz expects for a few rookies selected during the 2024 NFL Draft.

49ers Draft Jacob Cowing

The San Francisco 49ers have selected WR Jacob Cowing of Arizona with the final pick of the fourth round.

Cowing is a speedy overachiever who was productive throughout his college career at Arizona, with 316 catches for 4,477 yards and 33 touchdowns. He had a career-high 13 touchdowns last season but averaged a career-low 9.4 yards per catch, largely because of the arrival of stud WR Tetairoa McMillan, who became the Wildcats’ primary downfield receiver.

Speed is Cowing’s calling card. He ran a 4.38 at the NFL Scouting Combine, and his speed shows up on tape. Cowing has some seriously quick feet.

At 5-8, 165 pounds, Cowing is tiny by NFL standards. As productive as he was in college, Cowing’s size could limit him to slot duty in the NFL, and it’s possible he’ll be used strictly as a punt returner.

It seems highly unlikely that Cowing will have any fantasy utility as a rookie. The 49ers already have Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk at wide receiver, and they spent a late-first-round draft pick on University of Florida WR Ricky Pearsall. They also have one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the league in George Kittle. If the 49ers were to trade Aiyuk — a possibility that has been widely speculated — Cowing would at least have a narrow path to fantasy relevance.

For dynasty, I have Cowing ranked WR21 among the rookies, WR90 overall. He’s outside the top 100 at wide receiver in my redraft rankings.

Check out his full dynasty rookie draft profile

Broncos Draft Audric Estime

The Denver Broncos have added a rugged thumper to their RB room, selecting Notre Dame’s Audric Estime with the 12th pick of the fifth round.

The 5-11, 222-pount Estime is a no-frills power back who churned out 1,341 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games during his final season with the Fighting Irish. Estime is a punishing inside runner who has some lateral agility and doesn’t go down easily. His hard-charging style makes him a natural candidate for goal-line duty, giving him some TD upside.

At the combine, Estime clocked a plodding 4.71 in the 40-yard dash, and a 4.61 at his pro day was only a marginal improvement. Estime recorded only 26 receptions during his three college seasons in South Bend, so he probably isn’t going to play much on passing downs.

In short, what you see is what you get with Estime. He’s an early-down hammer whose goal-line potential could make him a useful fantasy asset, but his limited skill set limits his ceiling.

The good news is that the Bengals have an unsettled RB depth chart following the trade that sent longtime Cincinnati lead back Joe Mixon to Houston. Veteran Zack Moss and second-year man Chase Brown sit atop the Bengals’ RB depth chart, but neither has a stranglehold on a large role.

Estime had a predraft FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking of RB66 in half-point PPR redraft leagues and an Underdog best-ball ADP of RB49. I tentatively have him ranked RB58 in redraft.

For dynasty, I have Estime ranked RB11 among the rookie running backs, with an overall dynasty ADP of RB49.

Check out his full dynasty rookie draft profile

TEAM Draft Spencer Rattler

The New Orleans have selected Spencer Rattler with the 150th overall pick of the NFL Draft, making Rattler an intriguing prospect in superflex dynasty rookie drafts.

Rattler had a circuitous five-year college career that took him from Oklahoma to South Carolina and exposed him to very different offensive systems. He had an impressive first season as a college starter in 2020, throwing for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns in 11 starts. But in 2021, Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley benched Rattler in favor of a hotshot five-star recruit named Caleb Williams.

Rattler transferred to South Carolina and initially struggled behind the Gamecocks’ shaky offensive line. But Rattler caught fire in his final three starts of 2022, throwing for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns against Tennessee, Clemson and Notre Dame. In his final college season, he threw for 3,188 yards in 12 games, with 19 touchdowns and a 68.9% completion percentage.

The 23-year-old Rattler is an aggressive playmaker with a live arm and some mobility. Rattler improved his stock during the predraft process with a great week at the Senior Bowl and a nice showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. He performed well in both events and also left a good impression in interviews — an important component for Rattler, whose maturity has been questioned at times.

At 6-0, 211 pounds, Rattler lacks prototypical QB size. FantasyPros college football and NFL Draft analyst lists Jeff Blake as a player comparison for Rattler — not an unflattering comp. Rattler can be hyper-aggressive at times, which could lead to an elevated turnover rate when he faces NFL defenses.

On one hand, it’s not encouraging that Rattler fell into the middle of the fifth round after being viewed by some as a likely Day 2 pick. On the other hand, Rattler landed on a team that’s not exactly rock-solid at quarterback. Veteran Derek Carr had an uneven season in his first year with the Saints and heard from the boobirds in some of the Saints’ home games. Rattler could potentially be Carr’s successor.

For dynasty, I have Rattler ranked QB7 among the rookies, QB36 overall. He’ll be an afterthought in 2024 redraft leagues.

Check out his full dynasty rookie draft profile