The Rookie Report: The Age of the Rookie

Not too long ago, rookies in the NFL were widely considered an afterthought in many fantasy football drafts. Sure, you’d get lucky and take a late round flyer on an Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns his rookie year. Or maybe you drafted Randy Moss in ’98 when he grabbed 69 balls for 1,313 yards and an incredible 17 touchdowns. Whether you were lucky enough to draft one of these guys, or you stay away from rooks all together, the age of the rookie is now upon us.

Now, more than ever, we’ve seen so many rookies impact NFL games and even become featured members of their teams. This has changed the way many of us view rookies in the fantasy world. Most of us are aware of stud rookies like Kareem Hunt, Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook (pre-injury), and Deshaun Watson, but what about the rookies who sit second or third on the depth chart, or the ones who haven’t quite gotten the chance to shine?

For those of you looking for late season rookie performers, I’ve complied a list of names to watch or pick up before they explode, even though some are in the process of exploding. (Other rookies excluded from this list due to high ownership: Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Evan Engram, Christian McCaffrey, and Joe Mixon).

All ownerships provided for these rookies will be based off of ESPN leagues.