Is there anything better than the fantasy football rookie hype train?
Every year, experts drool over rookies, proclaiming them to be the next Randy Moss or Barry Sanders — in their first year in the NFL. Most of the time, it doesn’t come close to panning out.
Much like last year, though, there are some surprises, as evidenced by Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt. Even without knowing where these rookies will play in 2018, here’s three rookies I’m currently eyeing as impact players in the 2018 fantasy football season.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
This isn’t a hot take by any means. Barkley is widely recognized as the player who can add the most value right away for any team drafting a position player.
And it’s with good reason. Barkley’s NFL combine workout reinforced what we already saw on the field. He’s really good and can be a three-down running back in the league.
The one major issue with Barkley, which Christian McCaffrey can attest to, is where he’ll be drafted. If Barkley enters a situation like McCaffrey, with an already established running back at the helm, that will severely stunt his fantasy football impact.
However, if he lands on a team similar to Dalvin Cook, then he should be considered a top-six fantasy football running back in 2018.
Barkley has the acumen to be a three-down back. The only question that remains is if he gets the chance to showcase that talent.
Ronald Jones II, RB, USC
He’s not getting much publicity, but Jones has the potential to be a steal not only in the NFL draft, but fantasy football drafts, too.
When looking at prospects, pretty much everyone entering the NFL draft as a running back has been a pretty big producer in rushing yards. Not everyone has the ability to be a playmaker, though, which is why I value Jones more than several of the other running backs ahead of him in the NFL draft.
He averaged more than 6 yards per carry during his career with USC, and had more than 40 runs of 10 yards or more during his senior season. He’s fast and can break big plays, something that NFL coaches desire.
That will create playing time for Jones, and even if he doesn’t get a ton of action in the early going, keep an on Jones as the season progresses. He is one of the most athletic running backs in this draft and he can make an immediate impact in his rookie campaign.
Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
Solid rookie wide receivers are hard to find in fantasy football. It’s hard to break through the already crowded market, and the wide receiver position, in general, is difficult to trust because even the best wide receivers usually need a solid quarterback to get them the ball.
If I’m going to trust any wide receiver out of this rookie class (which doesn’t have any top-end receiver talents), then I’m going with Kirk.
I believe he’s the most talented, and while his production has faded since his freshman season, that could be explained because he consistently faced double-teams, and didn’t have a great quarterback to get him the ball.
He won’t have to deal with double-teams during his rookie season, so that should free him up to display his speed. There are a lot of wide receivers with a second to fourth round grade, but I’d favor Kirk as the one to make an impact on the fantasy football season in 2018.
