In this position-by-position series, we'll look at rookies that should be on your radar before you begin your fantasy draft. It's important to understand that sometimes patience is required when selecting someone brand new to the league, but we want to be actively targeting players with a path to meaningful playing time. After a slow start to the season, Christian Watson was the WR9 after Week 8, while Garrett Wilson was the WR19 over that span. Brock Purdy didn't take over as a starter in San Francisco until Week 13 but was the QB12 to finish out the season - ahead of Justin Herbert and Deshaun Watson. If you had the good fortune of relying on Tyler Allgeier during your playoff run last year, he averaged 18.3 points, good enough for the RB8 spot. Teams have invested draft capital into their rookies, and eventually, they'll want to see if they have what it takes on Sundays.
Certainly, not every rookie mentioned below is worthy of being selected in your draft, but the aim here is to give you an edge over your leaguemates so you'll be ready to pounce before the rest of the league has had a chance to pick them up.
Quick links to all positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End
Wide receivers famously can take a few weeks to get acclimated to the pro game, but being aware of which ones could have a late-season breakout will put you at a major advantage.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Smith-Njigba is the most polished of the rookie wideouts and the latest in a long line of talent that's come from Ohio State. A wrist injury suffered in the preseason may cost him a couple of weeks early in the season, but he's set up for success as the perfect complement to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. You should be able to draft him at a slight value now that his average draft position had declined with the injury, but he managed to avoid the PUP list and could return sooner than Week 4.
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
The 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner is a very talented receiver who transferred to USC for his final year of school after getting his start at Pitt. He made a name for himself quickly as someone that opposing cornerbacks simply could not stick with. He finished his college career with 219 receptions and over 3,000 receiving yards to go along with 29 touchdowns. College production can be a reliable indicator of NFL success, and he lands in a great situation where much of the defense's attention will be focused on teammate Justin Jefferson.
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Johnston was an integral part of the TCU team that made a run to the national title game last season. Standing 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, he's tough for opposing secondaries to bring down and does most of his damage picking up yards after the catch. He doesn't have the most reliable hands, but in a high-powered offense like the Chargers under Kellen Moore, there's enough love to go around. He's certainly behind veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. He'll likely even begin the season behind third-year wideout Joshua Palmer, but I expect his involvement in the offense to grow as he gets more comfortable at this level.
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Flowers is a small wideout out of Boston College that plays with a much bigger presence than his measurements would indicate. The Ravens' offense should look notably different this year under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. I expect them to spread the ball around a bit more than they have historically, and Flowers could be one of the main beneficiaries. Presumed WR1 Rashod Bateman has had trouble staying healthy in his brief time with Baltimore, while Odell Beckham turns 31 around the halfway point of the season. Flowers is the type of player who will make a play that wows you just about every time he steps onto the field. He's currently being drafted at the end of Round 9.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Rice generated some positive buzz during training camp after the Chiefs used a second round pick on him this spring. The problem for him is that the Chiefs are carrying six other wideouts into this season with very little known about their heirarchy. With the way Patrick Mahomes II is laser-focused on Travis Kelce and spreads the ball around evenly after that, I don't expect Rice to be much of a factor here unless injuries begin to take a toll on the wide receiving corps.
Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers
Mingo wasn't the most productive receiver in college, but there were many in the scouting process who believed his best football to be ahead of him. He teams up in Carolina with Bryce Young to form a duo the organization hopes will be a fixture for years to come. At 220 pounds, he's a thick wideout that provides a big target for his quarterbacks. Ahead of him on the depth chart are D.J. Chark Jr and the aging Adam Thielen, who showed signs of slowing down last season for Minnesota.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
The Broncos have had a rough go of it at the wide receiver position over the last month. KJ Hamler was waived after a heart issue was discovered, Tim Patrick suffered a devastating season-ending injury during training camp for the second year in a row, and Jerry Jeudy is dealing with a pretty serious hamstring injury suffered during practice last week. The silver lining is Marvin Mims, who they traded up for during April's draft. The staff has plenty of confidence in the Oklahoma product that should work the middle of the field while Courtland Sutton stretches the field. Among all rookie wideouts, he might have the best early opportunity, and he's currently being drafted as the WR74.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Reed is the type of receiver without a ton of pre-draft buzz, but the Packers felt strongly enough about him to take him in the second round. He steps right into their slot receiver role, with sophomore wideouts Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs playing on the outside. There are plenty of unknowns about new starting quarterback Jordan Love, but the Packers have surrounded him with enough young talent to form a very strong nucleus going forward. Reed looks like he'll be a big part of that.
Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants
Admittedly, I was skeptical that Hyatt would find success in the NFL. He's still as unproven as the rest of the players listed here, but very few players generated as much positive buzz as he did during Giants training camp. His elite speed helped him take home the 2022 Belitnikoff Award in Tennessee's receiver-friendly offense and seems to be the trait that will continue setting him apart from his competition. He reminds me of the Houston Texans version of Will Fuller when Deshaun Watson would regularly find him for multiple deep balls per game.
Tank Dell, Houston Texans
Reports from training camp say he's an elite separator, which is great because, at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, he won't win many contested catches against NFL cornerbacks. Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud allegedly vied for the Texans to take him in the draft this spring and has a good rapport with him already. His earliest impact will likely come in the return game, but the Texans are going to find ways to get him the ball because he gives them a dimension that the rest of their wideouts don't offer.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Hailing from the University of North Carolina, Downs is a smooth athlete who should pick up immediate work from the slot in the new-look Colts offense. The jury is still out on how much fantasy production quarterback Anthony Richardson can support among his pass catchers, but Downs seems to have beaten out Isaiah McKenzie for the starting role. With Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce on the outsides, Downs will be working the middle of the field to provide easy completions for his fellow rookie.
Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
Tillman also hails from the University of Tennessee but spent much of his senior season sidelined by injury. He's a big, physical wideout with a knack for coming down with contested catches. Earlier this month, Hall-of-Famer Randy Moss told Sirius XM that Tillman is "best young receiver to enter the National Football League in the past 15 years." This is obviously hyperbolic, but any compliment from an NFL legend should be noted.
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
Wilson was a relative unknown due to injuries suffered while at Stanford, but he offers the rebuilding Cardinals something that the receivers of him don't: size. Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, and Greg Dortch all come in under 5-foot-10, so Wilson automatically becomes the biggest target that they have. The quarterback situation in Arizona is less than ideal, but Wilson has all the opportunity he could ask for to seize a starting role during his rookie season.
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Nacua steps into a wide receiver room that - besides Cooper Kupp - is bereft of talent. He could be a name to know late in the year if this season plays out poorly for the Rams and they give their young guys a chance to show what they've got.
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