BroBible
When it comes to drafting rookies for your fantasy football team, people can get testy.
There are the optimists who want to buy into the new shiny thing, the highly drafted rookie going to a dumpster fire offense to turn things around. On the other side are the pessimists, the people that want to see a player prove it at the pro level before buy-in.
With the historical bust rates of rookies, preferring the bird in hand makes sense. Especially because all it takes for potential to be sidelined is a dirty look from a coach after some newbie running back struggles to pass block.
But where’s the fun in pragmatism? What drives me is the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
That leads me to making rookies a key part of my draft strategy. It seems like the market agrees because the fourth through sixth rounds are shaping up as the Rookie Hot Zone.
Yes, Ashton Jeanty is locked and loaded at the start of the first and second rounds. Omarion Hampton has steadily climbed up into the third and is likely to threaten second round status by the end of the month. I love both picks.
But the Rookie Hot Zone in the early-to-mid rounds is the most fun part of your fantasy draft.
The talent pops off the page here. And the players are in great situations, primed for valuable, fantasy football-relevant touches.
TreVeyon Henderson, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbuka… hot dang. I didn’t even mention Kaleb Johnson or players just outside this range like Cam Skattebo and Tyler Warren. It’s been a goal of mine to come away from these middle rounds with three of these players.
Even the players in this cohort that I’m not super jazzed about, like Johnson and Skattebo, are in spots where they could be exciting if things break their way. And I’m happy to get whoever the draft room lets me steal.
McMillan and Golden have the draft capital and pedigree that could see them working as their team’s No. 1 receivers sooner than later. Egbuka is on a team with the aging (but still great) Mike Evans; and Chris Godwin, who is awesome but is recovering from last season’s gnarly ankle injury and won’t be a factor until Halloween. Egbuka has been the buzz of Bucs camp and seems ready to produce right out of the great for what should be a pass-happy attack.
But the guys I’m willing to jump in front of my league mates to get are Henderson, McMillan, and Hunter.
Henderson is not sneaking up on anyone, especially after housing his first NFL touch this month.
The Patriots offense is in a bounce back spot coming off last year and Hendo looks to be the one guy in the offense with legitimate juice.
Carolina has been wayward for a while, but it started to show signs of life at the end of last season....
