2015 Rookies
2014 was the year of the rookie Wide Receiver. If you went “all in” on rookies last year in dynasty fantasy football whether it was from a start-up perspective or a rebuild perspective, you appear to be in good shape for the long haul. All off season of last year I would bash my head into my desk reading tweets from analysts clamoring why rookies were being over drafted and why veteran trades for that rookie class were absurd. Naturally, these are the same analysts throwing warning signs of rookies being over valued this time around based on results from 2014. Having said this, I do actually agree with the latter (for the most part.)
This year is probably going to be much more like 2013 as opposed to 2014, but there should be plenty of rookie Running Back values to be had. There’s a clear cut first round of rookies, and then there’s the typical drop off we see as we head in to the 2nd round of rookies drafts. 2014 was not the norm; there were 16-18 prospects that would have arguably been first round picks in any other rookie draft year. This year, however, that next tier is loaded with a bunch of guys, specifically at the running back position. They will be able to provide some production in a situational basis as presented with the opportunity and could also come with some staying power. This is a great year for depth and filling out rosters.
Here’s a quick glance at my 2015 rookie rankings:
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2015 Rookie Rankings
| Todd Gurley |
| Amari Cooper |
| Kevin White |
| DeVante Parker |
| Melvin Gordon |
| TJ Yeldon |
| Dorial Green-Beckham |
| Breshad Perriman |
| Ameer Abdullah |
| Tevin Coleman |
| Nelson Agholor |
| Phillip Dorsett |
| Duke Johnson |
| Jay Ajayi |
| Jaelen Strong |
| Devin Funchess |
| David Johnson |
| Jameis Winston |
| Marcus Mariota |
| Javorius Allen |
| Matt Jones |
| Devin Smith |
| Chris Conley |
| Maxx Williams |
| DeAndre Smelter |
| Tyler Lockett |
| Sammie Coates |
| Josh Robinson |
| Karlos Williams |
| David Cobb |
| Mike Davis |
| Cameron Artis-Payne |
| Kenny Bell |
| Stefon Diggs |
| Zach Zenner |
| Tre McBride |
| Darren Waller |
| Jeremy Langford |
| Ty Montgomery |
| Justin Hardy |
| Devante Davis |
| Jamison Crowder |
To put this in perspective, I would put a receiver like Davante Adams (whom everyone is low on for obvious reasons, would be behind Dorial Green-Beckham and Breshad Perriman but ahead of Nelson Agholor. Allen Robinson ahead of Kevin White but behind Amari Cooper. Robinson went in the 2nd round of many drafts this time last year. Go ahead and draft this year’s rookies, but the better play once you get past the top 7 or 8 is to trade into some sophomores from last year that people are down on or potentially don’t realize the upside they might have (Davante Adams, Brandin Cooks, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Cody Latimer).
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