RADIO
Every player is ranked based off traits of their college tape and ceiling plays a big role but so does that players chance of just succeeding at any start-able level. Things like team situations, supporting casts, injuries, and off-field concerns play no part in the rankings, since the fact of the matter is no one outside of the doctors, players and teams that own the rights to these players have the kind of information necessary to make informed decisions based off that.
More rankings: Quarterbacks, Running Backs (Tier 1), Running Backs (Tiers 3, 4), Running Backs (Tier 5, 6), Wide Receivers (Tier 1), Wide Receivers (Tier 2), Wide Receivers (Tiers 3, 4), Wide Receivers (Tiers 5, 6), Wide Receivers (Tiers 7, 8), Tight Ends (Tiers 1, 2), Tight Ends (Tiers 3, 4), Top 200 (Standard), Top 200 (PPR), Rookie Rankings 1-12
Editor’s Note: If you’re looking for a new, awesome, highly customizable and free option for year-round commissioner & dynasty leagues, something more capable than Yahoo, better looking than CBS, and built from the ground up with fantasy football in mind, play free fantasy football with our friends at Fleaflicker.
Rookie Rankings – Dynasty / Keeper Leagues
All ages are age at start of season. Gifs are indicative of what should be regularly expected out of these players.
13. MIA WR DeVante Parker, 22
Devante Parker's a great athlete. He's got some incredibly high potential as a YAC and deep ball specialist, and his size and willingness to fight for the ball make that deep ball ability even more threatening to opposing defenses. So why this low for one of the most hyped receivers in the draft for me? Parker had some major route running issues in college, regularly breaking routes too early and sometimes even showing some fear in bringing routes all the way up to the DBs face before breaking. These traits on their own aren't a huge concern, even my #1 WR Kevin White has them too from time to time, but when added to his near-panicy reactions while getting hit and how they cause him to be out of sync with his quarterback, now you're running into issues. Add onto that his lack of physicality with DBs when releasing and now you wonder how comfortable he is with contact at all.
Parker's coming out with a foot injury that's likely to slow down his rookie year, a huge problem for his immediate impact and even more problematic when you add on the route running issue that he needs to work on. He has the potential to become one of the leagues top wide receivers but he might need someone to help carry him there.
When DeVante Parker has it all together, he's nearly impossible to stop. Despite creating tons of separation at his release, Parker makes a mature decision as he comes back into the DB to maintain distance with the sideline in order to make an over the shoulder catch on a vertical route.
14. BAL TE Maxx Williams, 21
Maxx Williams obvious physical talents may have not appeared at the Combine, but they sure do appear on game day. Williams is naturally too big and fast for most linebackers to deal with and his size and balance makes it easy for him to break tackles. Williams faces an uphill climb to fantasy relevance though, as he's a very unrefined player with issues that range from inconsistent hand technique to raw route running.
However, dynasty drafting isn't about what a player can do for you right now but what they could be doing for you when you need them to. Williams has the athleticism and football characteristics you look for in a good Tight End: able to beat man coverage, line up all over the field, and turn small gains into much larger ones. He's a player who's physical skills make him an immediate threat but until his football skills catch up, that's all he's going to be on the field for.
I'm not going to bother putting this play into words. Between the separation Maxx Williams gets and the athleticism, there's a huge ceiling to potentially reap from Williams.
15. JAX WR Rashad Greene, 22
It's easy to get caught up in what's measurable when it comes to football and for those that do focus on that, Rashad Greene will be an afterthought to many. Not only is landing in Jacksonville going to hurt his fantasy stock but being smaller than almost most of the WRs to enter the NFL in the last 15+ years (17th percentile for height and 10th percentile in weight) doesn't scream fantasy relevance. However, what's not as easily measured is just how well Rashad Greene played with the Seminoles. Despite the small size, he showed a huge catch radius on the regular: winning jump balls, diving for others, and regularly making difficult catches in traffic.
In the NFL he's going to be immediately put into the slot role, where he could become a very productive player but he doesn't show any lacking quality that makes it impossible for him to eventually be moved to the outside. Shifty in the open field, a strong route runner, and a surprisingly physical presence when fighting for the ball; Greene could be the NFL drafts next great overlooked WR. He comes a lot cheaper than my ranking of him would make it seem like and for that spot he presents great value.
A vertical release, followed by an inside break where Rashad Greene turns his head back to the QB after pulling his entire body creates the perfect sell for him to break back outside and steal a touchdown.
16. CLE RB Duke Johnson, 21
Some great NFL minds have Duke Johnson ranked very highly and there's good reason for it. Johnson's a great running back with a lot of versatility who shows a surprising amount of power and intensity for someone of his size. Like Rashad Greene, he's more than likely seeing a decrease in his stock by the NFL mostly for how he looks more-so than how he plays. For me, the issues with Johnson come with his "only" capable burst and his lack of setting up defenders, but beyond those he shows excellent abilities to make hard cuts and some of the best pass catching skills this class has to offer at the running back position along with the kind of pass blocking that the NFL looks for.
Duke Johnson will face an uphill climb trying to beat Isaiah Crowell for carries, who I believe is a much better runner than Duke, but he'll still find value in a Giovani Bernard-type role (which coincidentally is what the Browns view for him in his immediate future). Johnson has the potential to eventually be seen as a 3-down back but it's going to take some time for that to actually happen. Neither of these are influencing his ranking, but i see him as more of a consistent contributor than one with major upside.
A toss to the right side is sniffed out and Johnson's quick thinking helps him escape for a big gain, but it's the final contact on the defender that takes him down that shows Johnson's true potential.
17. CAR WR Devin Funchess, 21
Devin Funchess is far from a finished product but what he's showing on the field bodes well for his potential to be amongst the top NFL possession receivers. It's unlikely, from my perspective, that Funchess will ever become an all-around elite threat but that doesn't mean he can't be the type of give you all-around elite production. Devin Funchess has issues to work through regarding his hands as he isn't a high pointer, nor is he always the most comfortable with using proper hand technique, but it's his quick immediate breaks and his knowledge of how to position his body between the defender and the ball that makes his possession qualities so valuable. With one of the longest arm lengths, heights and weights amongst WRs you can imagine that he'll be using his skills and size to box out players in the NFL.
Funchess claims that a foot injury held him back in college from showing his full potential, and in some ways that could be possible- he did lack burst at times and didn't always look like the most laterally quick player, in fact in week 2 against Notre Dame you could see him hurt his foot twice. However, his combine doesn't show anything to make you think better of him in that department (unless he performed injured there, too). Still, it's his size advantage that will help him break tackles and deal with physical play. Devin Funchess could eventually find himself amongst the Eric Decker's of the NFL, and that's more of a compliment than you might think.
Devin Funchess is rarely affected by the contact he faces, and here he easily keeps running and uses his size to lean into the DBs path and box him out of the balls trajectory.
18. SEA WR Tyler Lockett, 22
Another player who might have been underrated for his physical features, Tyler Lockett is similar to Rashad Greene as well but seems to have a much lower upside as he is just a much easier player to take down once the ball is in his hands. Lockett will find an immediate role as a deep threat and his route running skills will make him a quick contributor in the Seahawks offense. However, Lockett's lack of ability to disengage from physical play, some less than ideal passive tendencies when fighting corners for positioning, and a tendency to clap balls make him more likely to be the supporting role in an offense than a featured one.
This is the first player on the list where elite production seems unsustainable, but Lockett is still bound to have a huge role that should produce numbers. He'll be the one pulling in highlight reel catches every season.
Tyler Lockett shows little fear in taking big hits, which bodes well for his potential to develop more aggressive route running and playing tendencies.
NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room
[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
