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With the 2024 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror and the 2024 NFL season fast approaching, fantasy football drafts will be here before we know it. NFL rookies make an impact in fantasy football every season. Some are expected, but it is the unexpected rookie contributors that are of most interest in fantasy.
There is almost no doubt that high-pedigree players such as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers will make a huge impact on their teams and a solid impact in fantasy. The rest of the 2024 NFL Draft was full of exciting talent, but it is inevitable that not all of them will work out.
Excluding the presumptive elite rookie prospects, several players will emerge for their teams during training camp, preseason, and the first half of the regular season. There are six players in particular who could fly under the radar in your fantasy football drafts and provide solid value by the end of the season. Read on to find out who you could steal in your draft to gain a leg up on the competition.
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Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills)
After trading away Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, the Bills were in dire need of receiving help. Although they signed Curtis Samuel in free agency, the Bills patiently awaited their guy with the 33rd pick in the NFL Draft. Coleman has a massive opportunity to immediately step into a role as the No. 1 or No. 2 target for Josh Allen. His competition on the depth chart is Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel at wide receiver, as well as Dalton Kincaid at the tight-end position.
Coleman slipped in the draft due to his running a 4.61 40-yard dash. Although Coleman is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, that 40 time will not blow anyone's socks off. You can see the lack of separation speed on the field, but Coleman is a bruising wide receiver who is going to be able to catch everything.
What if I told you that a 2023 rookie wide receiver with a good quarterback caught 105 passes for 1,486 yards but ran a 4.57 40-yard dash predraft? I am talking about Puka Nacua, who is a prime example that speed is not everything. Josh Allen is going to get Coleman the ball early and often. Due to his situation, Coleman could have one of the better fantasy finishes among rookie wide receivers this year.
Coleman is currently going as the WR53 with an ADP of 134.14. He may start the season slow, but expect this to be a player who hits his stride midseason and delivers weekly flex value at a minimum. You cannot enter an offense this good with as much talent as Coleman possesses and not produce for fantasy in some way.
Former #FSU WR Keon Coleman finished his introductory press conference with the Bills and asked if he can have some of the snacks…
Coleman then shared a cookie with a media member 🍪😂 #Noles (@Matt_Bove) pic.twitter.com/mtcSCQ0sLB
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) April 27, 2024
Ladd McConkey (Los Angeles Chargers)
Ladd McConkey was selected right behind Keon Coleman with the 34th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Like Coleman, McConkey enters a situation devoid of a true top option. We all know that the Chargers want to run the ball, but they still have Justin Herbert and will need to keep up in a crowded AFC.
McConkey did not dominate from a production perspective during college. He only gained 1,687 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in three college seasons. However, he played in an offense at Georgia that did not demand high-end production and relied heavily on Brock Bowers in the passing game.
McConkey has 4.39 speed and projects to fill the Keenan Allen role in this offense. If the Chargers want to succeed, they will need McConkey to produce. As such, he should be peppered with targets right out of the gate and could be a PPR machine early in the 2024 season. McConkey has all the tools and the opportunity to produce, but he struggled with drops in college. Justin Herbert seems to have one throwing speed (fast), so as long as McConkey can hold onto the ball, there should be excellent value here.
McConkey is currently being drafted as the WR50, which I think is ludicrous. His ADP is 129.02, pitting him in the double-digit rounds of most fantasy drafts. McConkey should be Justin Herbert's No. 1 target in 2024. The No. 1 target for Justin Herbert is a player I want on my fantasy team.
REPORT: #Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey has been a standout so far at OTA’s, his connection with QB, Justin Herbert reportedly has been extraordinary. ⚡️⚡️
— King of Boltz ⚡️ (@KingofBoltz) May 24, 2024
Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals)
I recently wrote about Trey Benson in my backup running backs to draft article. Benson is a beast but he finds himself in a backup role at a minimum.
Benson ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine at 6-foot-0 and 216 pounds. The guy can flat-out fly at his size, which should translate well to the NFL. Benson never saw a high-end workload at the college level as he topped out with 156 carries in 2023. However, he was productive with his carries, averaging 6.4 yards per carry in 2022 and 5.8 in 2023.
The Cardinals seem to be building a solid foundation on offense. They had a solid running game in 2023 with James Conner, and got a breakout from Trey McBride. The addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. and another year of recovery for Kyler Murray will only continue to boost this offense.
Conner is the heartbeat of this offense, and I do not expect Benson to usurp him as the full-time starter in 2024. Unfortunately, Conner has missed time in every season of his career, making Benson a quality insurance back for fantasy. If Benson can play his way into a committee role, then this offense could be good enough to support two fantasy-relevant running backs.
Arizona still has a lot of work to do, but Benson should fit the scheme perfectly. Keep an eye on him as the RB33 in your fantasy drafts. He could be a solid weekly flex play by season's end. If Conner were to miss any time, then Benson would immediately jump into the RB2 conversation. From a dynasty perspective, Benson is going to be a rock star sooner rather than later.
IF (and ONLY IF) James Conner gets hurt this SZN, the Cardinals are in good hands with the former FSU RB Trey Benson as RB2💪🏻⬇️
- 2023: 906 Yards : 5.8 Y/A
- Great strength and balance
- Above-average pass-catcher
- Very good burst and accelerationGreat fantasy handcuff for… pic.twitter.com/VW2kfhbH8a
— PPRFantasyTips (@PPRFantasyTips) May 8, 2024
Roman Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle-El, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Diontae Johnson. That is a list of some of the non-first-round wide receivers that the Steelers have hit on in the last couple of decades. George Pickens is making a case to join that list himself.
Third-round pick Roman Wilson is entering a franchise that has a history of identifying wide-receiver talent and developing it. At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Wilson profiles to fill the Diontae Johnson role. Wilson ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which is speed that pops when you watch his tape.
Much like his college quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Wilson did not get the chance to put up gaudy numbers because of the run-heavy Jim Harbaugh scheme. The guy simply passes the eye test. Wilson is a savvy route runner who knows how to get open and he has an impressive ability to make contested catches even at his size. Not to mention, he is also tough as nails.
Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph supported two fantasy-relevant wide receivers in George Pickens and Diontae Johnson in 2023. Russell Wilson is an upgrade over both, and Justin Fields likely is, too. Roman Wilson may take time to develop at the start of the season but the opportunity to produce is right there in front of him. Can you even name the next best Steelers wide receiver at the moment? It is Van Jefferson by the way.
Wilson is currently being drafted as the WR71. He is virtually free in fantasy drafts and is more than worthy of a late-round flier or waiver wire pickup.
There’s a good chance that Roman Wilson has one of the better rookie seasons out of the entire 2024 draft class.
No he isn’t the biggest (or the strongest), but his skillset should translate very well. He’s a faster Diontae Johnson with better hands.
pic.twitter.com/As8XTpsz2w— Jakob Berger (@JBergsss) May 30, 2024
MarShawn Lloyd (Green Bay Packers)
MarShawn Lloyd was selected by the Packers with the 88th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. At 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds, Lloyd is a mass of a man with 4.46 speed. After cutting Aaron Jones, the Packers signed Josh Jacobs in free agency and re-signed A.J. Dillon. Jacobs will have a clear chance to be the starter, but should Lloyd overtake Dillon, he could have value in this backfield.
After a promising 2021 season, Dillon has been relatively inefficient since and has even looked quite slow at times. I was surprised when the Packers re-signed him this year. If he continues to play like he has the last two years, Lloyd should get a shot to show what he can do.
The Matt LaFleur offenses of recent memory in Green Bay have used multiple backs to keep everyone fresh. Do not expect that to change in 2023, especially with Jacobs entering the fold with 1,502 total touches in five seasons. Jacobs' outlier season of 1,653 yards on 4.9 yards per carry does not seem like something he is poised to repeat.
Frankly, the lack of efficiency that both Jacobs and Dillon have displayed for most of their career suggests that Lloyd will finish the season as the second part of a one-two punch in an offense that should perform well.
Most of the rookie running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft did not land in situations that will allow them to make an immediate impact, but Lloyd has a solid path to fantasy relevance. As the RB49 in your draft, Lloyd is worth a late-round flier. He is also likely going to hit the waiver wire early in the season because he may not come on until later in the season. So, monitor this player and reap the benefits should he start producing.
"Woo, damn!" 🤣#Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans is liking what he sees out of rookie MarShawn Lloyd at OTAs. pic.twitter.com/ep1UeY0GaV
— Ashley Washburn (@ashleyjwashburn) May 29, 2024
Luke McCaffrey (Washington Commanders)
The Commanders have quietly put together a nice receiving corps with Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and now Luke McCaffrey. As the final pick in the third round, McCaffrey will enter a situation where he appears to be the third wide receiver for a rookie quarterback. While McCaffrey may not have the same opportunity as some of the other aforementioned names, he is still someone to keep an eye on.
McCaffrey is a relatively big player at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds. He is not blazing fast, but I am intrigued by McCaffrey because he projects to be a possession receiver. McLaurin and Dotson are both downfield threats. A rookie quarterback's best friends are the players that run routes underneath. If McCaffrey can carve out an early role in this offense, then he could deliver PPR value.
Jayden Daniels should step in as an immediate solid passer. While rookie quarterbacks do not tend to throw a lot of touchdowns compared to the rest of the league, yardage comes easier. The Commanders are going to have to throw to stay in most of their games. If McCaffrey can get open across the middle or on short routes, then Jayden Daniels should be able to find him often. McCaffrey may not be someone that turns into a weekly starter this year but he has a chance to have some fantasy-relevant games.
FYI: Luke McCaffrey had the 2nd most contested catches in CFB.
His contested catch % was higher than Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Xavier Legette. pic.twitter.com/vrD1tf1qd8
— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) March 15, 2024
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