RADIO
Peak fantasy football draft season has arrived, with the coming weekend set to be the largest for fantasy drafts as preseason winds to a close and college football ramps up.
The top of the draft is fun as each team lands lower-risk star players, but champions are made in the middle rounds. Each season, multiple rookies break out down the stretch after getting more comfortable at the NFL level and become league-winners for fantasy players.
This phenomenon has driven rookie ADP upward more than usual this year, but that does not mean you should be avoiding the riskier rookie options on the board when your turn comes around. Two first-round rookie receivers, Xavier Worthy and Rome Odunze, have similar ADPs heading into the first year of their respective careers.
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Xavier Worthy 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Texas speedster Xavier Worthy with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after moving up into the Bills’ slot. Worthy was particularly impressive in his preseason debut, grabbing three catches for 62 yards and a score along with an 11-yard carry.
The problem with Xavier Worthy is that if you're ever flat-footed on a two way go in single coverage, you will not live to tell the tale.
X will square you up & freeze your feet
This is not some Mecole MVS type, this is a real route runner pic.twitter.com/vaUeLdWexs— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) August 20, 2024
The Chiefs’ receiving corps looks a lot different from last year’s patched-together crew after adding Marquise Brown and Worthy to a group of pass-catchers that already included Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce.
Target competition is there, but Brown is already banged up with a shoulder injury that could keep him out for the first few weeks. Rice has legal issues hanging over his head, but it does not seem as if he will be suspended at this time. Kelce showed signs of declining last season.
While we have seen many “fast receiver” archetypes fail in the past, Worthy is much more than a one-trick pony. He runs crisp routes and has already drawn praise from his new quarterback.
Rome Odunze 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
Rome Odunze did not have to wait long to hear his name called on draft night, as the Chicago Bears took him ninth overall to pair with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago has a newly revamped receiving corps after adding Odunze and veteran Keenan Allen to play alongside DJ Moore.
nobody will remember:
- your salary
- how “busy you were”
- how many hours you workedpeople will remember:
- Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze in the third preseason game of 2024 pic.twitter.com/tA7hh2hS3T— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 19, 2024
Odunze and Williams have already developed a special connection in their short time playing together. Odunze caught a 45-yard bomb on an impressive throw from Williams in the Bears’ Week 2 preseason game, showcasing the explosiveness that we could see from the duo in 2024.
While Odunze is undoubtedly talented and has all of the necessary physical dimensions to operate as a WR1, the veteran presence of Moore and Allen could make targets tough to come by.
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
Both Worthy and Odunze have similar ADPs, with Worthy going off the board at 102.2 (middle of Round 9) and Odunze at 108.7 (early Round 10). Both spots are great to grab the rookies and both should be targeted at or slightly above ADP.
Worthy has the cleaner path to a higher target share and a more proven quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, which gives him a slightly higher ADP and makes him the more favorable selection. However, Odunze could easily be a rookie who has a slower start but booms down the stretch and wins fantasy championships. He is still a great selection in Round 8 and beyond.
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