X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Rookies To Watch In Week 3

Each week in this column, we'll highlight a few first-year players who are worth keeping your eye on. Not all of the players listed below are must-starts, but all of them are in a position to be viable fantasy options. If any of these names are sitting out on your waiver wire, you should keep a close watch on them.

Ideally, some of these names will help fantasy players get some roster depth which can minimize the negative impact of injuries and bye weeks.

Initially, some of these names will seem fairly obvious. As the season progresses, expect this column to pay more attention to under-the-radar options.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

The Quarterback Youth Movement

Daniel Jones (QB, NYG)

Eli Manning didn't get much of a farewell tour, as the Giants decided to let Daniel Jones loose after just two games. What's strange is that Manning hasn't looked all that bad thus far. Regardless, the sixth overall pick will try to prove he was worth the high draft investment in a game against an improved Tampa Bay defense this weekend. The biggest question is how Jones will utilize his two biggest weapons, Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram. Jones liked to stand tall in the pocket in college until he could float a pass downfield, but behind a beatable offensive line, he may need to show some of his sneaky mobility.

 

The Hot New Toy

Ty Johnson (RB, DET)

The C.J. Anderson era is over in Detroit before it ever really began. Anderson accumulated just 43 yards on the ground and punched in a touchdown before getting booted out of town. This should mean a significant uptick in volume for Kerryon Johnson, though you'll also want to keep your eyes peeled for rookie Ty Johnson's usage. The rookie was a big play maestro at Maryland who averaged an obscene 7.6 yards per carry. He'll see some snaps as a change-of-pace back who is a constant threat to take one to the house.

 

The Underrated Receiving Option

Deebo Samuel (WR, SF)

While the rest of the world was debating Dante Pettis vs. Marquise Goodwin, the rookie out of South Carolina was just biding his time and waiting to breakout. It didn't take long, either. Samuel put up five receptions on seven targets for 86 yards and a touchdown and did so while playing just over 38% of snaps. That's way down from his 88.1% snap share in week 1. With Trent Taylor on IR and Jalen Hurd still banged up, there should continue to be plenty of chances for Samuel. The good news is he's able to plenty of damage even if he's not out on the field every play.

 

The Hype Dream

Darwin Thompson (RB, KC)

It looks like it's finally happening. After what feels like years of offseason hype, those who believed in Darwin Thompson's talent will get to see if it translates to NFL production. Damien Williams has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Ravens and LeSean McCoy is still questionable. But even if Thompson gets the lion's share of the backfield touches this week, keep your expectations in check. Baltimore has allowed a measly 41 rushing yards through two weeks. They haven't been beaten by pass-catching running backs either, which means the Thompson hype may get put on ice for another week.

 

The Last Man Standing

JJ Arcega-Whiteside (WR, PHI)

The majority of Carson Wentz's pass-catchers exited the game last week, leaving a hodgepodge of receiving options. DeSean Jackson is confirmed out for this Sunday while Alshon Jeffery is a wait-and-see. This could leave a big opportunity for Arcega-Whiteside to show his value, especially as a red-zone option. The rookie was out on the field for 93% of snaps last week compared to just 3% in Week 1, though he still only saw four targets and logged just one reception. He was streaking open down the field on a couple of plays and was simply overlooked by Wentz, however. If he was able to earn his quarterback's trust in practice this week, Arcega-Whiteside's physicality should allow him to dominate.

 

The Sneaky Overachiever Part Two

Diontae Johnson (WR, PIT)

Johnson was listed in this space last week on the basis that he flashed some promise and Donte Moncrief looked really bad. Both of those things are still true. And now Johnson has been announced as the starting X receiver. He'll get to work with Mason Rudolph, who Johnson got plenty comfortable with during training camp and in preseason action. The production hasn't been there so far, but as a bona fide starter there's plenty of upside for the rookie.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Quinn Hughes28 mins ago

Tallies Game-Winning Helper In Return
Conor Garland39 mins ago

Leads Vancouver To Victory
Martin Necas47 mins ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Nathan MacKinnon54 mins ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Kyle Connor1 hour ago

Scores Goal No. 31 On Wednesday
Connor Hellebuyck1 hour ago

Sharp On Wednesday
AJ Smith-Shawver7 hours ago

Strikes Out Three In Spring Debut
Jordan Lawlar8 hours ago

Cranks First Cactus League Home Run Of 2025
Kirk Cousins8 hours ago

Best Option For Falcons Is To Trade Kirk Cousins
Will Warren8 hours ago

Strikes Out Four In Three Perfect Innings
Owen Caissie10 hours ago

Cubs Option Owen Caissie To Triple-A
NFL10 hours ago

Abdul Carter Close To Full Health
Tampa Bay Buccaneers10 hours ago

Jordan Whitehead Will Become A Free Agent
NFL10 hours ago

Chain Gangs To Be Replaced In 2025
Bobby Witt Jr.11 hours ago

Working To Be More Efficient On The Bases
Deni Avdija11 hours ago

Won't Return On Wednesday Night
Wendell Moore Jr.11 hours ago

Remains In Concussion Protocol
DaQuan Jeffries12 hours ago

Holds Questionable Tag For Thursday
Seth Curry12 hours ago

Tagged As Probable For Thursday
LaMelo Ball12 hours ago

Cleared For Thursday
Julius Randle12 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Thursday
Rudy Gobert12 hours ago

Remains Out On Thursday
Emiliano Grillo12 hours ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of Cognizant Classic
Sam Ryder12 hours ago

A Course Horse For PGA National
Matt Kuchar12 hours ago

An Intriguing Option At Cognizant Classic
Anthony Edwards12 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Thursday
Deni Avdija12 hours ago

Uncertain To Return On Wednesday
Leo Rivas12 hours ago

Battling Ankle Injury
Joey Loperfido12 hours ago

Could Return On Friday
Robert Garcia13 hours ago

Facing Hitters On Thursday
Trae Young13 hours ago

Slated To Suit Up Against Miami
Dedniel Núñez13 hours ago

Dedniel Nunez Not Expected To Pitch In Games "Anytime Soon"
Oneil Cruz13 hours ago

Recovering From Illness
Drew Thorpe13 hours ago

"Continues To Progress"
OG Anunoby13 hours ago

Playing On Wednesday
Karl-Anthony Towns13 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Ayo Dosunmu13 hours ago

Unavailable Wednesday Against Clippers
Sam Darnold13 hours ago

Vikings Keeping Sam Darnold Would Represent Big Shift In Their Plans
Tyrese Haliburton14 hours ago

Likely Playing Versus Raptors
Chicago Bears14 hours ago

Bears Could Add Another Running Back This Offseason
New York Giants14 hours ago

Giants To Pick Up Kayvon Thibodeau's Fifth-Year Option?
T.J. McConnell14 hours ago

Out Of Action On Wednesday
Dallas Cowboys14 hours ago

Micah Parsons Could Become Highest-Paid Defensive Player In The NFL
Roman Josi14 hours ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Scottie Barnes14 hours ago

Out Wednesday Versus Indiana
Noah Dobson14 hours ago

Expected To Return On Thursday
Los Angeles Rams14 hours ago

Rams Give Jonah Jackson Permission To Seek A Trade
Connor Hellebuyck14 hours ago

Starts Against Senators Wednesday
Bruce Brown14 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday Versus Suns
Adam Fox15 hours ago

Heading To Injured Reserve
New England Patriots15 hours ago

Patriots Give Davon Godchaux Permission To Seek A Trade
Derek Carr15 hours ago

Saints Leaning Towards Keeping Derek Carr?
Mackenzie Blackwood15 hours ago

Starts Against Former Team Wednesday
Max Meyer15 hours ago

Tops Out At 97 MPH In Grapefruit League Debut
Valeri Nichushkin15 hours ago

Returns To Avalanche Lineup
Nikola Vučević15 hours ago

Nikola Vucevic Sidelined On Wednesday
Quinn Hughes15 hours ago

May Return On Wednesday
Masataka Yoshida15 hours ago

Cleared For Live Batting Practice
Tari Eason15 hours ago

Out Of Action Against Spurs
Bryce Harper15 hours ago

Should Be Fine After Being Hit By Pitch
Stuart Fairchild16 hours ago

Back From Thumb Surgery
Liam Hendriks16 hours ago

Looks Good In Spring Debut
Connor Wong16 hours ago

Could Play In Games This Weekend
Brayan Bello16 hours ago

To Throw Bullpen On Friday
Heliot Ramos16 hours ago

Hits In Batting Cages Wednesday
Bryce Harper16 hours ago

Leaves Early After Being Hit By Pitch
San Francisco 49ers16 hours ago

Trent Williams Ready To Play In 2025
Brock Purdy17 hours ago

49ers Start Contract Talks With Brock Purdy
Deebo Samuel Sr.17 hours ago

49ers Will Honor Deebo Samuel Sr.'s Trade Request
Jared Jones17 hours ago

Debuts New Pitch In Spring Game
Linus Ullmark18 hours ago

Starting On Wednesday
TOR18 hours ago

Chris Tanev Viewed As Day-To-Day
Michael Bunting18 hours ago

Dealing With Illness
Shane Pinto18 hours ago

Sitting Out On Wednesday
Matthew Stafford19 hours ago

Expected To Stay With Rams?
Josh Norris19 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday's Contest
Aaron Rodgers19 hours ago

Interested In Playing For The Giants?
Brady Tkachuk19 hours ago

Will Not Play On Wednesday
Green Bay Packers20 hours ago

Packers Open To Trading Jaire Alexander
Matthew Stafford20 hours ago

Rams Expected To Drive Up Asking Price For Matthew Stafford
Cameron Young21 hours ago

A High-Risk, High-Reward Play At PGA National
Taylor Pendrith21 hours ago

Is An Enticing Play At Cognizant Classic
Gary Woodland22 hours ago

Aiming For Bounce-Back Performance At PGA National
PGA22 hours ago

Kris Ventura A Value Pick At The Cognizant Classic
NFL22 hours ago

Tyler Warren Won't Take Part In On-Field Work At NFL Combine
PGA22 hours ago

Niklas Norgaard Making Third PGA Tour Start At Cognizant Classic
Tennessee Titans22 hours ago

Harold Landry Granted Permission To Seek Trade
22 hours ago

Rob Gronkowski Denies NFL Comeback Rumors
Erik Van Rooyen22 hours ago

Looking For Sustained Success At PGA National
Malcolm Brogdon23 hours ago

Out For Fourth Consecutive Game
Alexandre Sarr23 hours ago

Questionable Wednesday
Trent Frederic1 day ago

Injured On Tuesday
Josh Anderson1 day ago

Undergoing Evaluation
Jordan Spieth1 day ago

Looking To Bounce Back In Cognizant Classic Debut
Seamus Power1 day ago

A Risky Play With Upside At PGA National
Andrew Novak1 day ago

Searching For Consistency At PGA National
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Eyeing First Career Victory At PGA National
Min Woo Lee1 day ago

Aims To Keep The Momentum Going At PGA National
Chris Kirk1 day ago

A Wild Card At PGA National
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Trending In The Wrong Direction Ahead Of Cognizant Classic
Alex Smalley1 day ago

Continues To Impress Ahead Of The Cognizant Classic
Taylor Moore1 day ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To Cognizant Classic
Justin Lower1 day ago

Misses Cut At Mexico Open
Max Greyserman1 day ago

Hitting Stride Heading To Cognizant Classic
Jake Knapp1 day ago

Posts Solid Finish At Mexico Open
Song Yadong3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Henry Cejudo3 days ago

Suffers Third Straight Loss
Brendan Allen3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Seattle
Anthony Hernandez3 days ago

Extends His Winning Streak
Jean Matsumoto3 days ago

Suffers First Career Loss
Rob Font3 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Melsik Baghdasaryan3 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Seattle
Jean Silva3 days ago

Gets First-Round Finish At UFC Seattle
Alonzo Menifield3 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Seattle
Julius Walker3 days ago

Defeated In His UFC Debut
Kyle Busch3 days ago

Leaves Atlanta With His First Top-10 Finish Of 2025
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Scores The Best Drafting-Track Finish Of His Career At Atlanta
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Rallies Back To Score A Finish Of Fourth At Atlanta
NASCAR3 days ago

Despite Rarely Factoring For The Lead, Bubba Wallace Has Great Points Day
Ross Chastain3 days ago

Chances For Victory End After A Bump From Carson Hocevar
Ricky Stenhouse Jr3 days ago

. Recovers From Causing Daytona Big One To Finish Fifth At Atlanta
Carson Hocevar3 days ago

Earns Best Career Finish
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

The Heavy Favorite To Win At Atlanta
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Can Kyle Larson Finally Get A Good Finish At The New Atlanta?
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Can Win This Weekend
William Byron4 days ago

Don’t Overlook William Byron At Atlanta This Weekend
Austin Cindric4 days ago

Looking To Contend Once Again At Atlanta
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Will Start Deep in the Field at Atlanta
Daniel Suarez4 days ago

Looking To Continue Magic At Atlanta
Christopher Bell4 days ago

An Obvious DFS Pick At Atlanta
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Is One of the Top DFS Options Of The Week For Atlanta Lineups
Joey Logano4 days ago

Is One Of The Favorites To Win At Atlanta
Kyle Busch4 days ago

Expect Kyle Busch To Compete For The Win At Atlanta
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Should Not Be Overlooked For Atlanta DFS Lineups
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Should Fantasy Players Roster Tyler Reddick At Atlanta This Week?
Alex Bowman4 days ago

Is Alex Bowman Worth Rostering For DFS Lineups At Atlanta?
Henry Cejudo6 days ago

Set For Bantamweight Clash
Song Yadong6 days ago

Faces A Legend At UFC Seattle
Anthony Hernandez6 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brendan Allen6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Jean Matsumoto6 days ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Rob Font6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Seattle
Melsik Baghdasaryan6 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Jean Silva6 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Seattle
Alonzo Menifield6 days ago

Opens Up UFC Seattle Main Card
Julius Walker6 days ago

Makes His UFC Debut
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF