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 1

Which rookies deserve your attention in Week 1 of the 2019 fantasy football season? Jake Trowbridge looks at first-year players at QB, RB, WR, and TE to determine what role they should play on your fantasy team.

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 minimizes the negative impact of injuries and bye- weeks.

In this first week, 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:

 

Rookie Quarterbacks to Watch in Week 1

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

All eyes will be on the first overall selection from this year's NFL draft when the Cardinals take on the Lions this Sunday. Murray will be tasked with running first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury's fast and furious Air Raid offense. He'll have to do so behind an offensive line that allowed Josh Rosen to be sacked 45 times and is currently ranked 30th overall by Pro Football Focus. Murray's arm strength and scrambling abilities will be put to the test as we find out just how effective the former Oklahoma quarterback can be as a ringleader of this potentially game-changing offense.

 

Rookie Running Backs to Watch in Week 1

Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders

Jacobs was the first running back taken in the 2019 NFL Draft, but this offseason has been relatively quiet for the supposed star of the Oakland backfield. The fact that we never once saw the former Alabama rusher's face during HBO's Hard Knocks series suggests he's more interested in grinding than in stardom. Despite never seeing more than 120 rushing attempts in a collegiate season, Jacobs figures to be the focal point of the Raiders' rushing attack. We'll have to wait until Monday night to see the results of his first offseason with Jon Gruden.

David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

Montgomery has looked like a star for the Bears' offense this offseason, bulldozing his way through the NFL's top defense in practice and dominating in his very limited preseason game snaps. Exactly how much Mike Davis and Tarik Cohen cut into the rookie running back's production should be plain to see in the Bears season opener against the Packers. Chicago traded up to get Montgomery using their first overall pick, so the expectation is he'll get a significant workload out of the gate. Still, Davis was effective in his role with the Seahawks last year, amassing 514 rushing yards and 214 receiving yards on 34 receptions while averaging just 37.9% of offensive snaps. Cohen, meanwhile, is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league. Montgomery is talented enough to be a true workhorse, the only question is whether Chicago views him that way.

Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills

With LeSean McCoy headed to Kansas City, we finally have a little bit of clarity with the Buffalo backfield. But just a little bit. Singletary isn't viewed in the same tier as fellow rookie running backs Jacobs, Montgomery, and Miles Sanders. He doesn't have the same clear path to production, either. Frank Gore may be old and T.J. Yeldon may not carry much stardust on his shoulders, but they should collaboratively cut into Singeltary's 3rd down and goal-line work. We just have to hope he can be efficient with the touches he sees.

 

Rookie Wide Receivers to Watch in Week 1

Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens

First-round draft capital and a complete dearth of receiving weapons in the Ravens' offense should put Brown in a great situation to produce. The only problem is his quarterback, Lamar Jackson, who turned three fantasy viable receivers into pumpkins last season after he took over for Joe Flacco. Baltimore's primary receivers were all ranked inside the Top 36 for fantasy heading into Jackson's tenure. None of them cracked the Top 70 while Jackson was at the helm. For Brown, these first few weeks will be about establishing a connection with his sophomore QB and carving out a role for himself in the offense. The Ravens need their top pick to get involved quickly, which he should be able to do against a bottom-feeding Miami defense.

Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck's sudden retirement has left the entire Colts offense in limbo. Expectations are much different for Indy's skill position players now than they were a couple of weeks ago, as we're not entirely sure how Jacoby Brissett will distribute the ball. Of all the rookie wide receivers, Campbell has the widest range of outcomes to start the season. He's come on strong following a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice for a couple of weeks, but the setback kept him from getting valuable training camp reps. Still, Campbell appeared to have rockets strapped to his back in the Colts final preseason game and could end up second or third on the team's depth chart when this week is over.

Keesean Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

After enduring a draft-day slide into the sixth round, KeeSean Johnson ended up the third receiver drafted by Arizona this year. That's admittedly not a great situation. But Johnson has stepped up over the offseason, leapfrogging fellow rookies Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler on the depth chart. Even with recent signee Michael Crabtree poised to steal snaps once he gets more accustomed to the offense, Johnson should be heavily utilized in an offense that will regularly trot out four wide receivers.

 

Rookie Tight Ends to Watch in Week 1

T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

We all know how hard it can be for a rookie tight end to pay off in fantasy. Most don't come out swinging like Rob Gronkowski or Evan Engram. Hockenson is the most well-rounded tight end prospect of this year's crop but finds himself on a team that may not be very pass-heavy. New OC Darrell Bevell has put his teams 16th or lower in passing attempts every year since 2010. Bevell's teams have ranked 10th or better in passing touchdowns four of the last six years, however, which gives Hockenson some nice upside.

Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

There's a lot of upside on the Bills' receiving corps, but not a lot of proven commodities. John Brown, Zay Jones, and Robert Foster are all field-stretchers, leaving Cole Beasley as one of the few underneath options. With Tyler Kroft still recovering from a foot injury, Knox, who profiles as one of the most athletic tight ends from this draft class, should see a decent amount of targets by default.

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
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Pivetta15 mins ago

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Brandon Marsh35 mins ago

Nearing Rehab Assignment
Mitchell Parker43 mins ago

Tosses Eight Shutout Innings
Javier Assad53 mins ago

Exits Rehab Start With Injury
Pablo López1 hour ago

Pablo Lopez Nearing Return
Cristopher Sánchez1 hour ago

Cristopher Sanchez Exits With Forearm Soreness
Jaylen Warren2 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Steelers
Luis Rengifo2 hours ago

Out After Having Root Canal
Tyler Matzek3 hours ago

Joins Big-League Roster
Chandler Simpson3 hours ago

Back In Leadoff Spot On Tuesday
Wade Miley3 hours ago

Starting His Rehab Assignment On Tuesday
Sam Moll3 hours ago

Starting Rehab Assignment On Tuesday
Tyler Stephenson3 hours ago

Starting Rehab Assignment On Tuesday
Marcus Semien3 hours ago

Dropped To Five-Hole On Tuesday
Cody Poteet3 hours ago

Placed On 15-Day Injured List With Shoulder Inflammation
Will Levis3 hours ago

Unlikely To Be Traded
Trevor Rogers3 hours ago

To Make Rehab Appearance On Wednesday
Houston Texans3 hours ago

Texans Considering Trading Up
Kyle Gibson4 hours ago

Goes Five Innings In Latest Minor-League Start
Cleveland Browns4 hours ago

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Appears At Offseason Program
Thomas Detry4 hours ago

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
George Kirby4 hours ago

To Face Hitters This Week
Christian McCaffrey4 hours ago

Has No Restrictions
Terry Rozier4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Daulton Varsho4 hours ago

Could Make Season Debut This Weekend
Max Scherzer4 hours ago

Plays Catch
Damian Lillard4 hours ago

Will Have His Minutes Monitored Tuesday
Anthony Santander4 hours ago

Sitting On Tuesday Amidst Slump
Jayson Tatum4 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Game 2
Robert MacIntyre4 hours ago

Returns To Zurich Classic With High Hopes
Jake McCarthy4 hours ago

Sent To Triple-A
Derek Forbort4 hours ago

Recovering From Surgery
Martin Fehérváry4 hours ago

Martin Fehervary To Miss Postseason Following Knee Surgery
Shane Lowry4 hours ago

Returning To Zurich Classic With Red-Hot Teammate
Luke Glendening5 hours ago

Available For Start Of Playoffs
Mitchell Chaffee5 hours ago

Available Tuesday
Cody Glass5 hours ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Brenden Dillon5 hours ago

Won't Play In Game 2
Luke Hughes5 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Matthew Tkachuk5 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Damian Lillard6 hours ago

Cleared To Play Tuesday
Brock Purdy7 hours ago

Reports For OTA's Amid Contract Discussions
George Kittle7 hours ago

Skips Start Of 49ers Offseason Program
Dallas Cowboys7 hours ago

Stephon Gilmore Spotted At Cowboys Facility On Tuesday
James Cook7 hours ago

Not At Start Of Voluntary OTAs
Kirk Cousins7 hours ago

Reports To Voluntary OTA's
Cam Ward8 hours ago

Titans Officially Staying Put At No. 1 Overall Pick, Expected To Select Cam Ward
8 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty's Tackle-Breaking Ability Sets Him Apart
9 hours ago

Jalen Milroe Not A Lock To Go In First Round
Denver Broncos9 hours ago

Broncos Willing To Trade Up In This Week's Draft
Indianapolis Colts9 hours ago

Colts Searching For A Tight End That Can Do It All
Daniel Jones9 hours ago

Colts Expect Both Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Help Them In 2025
9 hours ago

Giants High On Jaxson Dart
Rory McIlroy9 hours ago

Making Second Appearance At Zurich Classic
9 hours ago

Saints Not Expected To Take Shedeur Sanders
Aaron Rodgers9 hours ago

Situation Won't Affect Steelers Draft Plan
NFL11 hours ago

Browns, Giants Receiving Calls For No. 2, No. 3 Picks
Nikola Jokić12 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Posts 19th Postseason Triple-Double
Kawhi Leonard12 hours ago

Leads Clippers To Game 2 Victory
Jalen Brunson13 hours ago

Leads All Scorers With 37 Points In Monday's Loss
Tobias Harris13 hours ago

Notches Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Cade Cunningham13 hours ago

Leads Pistons To Victory With 33 Points
Rob Dillingham13 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Maxi Kleber13 hours ago

Remains Out For Game 2
GG Jackson II13 hours ago

Available For Tuesday
Evan Bouchard13 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Assists In Postseason Opener
Connor McDavid13 hours ago

Racks Up Four Points In Losing Effort
Nick Taylor14 hours ago

Can Surprise Again In The Big Easy
Phillip Danault14 hours ago

Nets Two Goals In Game 1 Victory
Adam Hadwin14 hours ago

Expects To Contend At Zurich Classic
Mark Scheifele14 hours ago

Bags Two Points In Monday's Win
Alejandro Tosti14 hours ago

Could Get Hot Again In New Orleans
Lane Hutson14 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Playoff Debut
Joe Highsmith14 hours ago

Struggling As New Orleans Approaches
Dylan Strome14 hours ago

Registers Three Assists In Overtime Win
Karl Vilips14 hours ago

Steps Up To Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Alex Ovechkin14 hours ago

Scores First Playoff Overtime Goal
Michael Thorbjornsen14 hours ago

Ready To Make Waves In New Orleans
Braden Schneider14 hours ago

Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
Tom Hoge14 hours ago

Ready To Make Some Birdies In New Orleans
Billy Horschel14 hours ago

Has Game To Win Third Zurich Classic
Tennessee Titans22 hours ago

Titans Have Turned Down Offers For No. 1 Overall Pick
Aaron Gordon1 day ago

Cleared For Action
Ousmane Dieng1 day ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Love1 day ago

Remains Away From Team
Terry Rozier1 day ago

Hurts Ankle Monday
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Officially Listed As Questionable For Game 2
Isaiah Stewart1 day ago

Ruled Out For Game 2 Against Knicks
Trent Frederic1 day ago

A Game-Time Call Monday
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Returns To Oilers Lineup For Postseason Opener
Jake Walman1 day ago

Available For Game 1
Brett Kulak1 day ago

Ready To Play Monday
Aliaksei Protas1 day ago

Expected To Return During First-Round Series
Isaiah Stewart2 days ago

Iffy For Monday Night
Aaron Gordon2 days ago

Listed As Probable For Game 2
Jaylen Brown3 days ago

Not Expected To Be Limited On Sunday
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol