We’re only four weeks into the NFL season, but there’s been no shortage of impact from this year’s draft class in your fantasy football lineups — for better or worse. Let’s check in on the rookies.
Fantasy MVP: QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
I’ve been aggressively banging the drum for Daniels all offseason, and even I’m surprised by just how quickly he seems to have acclimated to the pros … and to a spot in our starting fantasy football lineups. Through the first four weeks of the season, he’s one of just four quarterbacks with 1,000+ total yards and he’s totaled 7 TDs (3 passing, 4 rushing) to just 1 INT as the QB1 on the year so far.
Through four weeks, Daniels has two top-three QB finishes in fantasy. Here’s a list of players with as many (or fewer) dating back to Week 1 of last season: Patrick Mahomes (1), Joe Burrow (0) and C.J. Stroud (2).
Biggest disappointment: QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
We may have fallen victim to the Hard Knocks hype train once again this year. After an inside look at the team’s training camp session and a frenzy of what seemed like plus moves for the roster, things haven’t quite come together for Williams just yet.
There’s still a lot to like about how the Bears have constructed this offense around Williams, especially from a personnel standpoint with DJ Moore on a long-term deal and a top-10 pick in Rome Odunze ready to play out his rookie deal right along with him. Though Williams has been largely unplayable for fantasy to this point (just a single game with more than 12 points), he could be emerging as a solid trade target in dynasty leagues if the manager who likely drafted him as the QB1 off the board is starting to panic.
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Second-half RB star to watch: RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The obvious choice for a second-half star to watch is Carolina Panthers rookie Jonathon Brooks, set to make his NFL debut at some point after Week 5 following a season-ending knee injury in 2023. However, I’d like to shine some light on another emerging star with breakout potential — fourth-round RB Bucky Irving, who’s made an outstanding case for an increased workload alongside Rachaad White this year. In fact, he may just be making the case for the bulk of the workload …
White has always been an inefficient runner, but most were able to disregard that when considering his fantasy value thanks to his value as a receiver. Unfortunately for him, however, Irving has looked demonstrably better through the first four weeks of the season, outpacing him in most efficiency categories, including yards per rush attempt, missed forced tackle rate, yards after contact and first-down/touchdown rate. Though he had a costly fumble in Week 5’s TNF bonanza, he saw an increase in his offensive snap share for the fourth consecutive week — an encouraging sign for what could be to come down the stretch.
Headache of the Year: RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets
Yahoo’s own Scott Pianowski highlighted New York Jets RB Breece Hall as one of his biggest draft mistakes this year, and for good reason. He’s struggled a bit out of the gate, and unfortunately, fourth-round rookie Braelon Allen looks great in comparison, which certainly makes it that much more difficult for the Jets to keep him off the field.
Part of Hall’s appeal as a top-three RB off the board in fantasy leagues this year was the projected workhorse role in what should have been a vastly improved offense. Instead, he’s splitting touches, with 74 this year to Allen’s 34 — a larger split than was originally projected this offseason. Allen won’t hold standalone value this season, but he’d emerge as an every-week must-start RB if Hall were to go down to injury.
Everything we thought they would be: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals), Malik Nabers (Giants)
There’s not much that hasn’t already been said about Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. After all, they were each drafted top-six in the 2024 NFL Draft. Each of them stepped in to become the primary receiving option on their respective offenses, and Nabers specifically leads the NFL in targets (51) through the first four weeks.
Harrison Jr.’s rank as a top-15 wide receiver isn’t particularly shocking; he was drafted as such, after all. Nabers was the bigger dart throw for fantasy football managers, selected on average as the WR25 off draft boards primarily due to concerns about his ability to overcome Daniel Jones as his starting quarterback. Those concerns, though entirely valid — Jones ranks 27th among QBs in accurate throw percentage per PFF — are apparently totally irrelevant thanks to a ridiculous 33.6% target rate that ranks third in the NFL.
Expect both of these wideouts to be reigning superstars for many years to come. No need to overthink it.
Saving the unsavable position: TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Most fantasy football managers mourned the landing spot of Las Vegas for other-worldly Georgia prospect Brock Bowers. It looked like a crowded situation there in the Raiders’ receiving room with All-Pro wideout Davante Adams leading the pack and the underrated Jakobi Meyers and former second-round TE Michael Mayer in the mix. Then, there was the question of who in the world would be throwing them the ball. However, Bowers has quickly climbed to the top of the ranks, leading the team with a 21.9% target share on routes run which ranks sixth among all tight ends with 10 or more targets this year.
Bowers has yet to hit paydirt this season, but he ranks second in catches (20) and receiving yards (216), good for TE3 on the year in half-PPR scoring formats. Once the touchdowns do eventually come (and surely they will at some point, as he’s tied for the second-most red-zone targets among TEs paired with elite yards after the catch ability).
Most untapped potential: WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
We’re only four weeks into the season, but it feels like we have more than a handful of “almost” plays from No. 9 pick Rome Odunze. A lot of those “almosts” come at the hand of his quarterback, of course, with the fourth-highest uncatchable, inaccurate throw rate at 26.5% per PFF — ranked behind only Bryce Young (benched), Anthony Richardson and Trevor Lawrence (both struggling). Odunze’s 52.4% catchable target rate ranks 83rd among 86 qualifying receivers.
Despite the lack of ability to connect just yet, Odunze ranks third among wide receivers in separation generated against man coverage in 2024 per Fantasy Points Average Separation Score, and the two have continued building chemistry through the offseason and into the regular season. Odunze was right up there with Harrison Jr. and Nabers in terms of his NFL readiness as a wideout, with excellent size and fluidity as a route-runner that is bound to show itself sooner rather than later.