Fantasy Football 2018: Rookie stars, best running backs not named Barkley

One rookie stands above everyone else, so set Barkley aside. These are the likely rookie stars and best running backs for Fantasy Football 2018. Don’t pass on them in your draft.

This fantasy football year, first-year storylines will be dominated by the presence of just one dude: New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. He is being drafted as a first-round pick, expected to carry a fantasy team before he’s even taken a snap in a real game. His first carry in his first preseason game was the stuff of legend, but he garnered zero fantasy football 2018 points for s.

It is hard to imagine any rookie performing better than Barkley this year. He has a job with little to no competition for touches. He is also playing in a solid offense with other stars to take away some of the defensive focus. His quads are also big enough for two rookies. There isn’t really an obvious shortcoming. After Barkley though, and after so many rookie breakouts a season ago, where should fantasy owners turn? Who will be great this season as a rookie?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Fantasy Football 2018 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

Most of the other fantasy football 2018 rookies start to come off the board in the fifth round. A number have clear opportunities for playing time either through a lack of competition or through winning pending position battles. The top ones, spaced out by half a dozen rounds, are Royce Freeman, Ronald Jones, Rashaad Penny, Sony Michel, Kerryon Johnson, and Nick Chubb.

Interestingly, none of these likely contributors are wide receivers. It is rare to find a productive rookie wide receiver from day one. They often develop throughout their rookie years if they are going to become useful in fantasy. That means they are normally not worth drafting but could be worth monitoring as the year progresses. The one I have my eye on is the one who was taken second at the position in the NFL Draft. Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley doesn’t have the ceiling of some of his peers, but he feels like he is in the perfect spot to succeed. Once he gets his sea legs, that is.

I don’t see any rookie receivers, tight ends, or quarterbacks I would want to draft in a standard league. Maybe Lamar Jackson or Mike Gesicki are weekly starters by the time the fantasy playoffs roll around, but I wouldn’t be confident enough in that to waste a draft pick. Just like wide receiver, monitor the waiver wire instead.

The ones worth drafting are the RBs. It’s just a matter of determining which guys will excel. Chopping this down quickly, I am ruling out Jones, Penny, Michel, Johnson, and Chubb from the second tier (with Barkley being tier one by himself). I don’t think Jones has the game to be an every down player. He is barely bigger than incumbent Jacquizz Rodgers, and Jones was never an asset in the passing game in college despite his size seeming to push him away from being a bell cow back.

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There are too many competitors for carries in New England and Cleveland for Michel and Chubb to separate themselves. The former Georgia teammates are used to this, but that doesn’t help either’s fantasy value. The same goes for Penny in Seattle, where as many as five guys look like plausible members of a committee. As for Johnson, I am simply scared away by Detroit. The Lions haven’t developed a running back in years; since Kevin Jones more than a dozen years ago.

That leaves Freeman in tier two. Like Jones, he never developed into a threat in the passing game in college, but he sure has the look and feel of an every down back. He can run between the tackles and had been a lead back since he was a freshman. With only the unsatisfying Devontae Booker standing in his way, I’d feel confident tabbing Freeman as one of my fantasy starters from Week 1.

Dan Salem:

The rookie class in Fantasy Football 2018 is much deeper than you may think, but immediate production in your lineup is certainly suspect from most players. Keeper leagues MUST take into account future quarterback success, meaning both Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are excellent sleeper picks. Hell, Darnold is likely to start within the first month of games THIS season. No one knows how great the New York Jets’ offense will be, but when has that ever determined fantasy value? Darnold will get his numbers once he sees the field. This is future foresight at its best.

In terms of fantasy starters that everyone must target, keeper leagues or not, we are certainly limited to the running back position. Every season I hit the waiver wire hard after week one, snatching up quality wide receivers who appear in line for the bulk of their team’s targets, at least for a few weeks. This includes the rookies, because quarterback chemistry is nearly impossible to project. Unless your favorite team has a new rookie receiver or tight end, ignore them completely. A pick of one directly before your kicker and defense is otherwise acceptable. Who else got burned by drafting the Bears’ Kevin White a couple of seasons ago? Just me?

Since rookie running backs are integral to filling out your fantasy roster, Freeman is an excellent selection. The Denver Broncos are great at developing running backs. Barkley is the clear number one, but Freeman is a close second because of the team he finds himself on and the opportunities he’ll receive.

Three other players have HUGE sleeper potential. Nyheim Hines with the Indianapolis Colts is an extremely versatile back who is going to get touches from week one. Marlon Mack is the starter right now, but Hines will likely factor in the passing game immediately. With the return of Andrew Luck, there is a high ceiling for what Hines can bring to the Colts’ offense.

I know both the Patriots and Seahawks have crowded backfields, but considering they spent first round picks on Michel and Penny respectively, don’t sleep on either player. They can easily emerge as fantasy starters by week two or three, meaning it will be too late for you. Instead of drafting extra receivers, grab one of these running backs. The upside is too good to miss for Fantasy Football 2018.