Whether you play in traditional or dynasty fantasy football leagues, these rookies will bring value right away in 2019.
In most cases, it’s not wise to draft rookies in fantasy football very early. Usually, dynasty leagues are where rookies have the most value, as owners can draft a player, tuck him away and break him out when he hits his prime.
That said, the 2019 NFL Draft set the stage for a handful of players to make immediate impacts in fantasy football. Whether it’s the position they were drafted, their rare talent, or the situation they ended up in from a depth chart standpoint, these player are poised to provide your fantasy football team with some immediate value in the upcoming season.
We start with the No. 1 overall pick.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
You’re in trouble if Kyler Murray is your week-to-week starter, but there are going to be situations where you’re going to want to plug him in. The Cardinals will be playing from behind a lot. That’ll have Murray exhausting his unique skill set — through the air and on the ground — in order to keep his team in games.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders
Josh Jacobs was the first running back selected in the NFL Draft and looks to have the starting job already locked up in Oakland. That means he’ll get the bulk of the carries and plenty of targets out of the backfield in what could be a decent offense.
N’Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots
N’Keal Harry steps into a talent-starved position group in New England as the most polished and NFL-ready receiver Bill Belichick has drafted during his time with the Patriots. Someone will need to make up for the 155 targets that Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson had in 2018. Harry seems like the most logical candidate.
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D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Speaking of targets, D.K. Metcalf should get bunches of them as Seattle turns a page offensively from a personnel standpoint. He’ll see targets deep and in the red zone multiple times every game, giving him a high fantasy scoring ceiling.
Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Parris Campbell is going to get plenty of targets thanks to the attention paid to T.Y. Hilton. Additionally, the Colts are going to find plenty of creative ways to get this dynamic player the ball.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
Matt Patricia cut his coaching teeth at a place that utilized the tight end like never before in history. There are plenty of targets to go around in Detroit’s passing game. T.J. Hockenson will get more than his fair share.
Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos
Noah Fant is a mismatch in the passing game, largely because he’s just a giant wide receiver. Regardless of whether it’s Joe Flacco or Drew Lock tossing him the ball, Fant will get plenty of red zone looks.
Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are going to use Marquise Brown’s ability to take the top off the same way Kansas City did with Tyreek Hill. Lamar Jackson won’t need to be accurate with the deep ball — he just needs to get out in front of Brown. Look for that to happen often in 2019.
David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears
David Montgomery immediately steps into the role of traditional first and second down back, complimenting Tarik Cohen. He’s also a good bet to get most carries or any Bears running back near the goal line.
Josh Oliver, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Oliver is one of the more dynamic tight ends in the 2019 rookie class. He should be heavily involved in the passing game immediately. Nick Foles targeted the tight end plenty in Philadelphia and his comfort level in doing so won’t change just because his uniform did.