The highs and lows of watching a new rookie class can bring a lot of fantasy football uncertainty. While it’s fun to have shiny new players to plug into lineups, their immediate usage and trends may not have fantasy managers jumping for joy just yet. Here, I aim to give you an update on how rookies are doing and their fantasy values. A monthly report will provide analysis on these, with January’s providing a final look at the fantasy and regular season production of the 2024 rookie class. I will rank some of the top fantasy producers at each position based on a combination of 2024 production and fantasy outlook.
Rookie Quarterbacks
Handy-dandy Quarterback Tracker (in ranking order):
| Player | Completion Percentage | Passing Yards | Yards per Attempt | TD : INT | Rushing Yards | Total TD |
| Jayden Daniels | 69.0% | 3,568 | 7.4 | 25 : 9 | 891 | 31 |
| Bo Nix | 66.3% | 3,775 | 6.7 | 29 : 12 | 430 | 33 |
| Drake Maye | 66.6% | 2,276 | 6.7 | 15 : 10 | 421 | 17 |
| Caleb Williams | 62.5% | 3,541 | 6.3 | 20 : 6 | 489 | 20 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 58.1% | 775 | 7.4 | 3 : 3 | 11 | 4 |
Stats via Pro Football Reference
1. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Now the top contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jayden Daniels and his dual-threat abilities have led the Commanders to a playoff berth. He set the rookie record for most quarterback rushing yards in a season, surpassing Robert Griffin III with 891 rushing yards on the season. Throw in 3,568 passing yards on 7.4 yards per attempt, and Daniels cruised to a fantasy QB1 finish this season. The Commanders have a growing unit that is heading into the playoffs with the NFC’s sixth seed and Daniels is the franchise quarterback they have been looking for. Daniels is a QB1 heading into the fantasy offseason.
2. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
The other rookie quarterback to make the playoffs was Bo Nix. He got off to a slow start in Sean Payton’s offense but had several key performances down the stretch, including a beat-down of the reserve Chiefs. In that Week 18 game, Nix completed 26-of-29 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns, adding 47 rushing yards. He has settled within the system, and while he and the Broncos may struggle against better teams in the playoffs, Nix is established as the Broncos’ franchise guy. For fantasy purposes, Nix is the rookie QB2, but the 24-year-old’s long-term ceiling is lower than Drake Maye and Caleb Williams.
The Non-Playoff Rookies
The Patriots and Bears both head into the offseason set to have new head coaches. Their respective quarterbacks, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, will be starting clean in 2025. Maye flashed potential with four top-12 fantasy finishes. Meanwhile, Williams was sacked 68 times but the three games he had over 20 fantasy points showcased his raw ability. Maye and Williams finish the season with a fantasy QB2 outlook.
Meanwhile, the Falcons have a cannon-arm QB in Michael Penix Jr. He averaged 8.2 yards per attempt in Week 18, totaling 317 yards and three touchdowns. We still need to see more after just three starts, but he finishes the season as a QB3 with QB2 upside heading into 2025. The Saints’ Spencer Rattler got a few starts but is likely still headed for backup duty. The Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy gets a tougher situation with Sam Darnold leading the team to the playoffs.
Rookie Running Backs
1. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Screaming into the finish, Bucky Irving was a 2024 league-winner. He averaged 18.2 fantasy points from Weeks 15-17 in Point-Per-Reception leagues after starting the season as the Buccaneers backup to Rachaad White. He came on with an efficient 5.4 yards per carry, a top-five mark across the league. Much of his receiving share was lost out to White, hence never seeing a workhorse snap share. However, his 14.4 fantasy points per game was still in the RB2 range and the 22-year-old has a good chance of starting 2025 as the Bucs’ starter.
Irving was a late-round fantasy pick and won many managers (myself included) their leagues. He was a home-run Dynasty rookie pick and projects in the back-end RB1 range for next season.
2. Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants
The Giants had two rookies reach a total of 1,000 yards, one of which was fifth round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. He started as the clear backup to Devin Singletary, totaling 16 touches through the first four games. Once Singletary missed time due to injury, Tracy became the primary back, seeing double-digit touches every game the rest of the season except for Week 7.
Though he was a volume-based play in a stumbling Giants offense, Tracy’s volume paid off for five RB2 finishes and two RB1 finishes. He was the only other rookie back to average over 10 fantasy points per game after Irving and projects as a low-end fantasy RB2 next season. However, the Giants are looking for a new quarterback and could add to the offense, leaving Tracy’s fantasy viability in flux heading into the offseason.
3. Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
The final rookie back out of the top three is Ray Davis. Though he was not a starter in 2024, Davis had productive games as James Cook’s backup in Buffalo. His best games included 152 total yards in Week 6 against the Jets, 90 yards and a score in Week 9 against the Dolphins and 67 yards with a score against the 49ers in Week 13. Davis is still a handcuff to Cook moving forward, but he flashed enough to receive standalone FLEX consideration for next season.
The Others
Beyond the top three is a mix of value. The 49ers’ Isaac Guerendo and Jets duo of Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis had productive games when their incumbent starters missed time. However, both teams have good starters who are unlikely to lose their jobs, making all three guys handcuffs moving forward. Blake Corum (Rams), MarShawn Lloyd (Packers), Kimani Vidal (Chargers), Jaylen Wright (Dolphins), and Trey Benson (Cardinals) also fall into the handcuff category, though we did not see much from them in 2024. Corum particularly has a chance to thrive in Sean McVay’s system, but is blocked by the workhorse share given to Kyren Williams.
The Broncos’ Audric Estime does not exactly fall into handcuff category, but is stuck in a committee. We will see if Sean Payton changes his tune as it pertains to running back usage, but Estime is likely headed for another committee with the Broncos. Lastly, the Panthers’ Jonathon Brooks suffered a devasting second ACL tear late in the 2024 season. This means he is out for most of 2025 and he won’t be back on the radar until 2026.
Rookie Wide Receivers
The Top Five
1. Malik Nabers, New York Giants
2. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
4. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
5. Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
There were several rookie receivers that provided fantasy managers a boost this season. At the top of the ladder is Malik Nabers, who led all rookies with 170 targets, but suffered from poor quarterback play in one of the worst scoring offenses in the league. The Giants capped his ceiling, but the good news is that his volume-based floor is extremely high. After averaging 18.2 PPR fantasy points per game in 2024, Nabers is squarely in the WR1 mix.
Next up is Brian Thomas Jr., who averaged 16.7 PPR fantasy points per game, good for a low-end WR1 value. He was both a deep threat and an alpha target earner, catching 87-of-133 targets for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ladd McConkey also became the No. 1 pass-catcher for his team, catching 82-of-112 targets for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns for the Chargers. Thomas and McConkey both had strong fantasy playoff performances to win fantasy managers championships. Thomas has higher WR1 upside; both he and McConkey sit on the borderline WR1 fence for 2025.
Meanwhile, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Xavier Worthy had two different paths to a similar fantasy output. Harrison was often a touchdown-dependent boom-or-bust play, ending the season with eight touchdowns. Worthy had a mid-season slump, but averaged 21.0 fantasy points per game from Weeks 15-17. Harrison and Worthy are in the WR3 mix for next season.
The Next Five
6. Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
7. Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills
8. Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers
10. DeVaughn Vele, Denver Broncos
This next five group of receivers showed enough production to have roles and fantasy utility in the future. Coleman averaged 19.2 yards per reception this season and looks to be a top-two receiving option for the Bills’ future. Though Odunze caught just 54.5 percent of his targets, often in miscommunication with Caleb Williams, the No. 9 pick still showed upside with 734 yards and three scores as the No. 3 option in the Bears offense.
When Chris Godwin went down mid-season, McMillan came on strongly. He totaled 24 receptions for 316 yards and seven touchdowns in the last five games of the season and will be in the WR4/5 fantasy mix heading into the offseason, getting a bump if one of Godwin or Mike Evans misses time. Legette tallied 49/497/4 in a growing Panthers offense, while Vele had 41/471/3 for the Broncos. Both have budding roles with young quarterbacks and round out this top ten.
Rookie Tight Ends
1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
This one has remains straightforward throughout the season, Brock Bowers stands above all else in the tight end group. He now holds the records for most Raiders single-season receptions, most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie tight end, and most receptions by a rookie in NFL history. Bowers finishes as a top-three tight end and the TE1 for Dynasty leagues.
The Others
Unfortunately, we did not see much out of other rookie tight ends this season. Theo Johnson (Giants) and Erick All (Bengals) suffered season-ending injuries. Ja’Tavion Sanders (Panthers) and A.J. Barner (Seahawks) had small roles on their teams. Cade Stover (Texans) and Ben Sinnott (Commanders) barely had roles. Johnson and Sanders have the best chances for fantasy relevancy in 2025.
