Fantasy football rookie watch: Malik Nabers, Jayden Daniels and Bucky Irving come up big
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Eric Moody, ESPN
The performances of Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (24.0 PPR points), New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (23.1) and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (21.9) gave fantasy managers a big boost in their Week 4 matchups. But things didn’t go as smoothly for other rookies.
So, what statistical tidbits should you know about, and which rookies deserve your attention moving forward?
Quarterbacks
Top performers
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (93.8% rostered, 68.7% started)
Daniels put up 24.0 fantasy points against the Cardinals on Sunday. He now has scored 24 or more points in three of his first four games this season. His 82.1% completion percentage is the highest over any four-game span in league history (and he has done it in his first four career games). The only other quarterback to post a completion rate above 80% over four games is Peyton Manning, who hit 81.8% in 2008. Daniels is a must-start, high-end QB1 against the Browns in Week 5.
Keep ’em rostered
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (53.0% rostered, 12.0% started)
While Williams didn’t replicate his 363-yard performance from Week 3 against the Colts, he did make progress in an important area. On Sunday, he completed 89.0% of his passes when blitzed (nine attempts for 75 yards and a touchdown). He had more passing yards against the blitz than he did in the first three games combined (56). Williams was also much better as a passer when under pressure. Williams finished with 11.4 fantasy points but could have a bigger day in Week 5 against a Panthers defense that ranks inside the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. He’s best viewed as a low-end QB2.
Others to watch
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (8.3% rostered)
I thought Nix could be a solid QB streamer in Week 5 against the Raiders. His 19.3-point fantasy performance in Week 3, where he completed 69.4% of his passes, showed promise. However, Nix and the Broncos’ offense took a significant step back against the Jets in Week 4. He completed only 48.0% of his passes for 60 yards and 6.7 fantasy points. With better options like Andy Dalton or Deshaun Watson in Week 5, fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streamer. Keep Nix on your watch list.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots (2.1% rostered)
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo announced on Friday that Jacoby Brissett will remain the starting quarterback, but we will see if that’s still the case after another loss in Week 4. New England is struggling, ranking near the bottom of the league in total yards and points scored per game, along with poor offensive line play. Keep Maye on your watch list as the Patriots host the Dolphins in Week 5.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons (0.9% rostered)
For Penix to see the field, Kirk Cousins would have to either underperform or get injured. If that happened, Penix would have solid playmakers. Drake London, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts are all ready to help him out. Cousins finished Sunday’s game against the Saints with just 9.0 fantasy points, and he has averaged a dismal 10.5 fantasy points per game. Let’s see how he fares against the Buccaneers in Week 5.
Running backs
Top performer
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (51.7% rostered, 8.3% started)
Before the Week 4 game against the Eagles, reports said Irving would get more work, and he did. Even with a hamstring issue, he had 11 touches and 12.5 fantasy points, a season high. Rachaad White, who had food poisoning before the game, managed 12 touches and 10.4 fantasy points. Both backs will stay involved, but Irving looks like he’s the more explosive back. He’s rostered in just 51.7% of leagues. If you need a running back, go get him.
Keep ’em rostered
Carson Steele, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (64.0% rostered, 26.1% started)
Steele led the Chiefs’ backfield with 18 touches and 74 total yards against the Falcons in Week 3, but that all changed in Week 4 against the Chargers. Kareem Hunt, who was elevated from the practice squad, took the lead with 16 touches and 71 total yards. Steele managed only three touches in that game, though he played 33 snaps compared to Hunt’s 17. It seemed like he was benched for some reason. Steele is worth holding on to since Isiah Pacheco is on injured reserve, but for now, he belongs on your bench rather than in your starting lineup.
Braelon Allen, New York Jets (45.6% rostered, 8.4% started)
The Jets’ running back by committee continues to get closer. Allen finished with nine touches and 5.1 fantasy points against the Broncos on Sunday, while Breece Hall finished with 12 touches and 2.8 fantasy points. Hall has recorded 20 or more touches and scored 18 or more fantasy points in each of the past three games, while Allen has had nine or more touches and scored 10 or more points in each of the past two. The rookie has standalone value and is earning more touches. He’s worth adding (46.5% rostered) to see if he can capitalize on that in Week 5 against the Vikings.
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (31.4% rostered, 0.8% started)
James Conner continues to have a massive workload in the Cardinals’ backfield. He has had 19 or more touches in three of four games this season. Conner has also scored 18 or more fantasy points in those three games. If Conner ends up missing time, Benson could step in and handle a significant portion of the workload. We saw a glimpse of that in the Cardinals’ blowout loss to the Commanders when Benson relieved Conner. He finished with 51 rushing yards on nine attempts. Benson is definitely worth stashing on your bench if he’s available in your league.
Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers (65.6% rostered)
Brooks is still on the PUP/NFI list as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last November at Texas, meaning he’ll miss at least the first four games. However, the Panthers’ offense looks revitalized with Andy Dalton at quarterback, which is encouraging for those with Brooks in their IR spot. Chuba Hubbard had 26 touches and 27.9 fantasy points in Week 3, then followed it up with 19 touches and 22.1 points on Sunday against the Bengals. It’s best to take a wait-and-see approach.
Others to watch
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins (11.5% rostered)
This will be updated following Wright’s game on Monday night.
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (27.8% rostered)
Corum didn’t see any touches against the Bears; it was all about Kyren Williams. He finished with 20.4 fantasy points on 23 touches. Williams has averaged 21.5 touches per game this season. Corum’s fantasy relevance really hinges on Williams’ availability. Keep the rookie on your watch list.
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers (11.4% rostered)
The Packers placed Lloyd on injured reserve and signed running back Chris Brooks from the practice squad earlier this week to add depth. Lloyd will be out for at least four weeks, likely returning in Week 7 against the Houston Texans. Emanuel Wilson is now the Packers’ No. 2 back. Green Bay trailed the Vikings for most of the game, leaning more on the passing game than the run. Lloyd belongs on your watch list, not your fantasy roster.
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills (8.7% rostered)
This will be updated following Davis’ game on Sunday night.
Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers (1.1% rostered)
Vidal has been inactive for four straight games (coach’s decision), but there’s still potential for the rookie in the Chargers’ run-heavy offense. The easiest path to fantasy relevancy would be if J.K. Dobbins or Gus Edwards miss time. Keep Vidal on your watch list.
Wide receivers
Top performers
Malik Nabers, New York Giants (98.3% rostered, 88.2% started)
Nabers delivered another stellar performance against the Cowboys on Thursday night, finishing with 15 targets and 23.1 fantasy points. He’s the first Giants player to score 20 or more fantasy points in three consecutive games within a season since Saquon Barkley in 2019. It was also Nabers’ second game with at least 10 receptions, joining Puka Nacua as the only players to do that in their first four career games. However, Nabers’ night ended early due to a concussion. He’s in the league’s concussion protocol, and his Week 5 status against the Seahawks is uncertain. The good news is that the Giants have a 10-day break, giving Nabers extra recovery time. He’s a locked-in WR1 every week.
Keep ’em rostered
Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals (99.4% rostered, 94.2% started)
Even though Harrison is behind Nabers in the rookie wide receiver pecking order, he has been impressive during the past three weeks. He has had eight or more targets and 17 or more fantasy points in each game. While Daniel Jones is leaning heavily on Nabers, you could argue that Kyler Murray should start relying more on Harrison. When targeting him, Murray has a 110.0 passer rating. Harrison remains a must-start, low-end WR1 moving forward.
Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears (75.6% rostered, 19.2% started)
Odunze finished with three targets and just 2.0 fantasy points against the Rams on Sunday. It was a disappointing performance, especially after he set career highs the week before against the Colts with 11 targets, 6 receptions, 112 receiving yards and 23.4 fantasy points. However, one silver lining is that the only player who ran more routes than Odunze was DJ Moore. It will be tough to trust Odunze as anything more than a flex option in deeper leagues against the Panthers in Week 5.
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers (75.0% rostered, 12.8% started)
McConkey had his best fantasy day of the season, scoring 17.7 points on seven targets. Only Quentin Johnston ran more routes than the rookie. McConkey is productive when he gets the looks. However, the Chargers are one of the top teams in rushing attempts per game. McConkey is best viewed as a flex option in deeper leagues after their Week 5 bye, when they face the Broncos in Week 6.
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (89.3% rostered, 26.4% started)
Worthy scored 13.7 fantasy points on Sunday against the Chargers, marking his second-best performance after scoring 20.8 points in Week 1 against the Ravens. However, he had only four targets in the game. His receiving touchdown against Los Angeles was a thing of beauty, as he reached a max speed of 21.4 mph, according to Next Gen Stats. With Rashee Rice possibly missing time due to a knee injury suffered against the Chargers, Worthy could step up to fill the void. So far this season, he has been boom-or-bust due to his limited targets, but this might be his chance to shine.
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (75.5% rostered, 12.3% started)
Thomas had a career-high nine targets and 21.9 fantasy points on Sunday against the Texans. Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk have run more routes than Thomas this season, but the rookie is close behind and making the most of his opportunities. He can be viewed as a high-end flex option in Week 5 against a Colts defense that ranks in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed per game to wide receivers.
Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills (63.4% rostered, 3.2% started)
This will be updated following Coleman’s game on Sunday night.
Others to watch
Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers (25.0% rostered)
The Panthers’ offense looked energized with Dalton under center, but Adam Thielen‘s hamstring injury was a tough blow, landing him on injured reserve. This opened the door for Legette to get more snaps and targets against the Bengals, and he delivered on Sunday. He caught 6 of 10 targets for 19.6 fantasy points. However, two drops in the second half were disappointing. Legette, Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo all ran the same number of routes. He’s a solid flex option in deeper formats for Week 5 against the Bears.
Ja’Lynn Polk, New England Patriots (15.7% rostered)
The Patriots’ wide receiver rotation is still in flux, but Polk did see a season-high seven targets. Only Hunter Henry and DeMario Douglas ran more routes than the rookie. However, the Patriots rank near the bottom of the league in pass attempts and passing yards, making Polk’s fantasy relevance hard to see unless things change. For now, he’s just a player to keep on your watch list.
Adonai Mitchell, Indianapolis Colts (14.8% rostered)
Mitchell had zero receptions on three targets against the Bears on Sunday, running only nine routes compared to 22 for Josh Downs, who received five targets. Right now, Mitchell doesn’t have much fantasy value. It’s unclear how the Colts’ passing game could improve with Joe Flacco under center if Anthony Richardson misses time due to his hip injury. Flacco finished with 15.0 fantasy points and averaged 21.7 fantasy points per game with the Browns last season while Deshaun Watson was out.
Luke McCaffrey, Washington Commanders (2.9% rostered)
McCaffrey has just seven total targets this season and 14.9 fantasy points. On Sunday against the Cardinals, he ran the fifth-most routes on the team. McCaffrey should be on your watch list, but it’s tough to trust him in fantasy lineups, even in deeper leagues.
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2.7% rostered)
McMillan was inactive against the Eagles on Sunday due to a hamstring injury. In the three games before that, he played a similar number of snaps and ran about the same number of routes as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, he isn’t getting the targets. Evans and Godwin combined for 23 targets against the Eagles. It’s tough for McMillan to be fantasy relevant unless one of them misses time. Keep him on your watch list.
Tight end
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (95.4% rostered, 79.1% started)
Bowers has been quiet during the past two weeks, with just seven total targets and 12.2 fantasy points. The good news? He’s still running plenty of routes. Only Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker have run more this season. Bowers remains on the TE1 radar, and we’ll see if he gets back on track against the Broncos in Week 5.
