Some things are certain in life; death, taxes, and dynasty fantasy football managers champing at the bit for rookie drafts as soon as the fantasy season ends.
Part of the fun of being a dynasty manager is that the season never ends. We are constantly striving to improve our rosters. The yearly ritual of the rookie draft is one of the best places to start. There are the apparent darlings of every rookie draft season: Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Najee Harris, Kyle Pitts, and Jonathan Taylor. What can change your fortunes is finding a player with hidden or underappreciated value. Michael Carter, Rhamondre Stevenson. Amon-Ra St. Brown, anyone? Remember, dynasty is about long-term value. A hot start does not ensure future success, nor does a slow start ensure future failure. These under-the-radar incoming rookies can provide value as a late-round pick or even free-agent acquisitions after your rookie draft.
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Jerrion Ealy (RB – Ole Miss)
Running back might be the most crucial position in fantasy football. Many of us saw our dreams shattered this past season when Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry landed on Injured Reserve (IR) or even with the preseason losses of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Making the right call come rookie draft season is vital, especially in the later rounds. Finding that sleeper player who could elevate your squad isn’t always easy. Most people didn’t see Rhamondre Stevenson having the fantasy impact he did in New England, and it changed some team’s fortunes late in the season. Heading into 2022, Jerrion Ealy could be that running back.
Though undersized at 5’9″ and 185 pounds, his combination of explosiveness at the line of scrimmage and ability to cut quickly in traffic more than makes up for his lack of stature. In addition to his quickness and speed, Early has excellent hands and the ability to quickly create separation when running routes, either out of the backfield or in the slot. An advantage of his slightness appears when he can slip through a crowd into space. Once he’s in the open field, his ability to accelerate quickly and separate himself from the ruckus is exceptional.
I’m not a big fan of player comparisons, but I would liken him to Michael Carter for the sake of clarity here. His versatility and obvious talent as a receiver will play well at the pro level. Ealy should find success as a hybrid back, working out wide in addition to any backfield duties. With the NFL making a clear shift to a “slash” type player such as Deebo Samuel and Cordarrelle Patterson, it would be surprising not to see him immediately plugged into the offense wherever he lands this April.
Skyy Moore (WR – Western Michigan)
One of the most volatile positions in fantasy football is wide receiver. Outside of a handful of elite-level players, you don’t always know who will be relevant from one week to the next. This lack of certainty makes it all the more important to find value in the later rounds of rookie drafts. Amon-Ra St. Brown is an excellent example of this. Last season, his overall consensus average draft position (ADP) in rookie drafts was 23rd, 10th among wide receivers, yet he finished as the overall PPR WR23 in 2021.
In many cases, his late-season surge proved to be league-winning. Who is that guy heading into 2022? May I present to you, Skyy Moore?
The slightly undersized wide receiver out of Western Michigan has the skill to become an immediate impact player in the right situation. First and foremost, Moore protects the ball well, having zero turnovers over three college seasons. His ability to separate himself in coverage with a mix of footwork and speed is reminiscent of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Once he creates separation, most cornerbacks have difficulty recovering, allowing him to find open spaces on the field. His vertical leap and spatial awareness make him an asset in jump ball situations and in the red zone.
Skyy Moore is the complete package. He can line up outside or in the slot, making him a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses. Moore is skilled at tracking the ball in the air among adjustments and fights hard for the catch. He should fit right in as a solid WR3/slot option in most offensive schemes. He could be an injury or demotion away from taking the reins as a WR1/2, just as we saw in Detroit with the aforementioned Amon-Ra St. brown. If he is still lingering in the late 2nd round – or later – of your rookie drafts, you need to grab him.
Jeremy Ruckert (TE – Ohio State)
Nothing has been more frustrating than trying to figure out the tight end position in fantasy football over the last few years. Elite, top-tier talent has been at a premium. This past season, the separation between the TE1 – Mark Andrews in Baltimore – and the TE2 – Travis Kelce in Kansas City – was nearly 100 fantasy points. Unless you are willing to mortgage the farm for one of the top talents at the position, finding a diamond in the rough in your rookie drafts is the most reasonable way to make your team better. This is no easy task. We saw two tight ends from this most recent rookie class make an impact in year one – Kyle Pitts and Pat Freiermuth – both of which finished 2021 as top-15 fantasy tight ends. Brevin Jordan and Tre’ McKitty started to emerge as possible breakout candidates late in the season as well, but they have a long way to go.
In my search for a robust under-the-radar candidate at tight end, the most significant factors for me are versatility, crisp route running, and the ability to roll off a block into a route to create separation and the illusion of run blocking. Jeremy Ruckert out of Ohio State does all of those things well and then some.
Ruckert is a big, physical player, standing at 6 ‘5” and weighing in at 250 pounds. He is surprisingly mobile for his size, making him a mismatch whether he draws a linebacker or cornerback in coverage. He has better-than-average hands for a tight end and isn’t afraid to get physical to make a catch. He uses that same willingness to get dirty to drive for yards after the catch, extending plays with his legs and upper body.
As an NFL tight end, I expect Ruckert to become a solid red zone target out of the gate. He should integrate well into the pro game with his size and speed. His knowledge of the game is apparent, as well, which should make his transition into the league a relatively easy one. Do I think he’s going to be a top-tier tight end in year one? Probably not. But this is dynasty fantasy football. His long-term value could be as high as an overall TE5 or higher with the right system, which is exceptional value for a later-round rookie draft pick.
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