Now that the draft is over and the rookies have team logos on their jerseys, we can get into which ones are in the best situations for fantasy in the short term (Dynasty is a different argument). True degens are already knee-deep in Best Ball drafts, and some rookies have all the upside in the world in this format. Let’s dive in. Follow me on Twitter @jac3600 for more content.
Skyy Moore (WR – KC)
After landing in Kansas City, it would seem that Moore’s upside is “Skyy high” (I’ll see myself out). But seriously, Skyy could do all kinds of damage for this Chiefs offense that averaged 29.4 PPG last season and has a gaping hole at WR after trading away Tyreek Hill. Tight end Travis Kelce should be the top target, but this is a team that can support all kinds of offensive production in the passing game after averaging 39.9 pass attempts per game (only TB had more).
Then there’s Moore himself. You’ve probably heard this number already, but he posted a 44.8% college dominator rating, a 39.5% college target share, and he averaged 3.4 fantasy points per route run (all elite numbers). Even if he goes through rookie woes from time to time, there’s no doubt Moore will put up some slate-winning weeks if he’s given the snaps.
Drake London (WR – ATL)
London will be the first rookie WR taken off the board in many Best Balls, and rightfully so. His situation is almost opposite to Skyy Moore’s, where the efficiency of Atlanta’s offense can be justly questioned (or even doubted). Still, it’s nearly certain that London will receive WR1 targets, and in the two seasons before 2021, Atlanta finished in the top five in passing attempts per game. Their subpar offensive line and RB stable do not support a shift away from that, even with Marcus Mariota taking over as the new QB.
Early indicators predict that only Treylon Burks will see more targets at the start as far as projections go. That could be in question with Tennessee’s clear commitment to the run (they had the most rushing attempts per game in 2021, even without Derrick Henry for much of the season, and the second-most in 2020). London’s ceiling target share, combined with his contested catch ability at USC, should have you drooling in Best Ball formats.
James Cook (RB – BUF)
I will not stand for the Cook slander on my Twitter timeline, and I think he’s in a perfect spot to replicate some of those “Nyheim Hines slate-breaking scores” we saw at times last season. If you’re projecting Cook for a huge carry load, you’re doing it wrong. They have Devin Singletary and Josh Allen for that, and Cook was always in a timeshare in college (Zamir White out-carried him last year). Cook’s passing game prowess makes him appealing this season, and he’ll be well utilized in that role early for the most efficient offense in football for the last two years.
Cook’s going to have a role and a profitable one. The Bills were 29th in passes to RBs last year and 28th the year before, but they really haven’t had the type of RB profile to utilize in that role, and they do now. In addition, as good as Allen is as a runner, they can’t continue allowing him to play the hard-nosed way that he does, which is reminiscent of Cam Newton at his height as a rusher. Zack Moss and Duke Johnson have not given any indication they’ll be any sort of competition for Cook in that change-of-pace role, and GM Brandon Beane all but said they drafted Cook because J.D. McKissic backed out of his deal with the Bills.
Rachaad White (RB – TB)
I’m only interested in White in Best Ball settings instead of redraft (the three above should have standalone value there as well). That said, the prospect of White in a Tom Brady-led offense is super intriguing in Best Ball. There isn’t much argument against White having the best receiving profile of any RB in this draft, as his 18.9% target share was in the 98th percentile of all backs, and his 2.25 yards per route run were top of the class. He also received a 90 receiving grade from PFF, the best in the class, and we’ve seen another RB named “White” be a top-10 RB in PPR formats with Brady.
So why not go all in? The biggest hitch is Leonard Fournette, who is coming off a season where he caught 69 passes, the third most among RBs in 2021. I think White will take a chunk out of that total, but I also thought the same about Gio Bernard last year, and he was a non-factor in that offense. Even with the risks of playing behind Fournette, I think White is a solid late-round BB investment. Based on his receiving profile, there are clear paths to ceiling weeks, especially if he’s given more receiving work than initially thought. If Fournette happens to miss time, it’s wheels up.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Jamie Calandro is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Jamie, check out his profile and follow him @jac3600.