Rookie fever has entered the 2024 season, and it has set most fantasy football lovers into a trance. This fever happens every year as we spend so much time researching these rookies after the Super Bowl because we miss football so much that we overhype these players.
Could they still be significant assets for their team? Of Course! However, raising them too far up the fantasy football average draft positions (ADPs) should be the first warning sign that we need to cool off and reanalyze how we handle these young stars entering the NFL.
Today, we will help you take a second look at some fantasy football rookies who could sink your redraft teams this season.
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Overvalued Fantasy Football Rookies
Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)
We must be concerned whenever we have a New York Giants player in the top 50. The Giants’ offense is projected to be one of the weakest in the NFL. We have a wide receiver attached to Daniel Jones, who is 43rd overall. Anything connected to Daniel Jones is a cause for concern, but we could completely tank our fantasy football team with this draft selection. No one can ever win their draft in the first few rounds, but the wrong selection can help us lose at the draft.
Nabers is a talented player who possesses issues outside the person under center. One of the most significant issues for Nabers that he needs to work on is his hand placement at the point of the snap while getting into the route. Now, that may sound like a small problem.
However, that could compound and cause issues within his routes as he often loses at first contact. Nabers must also attack the ball more efficiently in the air, especially with a below-average quarterback like Daniel Jones throwing inaccurate passes.
Nabers’s most significant issue in fantasy football is his ADP of 43rd overall. You could hold off and later draft Amari Cooper (47), George Pickens (49) or even Tank Dell (55) and have a higher ceiling within more potent offenses.
Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)
A rule of thumb in fantasy football is to draft players from good teams. Another rule is that we should draft running backs from good teams because they will have more opportunities to land in the endzone instead of stalling out on their drives. Now, we have Jonathan Brooks residing in the running back dead zone, at 86th overall, and for some reason, everyone is losing their minds over this player.
Sit back and ask yourself this question, “I have my last $500, and I have to bet on the Panthers offense to be good this season. Do I believe in them?” I can hear your answer already, so let’s approach this cautiously.
On top of his landing spot, we still have a knee injury we need to be concerned about in 2024. This injury could limit his time on the field to begin the season, but it could also limit his ability to learn the small details of the game/scheme, especially in pass-blocking. Brooks has two running backs who are solid NFL veterans: Chubba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.
Neither of those players screams cowbell for your backfield, but if they complete the small but essential task daily because they understand the game at a higher level, then Brooks may have an issue with his snap count percentage.
His final issues are minor but could limit his access to the playbook. He has good hands as a receiver but doesn’t create many nuances within his routes to elevate his pass-catching abilities before the ball is in his hands. This issue could take third downs away from the rookie running back and cause a problem for his upside in fantasy football.
At 86th overall, you can wait and grab Javonte Williams (87), Raheem Mostert (89) or even Tyjae Spears (102). These players will either meet or exceed the total points produced by Jonathon Brooks.
Xavier Worthy (WR – KC)
Anything attached to Patrick Mahomes is a great decision, right? Well, we said that just two years ago with Skyy Moore. Now, we look Xavier Worthy in the face. It’s more like the back of his shirt because his blazing 40-yard dash helped propel him yards ahead of our vision. He has blazing speed but has some major issues within his game. Worthy struggles to separate against the physical coverage and can get locked up against a good press corner that gets their hands on him early.
Worthy also suffers from other physical traits hindering his performance, which isn’t surprising at 172 pounds (an issue on its own). Strength is a consistent issue within his game that shows up when he can not use his hands properly to fight off defenders as he tries to use that insane speed to get by them vertically. The strength issue also flares up in contested catch situations for Worthy.
On top of the strength issue, we have another problem with this offense: his pecking order on this totem pole. Within the Kansas City Chiefs offense, the first option is Travis Kelce. After that, you have Isiah Pacheco out of the backfield as the second option in the offense.
Finally, the Chiefs entered free agency and signed Hollywood Brown to join them in this offense. Will Worthy even have the chance to shine with Patrick Mahomes in 2024? Do Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid trust a rookie to be in the proper position? We have serious questions surrounding an underweight player on a crowded offense.
At 88th overall, we could hold off from drafting this rookie wide receiver and target players at a later ADP, such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba (94), Keon Coleman (98), Jameson Williams (104) and even Brian Thomas Jr. (107).
Remember to read all the fantastic work here at FantasyPros, and don’t forget to remember the negatives attached to these young rookies. Rookies take a minute to learn the game at this level, and we could tank our season if we don’t approach them correctly.
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If you ever need more advice on the rookies or with fantasy football in general, don’t hesitate to contact me on Twitter at @jpep20.
