With the 2023 NFL draft even further behind us, I’ve had more time to analyze situations where first-year players can have a significant fantasy impact. Following up on my previous article of six rookies that should be fantasy contributors this season, here are six more to put on your radar.
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Devon Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
Miami added even more speed to their offense here with Devon Achane who ran the fourth fastest combine time for any running back in history, clocking in at a 4.32. Joining a very open RB room with the only real competition being 31-year-old Raheem Mostert and an injury-riddled Jeff Wilson, Achane is in an ideal situation where he can get some reps very early on.
The former Texas A&M RB does lack size but his quickness, tough running, and breakaway speed more than make up for it. He put up almost 1300 total yards and 11 touchdowns in his final year in college. Similar to a Darren Sproles-type player, he may not be an every-down back but Achane can immediately be a change of pace and receiving back, as well as a kick/punt returner.
Offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel praised Achane and even said that he was surprised that he was available at the pick. I expect Achane to get opportunities to prove himself very early on in the season and can be a real fantasy option if Mostert and/or Wilson get hurt.
Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
After their 2022 second-round pick Kenneth Walker had an incredible rookie season where he finished just behind Garrett Wilson for Offensive Rookie of the Year, Seattle still decided to spend another second-rounder on a running back. Using the 52nd overall pick on him, the Seahawks add Charbonnet who is a big back that may lack the quickness and top-end speed but makes up for it with his size, aggressive running style, and very underrated receiving traits.
Kenneth Walker will without a question be the lead back for Seattle in 2023, but second-round draft capital is no joke for an RB and Charbonnet will get a ton of opportunity in his first season. The former UCLA product put up almost 1700 total yards and 14 touchdowns in his last year as a Bruin while averaging seven yards a carry on 195 carries.
Charbonnet has real three-down ability and plays very similarly to Packers RB AJ Dillion; he and Walker may split touches in a similar fashion to how Dillion and Aaron Jones have. Charbonnet will more than likely start out slow but get more and more touches as the season progresses, and can have an astronomical fantasy impact if Walker misses any time.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
While many thought that Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison would both go ahead of Quentin Johnston, the Chargers decided that Johnson was the right fit for them and their future. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Johnson is the most athletic receiver in the class and has incredible quickness and change of direction for his size.
The biggest knocks on the TCU receiver have been his costly drops and the fact that he does not play up to his size at times. If he can improve this at the next level learning from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, there is no telling how dominant he can be.
It will be difficult for Johnson to produce right away with all the target competition in Los Angeles, but the team did have the second most pass attempts in 2022 and spread the football around generously. Keenan Allen is aging, Josh Palmer has yet to prove that he can be a reliable starter, and Mike Williams was injured throughout a portion of this past season.
This is a great landing spot for Johnson and there is a pathway for him to be relevant in fantasy during his rookie season. Johnson does have a similar playstyle to Mike Williams, but three-receiver sets with Johnson, Williams, and Allen will have defenses exhausted. Expect Johnson to be a low-end WR4 in fantasy to start the season, with great upside if injuries hit the Chargers as they did in 2022.
Jonathan Mingo, WR, Carolina Panthers
Jonathan Mingo may be the toughest receiver to evaluate out of this year’s draft class. While he doesn’t have much production to show for throughout his career at Ole Miss, this has a lot to do with how run-heavy the team was and the very inconsistent play from his quarterbacks.
Mingo is a big receiver at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds but still ran a 4.46 at the combine despite all the negative talk about his speed. Having incredible technique, deep-ball skills, big-play ability, and run-after-catch traits, Mingo is a very similar prospect to what fellow Ole Miss receiver and current superstar AJ Brown was coming into the league.
Carolina needed to get Bryce Young as much help as possible immediately, and this is a move in the right direction. With soon-to-be 33-year-old Adam Thielen and an injury-prone DJ Chark being the only real receiver competition, Mingo can become Young’s favorite target very early on in the season and move into the WR3/Flex territory with a ton of upside.
Jalin Hyatt, WR, New York Giants
Jalin Hyatt had a first/second round grade at the worst entering the 2023 draft. Despite this, he still dropped down to round three where the Giants moved up 16 spots to take him. This pick could very well end up being the biggest steal of the draft. Hyatt is not the biggest receiver but is a very athletic and speedy vertical threat that can get behind defenses with ease, very similar to former first-round pick Will Fuller.
The Tennessee product put up an absolutely dominant 2022 season with 1267 yards and 15 receiving TDs, resulting in winning the Biletnikoff award and being the nation’s top receiver. The highlight of Hyatts’ college career came in the team’s nail-biting 52-49 win against Alabama where he put up 207 yards and five touchdowns on just six catches. Hyatt undoubtedly has the clearest path from this draft class to become a team’s WR1 in his first year.
The Giants do have a ton of depth at the receiver position as well as the addition of tight end Darren Waller, but the team does still lack that vertical and explosive threat, which is where Hyatt comes in. Being 25th in pass attempts in their first year under Brian Daboll, I expect the team to be much more aggressive in the passing game with these improved weapons. Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson are both coming off torn ACLs, Hyatt will get the opportunity very early on and I expect him to be a low-end flex play in leagues, with a lot of upside in DFS slates each week.
My thoughts on more notable rookies:
Bryce Young, QB, CAR: Drawing some Drew Brees comparisons, Young is the best real-life QB prospect in the class by a pretty wide margin, with the potential to turn into a top QB in the league. He is stepping into a very improved Carolina offense that has made notable additions of Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, Hayden Hurst, and Jonathan Mingo. While I believe he is NFL-ready and can perform at a high level immediately, it’s historically been almost impossible for a QB to be a real fantasy option in their rookie season without having a big rushing upside. I do still think Young can be a streaming option and someone you can take a very late-round shot on, along with weekly stack potential in DFS.
C.J. Stroud, QB, HOU: While I am high on Stroud and like him as a real-life QB prospect, he has very little to no fantasy upside in single-qb leagues for year one.
Kendre Miller, RB, NO: Miller was the fourth RB taken off the board in the draft. What stands out to me is how he is built and plays very similarly to his new teammate Jamaal Williams. This pick along with the Williams signing shows that New Orleans is preparing to be without Alvin Kamara for a large part of the season. Miller won’t have any real fantasy relevance unless Williams goes down, but if that does happen then Miller has a ton of rushing upside.
Tank Bigsby, RB, JAX: While Travis Etienne is the clear feature back for the team, Bigsby is a great complement to him and will get some work early on considering the draft capital. Bigsby is very twitchy and runs with power, being a great handcuff for Etienne in all leagues.
Chase Brown, RB, CIN: Brown is an incredible athlete that I believe will enter the season as the RB2 for Cincinnati. He is a very fast and explosive back that has the receiving skills to be in on passing downs as well, where
we have seen former Bengal Samaje Perine play a ton. With all the uncertainty surrounding Joe Mixon and his injury history, Brown is well worth a look, especially in best-ball leagues.
Zay Flowers, WR, BAL: Flowers is an NFL-ready route runner and is the most explosive receiver in all of this year’s draft. However, the landing spot is not ideal for him in terms of immediate production and fantasy football
value. While Baltimore will throw the ball substantially more with new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken being much more aggressive than Greg Roman, there will be limited targets open for Flowers. With the acquisitions of Odell Beckham and Nelson Agholor, along with also competing for targets with Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman, Flowers will have a difficult time being a real fantasy option barring an injury to one of those top targets.
Jayden Reed, WR, GB: I like Reed as an overall prospect, has flashing quickness and acceleration with big-play ability. Yet with Jordan Love at quarterback, I don’t have much interest in any Packer pass-catcher this year other than Christian Watson. Could see Reed beating out Romeo Doubs very early on.
Rashee Rice, WR, KC: Not easy to trust a Chiefs rookie receiver after Skyy Moore played just 29% of offensive snaps in his first season. Rice is much bigger and projects as a much better perimeter threat than Moore, as well as being very athletic and having plus-jump ball skills. With how weak the Chiefs’ wide receiver room currently is, Rice has an opportunity to quickly jump up the depth chart in his first year and catch passes from the league’s best QB. He will have to prove himself prior to the season for Andy Reid to give him this shot.
Sam LaPorta, TE, DET: With draft capital like the 34th overall pick and the fact that Detroit took LaPorta over Mayer and Washington, the Lions will look to utilize LaPorta very early on. Jared Goff threw 12 out of his 29 touchdowns in 2022 to tight ends. The Iowa product is dominant after the catch and has great receiving skills, looks similar to how fellow Iowa tight end George Kittle did. With how weak the tight end room in Detroit is, he should take full control of the starting spot as the season progresses. LaPorta has value as a late best-ball pick and can be a viable season-long option during certain weeks, especially with Jameson Williams being suspended for the first six weeks of the 2023 season.
Michael Mayer, TE, LV: While Dalton Kincaid is the best pure receiving tight end from the class, Mayer is without a doubt the most complete. The Raiders traded up three spots to select Mayer at #35, which is great value for them considering he was locked in to go in the first round. With Austin
Hooper being the only real competition for him at the position, I can guarantee that Mayer will be the #1 tight end for Las Vegas almost immediately. Even with being on the field a ton, it’ll be difficult for Mayer to be a fantasy contributor right away considering the target competition on the team. However, he is a must-buy in dynasty leagues as he has the potential to be a top tight end in the league one day.
Darnell Washington, TE, PIT: Incredible athlete and talent that could be a mismatch nightmare for defenses but needs polishing. I don’t see him doing much in his first season with Pat Freiermuth ahead of him. Could be worth a shot in best-ball drafts.
