While Marvin Harrison Jr. is the consensus #1 overall in our rookie rankings, don’t sleep on some AFC wide receivers to make some large impacts as the season progresses.
We've got a full breakdown for our top 10 fantasy rookies for 2024 and the complete top 20 rankings from our team of fantasy football writers.
Situation, talent, college production, and film tape are all there for Marvin Harrison Jr. after two straight 14 TD, 1,200 yard seasons at Ohio State. However, the praise he’s been getting within the Cardinals locker room and analysts in general lead us to believe that MHJ is one of those fantasy prospects that can win your team a championship.
With the Arizona WR room consisting of Harrison Jr., Greg Dortch, Michael Wilson, and Zay Jones, the rookie could finish top five in targets and become the top redzone option for his team out of the gate. Instead of comparing MHJ with his fellow rookie class, we should be discussing his ranking among the likes of the mid-to-low end WR1s in fantasy football this season.
Nabers is a drop below MHJ in talent and situation, but the LSU wideout cannot go overlooked. The Giants will utilize him well in the short-to-intermediate passing game early on in the season in the WR1 role. Playing outside or inside the numbers, expect Nabers to finish as the WR2 in this rookie class while solidifying his role as New York’s top receiving option early this season.
His ability to continue plays after first contact will help him produce PPR points in a sub-par Giants offense.
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With the weapons the Bears acquired this offseason, Caleb Williams doesn’t have to be great to finish as a QB12 or better. With Swift, Allen, Moore, and Odunze as his pass catchers, Williams has size, speed, and leadership at his disposal. While turnovers will be a point of emphasis (something he needed to cut down at USC), expect Caleb to finish as the QB1 in the rookie class while throwing for around 30 TDs.
Remember, C.J. Stroud finished last year as the QB11 while throwing for just 23 scores. With an easy start to the season compared to most squads, either sell high on Williams or push him to your priority list if you are drafting two QBs in the middle-to-late rounds.
An elite prospect out of Notre Dame, Bowers finds himself in a two TE situation in Vegas with former 1st rounder Michael Mayer also on the squad demanding reps. However, Bowers’ athleticism and ability to play the slot role should easily make him the TE1 in his class and propel him into the top tier of tight ends in fantasy by year 2.
With LaPorta proving that rookie tight ends can have a positive impact right away, Bowers should be on your radar in redraft and dynasty as a starting option and potential flex play if you have a consistent backup.
A 50/50 specialist that can go over the top of defenders, Rome Odunze has the Jaxon-Smith Njigba path written to him, but has the advantage of coming into the NFL with his QB in the same class. Similar to JSN, Odunze is a top three receiving prospect in his class, but will sit 3rd on the depth chart behind two explosive wideouts.
While Rome won’t catch 10 TDs or even eclipse the 1,000 yard mark, he has the intangibles to become the WR1 in the future and for a few weeks this coming season, should showcase just that.
A sleeper pick in the top 10, Adonai Mitchell is another player that has the intangibles of becoming his team’s WR1 in the future. AD Mitchell gave the elite corners problems in college over his one full year at Texas. 11 TDs on 55 catches, the big playmaker was a TD machine and should continue to provide red zone catches for second-year QB Anthony Richardson.
Scoring a 10/10 on the RAS and combine, this elite athlete and playmaker should be rising up your rookie board.
With Zay Jones and Calvin Ridley out of Jacksonville, Brian Thomas (LSU) has a great opportunity to make an impact in his rookie season. Similar to Mitchell, Thomas was a TD machine at LSU last season scoring on every fourth catch.
He can beat corners over the top and high point the ball against shorter defenders. This makes his WR3 role with the Colts even more intriguing. Never bet against the LSU Tigers’ wide receiver room and don’t make an exception for the new Jags playmaker.
Sticking with the Tigers, Jayden Daniels won the Heisman for a reason. The ability to make plays out of scratch and use his legs to pick up first downs should translate into the NFC East. Although he didn’t break out until his senior season in college, Kliff Kingsbury should learn from his mistakes with Kyler and improve Daniels’ leadership traits, intermediate passing ability, and decision making from Week 1 this year.
The last four QB Heisman winners before Daniels? Murray, Burrow, Young, Williams. A solid group that should all make for above-average pro campaigns.
With James Conner approaching father time, we are looking for Trey Benson to become a late season fantasy bloomer and finish as the rookie RB1 this season. While the Panthers backfield is jumbled with Miles Sanders and Chubba Hubbard stealing snaps from their rookie Jonathan Brooks, Benson will instantly garner snaps out of the backfield and should receive some goal-line work for the Cardinals. He has breakaway speed and can make people miss beyond the LOS with ease. Two aspects of Benson’s draft profile we love:
1 - Only one game with 20+ carries in his FSU career (wear & tear is low)
2 - Last two FSU RBs had great starts to their careers (Cook & Akers)
We round out the top 10 with a deep sleeper - Jermaine Burton out of Alabama. Burton is a reliable target that will bring a different skillset to the Bengals receiving core than Tee Higgins, who is bound to miss time this season. JB always looks for extra yardage and isn’t afraid of contact in the middle of the field that Zac Taylor will love.
With Higgins and Irwin both with 1-year left on their contract and the WR room down to Chase, Burton, Moss, and Gesicki after that, Burton is the type of day two prospect to catapult himself into the Jayden Reed/Josh Downs type season last year. We are expecting a WR35-45 finish for Burton on the season.
Brooks was a near-consensus #1 RB in this draft class, and likely would have been a first round selection had he not torn his ACL last season. He will face competition for touches from the likes of Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard, but given his talent and the fact that he is a second round pick, we think he will eventually win the job and could be a valuable fantasy asset down the stretch.
After losing Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, we knew the Chargers would address the WR position in the 2024 NFL Draft. They ended up selecting McConkey and early reports have him taking 100% of the snaps with the first team offense, primarily working out of the slot. He could quickly become the go-to receiver for Justin Herbert in what should remain a formidable Chargers offense.
While many analysts are quick to point out that it's all about speed with Xavier Worthy, he was far more than a one-trick pony at Texas. The Longhorns used him in a variety of ways, and given his YAC upside, we think the Chiefs will find a way to get the ball in his hands this season. Given the lack of competition around him (particularly with the uncertainly surrounding Rashee Rice), we think Worthy could provide a massive surprise to the upside this season.
Like McConkey, Coleman finds himself on a roster that could feature him right away this season. Coleman is 6'4" and 215 lbs, which gives him the frame to not only be a red zone threat, but to work as a middle-of-the-field possession receiver as well. With Diggs and Davis leaving this offseason, there are a ton of targets up for grabs in Buffalo.
The LA Rams invested a third-round pick in Blake Corum, which indicates they view him as an immediate contributor. This is the type of guy that will be nearly impossible to keep off of the field. It's worth noting that his production last season came just months after a devastating knee injury that kept him out of the Ohio State game and the CFB Playoffs. He could quickly take early-down work away from Kyren Williams this season.
Polk is a quick receiver with reliable hands who consistently makes difficult catches. In an underwhelming WR room, we expect Polk to contribute immediately for the Patriots. How high is ceiling is will ultimately be determined by how quickly Drake Maye can develop.
Lloyd was drafted by the Packers with the 88th pick of this year's draft after registering 800+ rushing yards on 7.1 YPC for USC last season. Lloyd will likely serve as a change-of-pace option behind Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon next season, perhaps earning a role as the 3rd down back. He is a more intriguing prospect in Dynasty leagues.
McCarthy checks every box for a modern franchise quarterback. He's a proven leader, proven winner, has a great arm, and above average mobility. We think he's the week 1 starter for Minnesota and could put up big numbers given the weapons around him. Keep an eye on his rushing production early on, as he's an underrated runner and really excels throwing outside of the pocket.
Bucky Irving was an extremely productive college player at Oregon, but has an uphill climb to earn a role in the Bucs offense. The team has an entrenched starter in Rachaad White and a reliable backup in Chase Edmonds. That said, Irving was great after contact and may end up establishing himself as the best back on the roster. His situation is one worth monitoring ahead of your fantasy draft.
We know the Patriots would prefer to sit Maye to start the 2024 season, allowing Jacoby Brissett to start until the rookie is ready. However, if the team is struggling, the Patriots may turn to Maye sooner rather than later. With a ridiculously high ceiling, but inconsistent tape, it wouldn't be a shot to see Maye end up as one of the more productive rookie QB's from this class.
With a 6'3" and 227 lb frame, elite athleticism, and great after the catch skills, Legette is an absolute beast of a wide receiver. There is plenty of opportunity up for grabs in an offense devoid of talent, but his success is ultimately tied to the performance of Bryce Young in new HC Dave Canales' offense.