The rookie crop of high-end quarterbacks hasn’t lived up to the sky-high expectations placed on guys like Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix – all Week 1 starters. Daniels has been the only one of the three who has earned being a fantasy football starter with his explosive play.
Immediate stardom – in the NFL and the fantasy world – has proved elusive. Many high-end picks eventually become stars, but more don’t.
Week 3 was a reminder that blue-chip wide receivers make a quicker and more explosive transformation to the pros. For the Big 3 – Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze – Week 1 was no great shakes. Since then?
Over the last two games, Harrison has caught nine passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Nabers has caught 18 passes for 205 yards and three TDs. Odunze has caught eight passes for 145 yards and one TD. It goes to show once again, if you’re going make a significant fantasy draft investment in a prize rookie, wide receivers are the best bet to provide a quick return on investment.
Fantasy football risers
Atlanta Falcons WR Darnell Mooney – Mooney remained on the fantasy waiver wire in most leagues, because — while he is explosive — his catch rate isn’t consistent. However, he is being used in the Falcons offense in a similar way Percy Harvin was used with the Minnesota Vikings. A speed threat downfield. A bubble screen player. A jet sweep danger. He’s likely on a roster, but those with him need to consider starting him on Sundays.
Kansas City Chiefs RB Carson Steele – When Isiah Pacheco broke his leg, someone needed to fill that void. However, the Chiefs don’t have a player with a similar skill set on the roster. In the first game without Pacheco, Steele got 17 carries for 72 yards while Samaje Perine had just six carries for 25 yards. Steele won’t make people miss and will be replaced as the primary back, but for now, it’s ground-and-pound in KC.
New York Giants RB Devin Singletary – Clearly, he’s no replacement for Saquon Barley and has seen fantasy lineups for those who are desperate due to injuries. Singletary has scored 17.5 and 20.8 fantasy – more than a lot of highly-touted fantasy backs. The Giants looked completely inept in Week 1 but have been much more competitive since, and Singletary is one of the reasons.
Minnesota Vikings WR Jalen Nailor – Nailor has caught only seven passes, but three of them have gone for touchdowns. He’s clearly the No. 3 wide receiver option in Minnesota, but Sam Darnold has confidence in Nailor in scoring situations, and Kevin O’Connell is calling his number. Three straight games with a TD deserves your attention.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving – This isn’t so much a ringing endorsement of Irving as it is an indictment of Rachaad White. White’s rushing attempts have dropped in each game (15-10-6), because he is averaging just 2.1 yards a carry. Irving is averaging 6.2 yards a carry, and Sunday was the first time he was given more carries than White. It looks like changing of the guard taking place in Tampa Bay.
Fantasy football fallers
Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill – After a monster Week 1 (7-130-1), Hill has crumbled the last two weeks – accounting for 6.6 and 7.0 points. Tua Tagovailoa‘s career is in legitimate question. Nobody who has Hill on their rosters will bench him because of his explosiveness and where he was drafted in the first round, but patience will thin if minimal numbers like that continue.
Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta – In a lot of fantasy drafts, LaPorta was taken in front of Travis Kelce. His weekly point totals have been 8.5, 3.3, and 5.6. Some will contend that he’s just off to a slow start, and nobody who has LaPorta on a roster will trade him in a low-ball offer, but he has underachieved three straight games in a big way, and it’s getting frustrating. If that weren’t enough, he now is dealing with a low-ankle sprain.
Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson – A top-five QB in fantasy drafts, fantasy managers needed to show a willingness to make that investment on hope, not a track record. He hasn’t been a dominant ground threat like other dual-threat QBs, and his numbers went down each week in passing yards (221-204-167) and touchdowns (2-1-0). Those who rolled the dice on Richardson hopefully overdrafted a backup, so each week may become a matchup-based start instead of a Richardson rubber stamp moving forward.
San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk – It seemed logical in a 49ers offense without Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel for games that Aiyuk would live up to his four-year, $120 million contract. However, despite being shorthanded of its elite receivers, Aiyuk’s weekly point totals have been 4.8, 8.3, and 9.8. Will they drop further when the other stars return?
Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride – It seems like every top-10 draft night fantasy tight ends have underwhelmed, whether due to poor production or injuries, but McBride was the chosen one in leagues once Kelce and LaPorta came off the board. His point totals have been 8.0, 12.7, and 5.5 – barely passable for a TE2, not a player drafted so highly he will remain in lineups despite numerous reasons to the contrary. To add “injury to insult,” McBride is now in the concussion protocol.
