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We’re not even into summer yet, but it’s never too soon to talk about fantasy football.
I mean, the NFL season is only 3 months away so most drafts will be taking place in 2 months, so you better get studying.
And we’re here to help. In our first segment, we’re going to take a look at the rookie class. The 2015 NFL Draft was chock full of potential fantasy stars, whether this season or down the road.
The first 2 picks in the draft, quarterbacks Jameis Winston (Buccaneers) and Marcus Mariota (Titans), didn’t make cut for the top 10. A) They’re not guaranteed to start, and B) they’re rookie quarterbacks, they’ll struggle. I can’t be certain at this juncture, but if you’re going to lean on Winston or Mariota as your starting QB this season, you’re probably not winning your league. These two aren’t as ready as Andrew Luck was, nor are they surrounded by the necessary offensive weapons needed to produce at a high level.
It’s much easier for a non-quarterback to make a fantasy impact in his first season.
So let’s find out who those players are.
Keep reading for the rookies most likely to make the biggest waves during the 2015 fantasy football season:
Top Fantasy Football Rookies for 2015
1. Melvin Gordon, RB, San Diego Chargers
College football’s leading rusher in 2014 lands in a great spot. Right now the Chargers’ backfield consists of Gordon, Donald Brown, Danny Woodhead and Branden Oliver. San Diego didn’t take Gordon 15th overall to sit on the bench this year. Right now, Gordon is the clear-cut No. 1 rookie. Now let’s hope he doesn’t turn into Ryan Mathews. He won’t.
2. Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Coleman had a monster final season and enters an Atlanta backfield in which his biggest competition for carries is Devonta Freeman, who seems like more of a third-down back. Coleman has the size and the home run ability. The Falcons have a potentially explosive offense, so Coleman could be in for a big scoring season.
3. T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Yeldon isn’t a burner, but neither is incumbent Jaguars starter Toby Gerhart. Also in the Jacksonville backfield is Denard Robinson, a converted college QB, but he’s more of a change-of-pace option. But what Yeldon has is toughness and as a second-round pick he’ll get every opportunity to become “the man.” Jacksonville is far from an offensive juggernaut, but they’re slowly putting the pieces together.
4. Kevin White, WR, Chicago Bears
White has the size and speed needed to excel in the NFL and he’ll likely be a starter opposite Alshon Jeffery now that Brandon Marshall is a New York Jet. White’s a rookie; he’s not going to be as polished or productive as Marshall was … just yet. And while Jay Cutler isn’t the most reliable QB, we know he has no problem chucking it around the field.
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5. Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The wideout depth chart in Baltimore isn’t very pretty. You have an aging Steve Smith, then … well, it really doesn’t matter. So Perriman could become a favorite of QB Joe Flacco early in the season. The former Central Florida stud isn’t the most polished rookie WR, but it’s not about that right now. Perriman is on the right team to produce early.
6. Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders
Now Cooper was the probably the most-polished receiver coming out of college. But you can’t be thrilled with his landing spot. The former Alabama star is now in Oakland and eventually should make beautiful music with young QB Derek Carr. Michael Crabtree will be the No. 1 WR for the Raiders, but Cooper should be a Day 1 starter. And, actually, with the Raiders likely trailing often, Coop could really rack up the garbage points. They count, you know.
7. Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams
A bit low for Gurley, you say? Perhaps. Gurley obviously has knee injury history, though the Rams still drafted him in the first round. But he’s not the starter just yet. First of all, with the aforementioned injury history, you cannot expect Gurley to get more than 200 carries. Plus the Rams still have Tre Mason, who is absolutely underrated. Gurley is bigger, stronger and straight-line faster than Mason. But Mason is going to get a lot of touches. The Rams aren’t going to run Gurley into the ground in Year 1.
8. Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
An extremely productive college player, Agholor steps into a pretty awesome situation in Chip Kelly’s offense. Gone is Jeremy Maclin. The main competition for WR reps: Riley Cooper, aging Miles Austin, rising star Jordan Matthews and a bunch of fellas not worth mentioning. If Agholor was anywhere but Philly, I’d be worried about the whole Southern Cal-wide receivers-being-terrible-in-the-NFL thing. In Chip I Trust. Don’t be surprised if Agholor ends up as a top 2 rookie wideout with Sam Bradford now running the Eagles’ offense.
9. Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Dorsett was selected in the first round so he’s going to be given his chances. He’s behind newly-acquired Andre Johnson and T.Y. Hilton, but we’ve seen what Andrew Luck can do with a football. With those two on the outsise, Dorsett is going to get single coverage, likely from the slot position. He isn’t the most polished receiver, but he’s a total home run threat. Sounds kind of like Hilton when he was a rookie and T.Y. went for a 50-861-7 line. Just saying.
10. David Cobb, RB, Tennessee Titans
This is my wild-card. Cobb was a fifth-round selection by Tennessee, which guarantees nothing. But he could be the steal of the draft, or one of them, at least. The Titans probably haven’t given up on Bishop Sankey, who was the first RB selected in the 2014. But Sankey couldn’t even outplay the plodding Shonn Greene. Not a good sign. Cobb is big, fast and extremely productive. Don’t overdraft him, but Cobb is a super sleeper.
The Next 10
These rookies are listed alphabetically
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Detroit Lions
Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Tennessee Titans
Duke Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns
DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins
Jaelen Strong, WR, Houston Texans
Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans
Maxx Williams, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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