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Every season, many rookies make names for themselves, garnering national attention. From Odell Beckham Jr. and Ezekiel Elliott to Josh Jacobs and A.J. Brown, this trend seems to have been accelerating over the past decade. Players like Justin Jefferson, Justin Herbert, and James Robinson have joined that club so far this year, wowing fans with their talents.
Fantasy managers have many reasons to pay close attention to these promising young athletes. With little NFL data on these players, under-the-radar options can often be acquired to gain an edge on the competition. Redraft managers can ride a breakout to a championship, and dynasty managers can reap the returns from these transactions for years to come.
Every week, this article takes a look at five rookies that can return significant value in fantasy leagues. Some are more well-known than others, but all have significant promise and potential. Keep reading for some rookies to watch this week, starting with a skilled tailback for the Washington Football Team.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best NFL Series, MLB Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
The Restrained Beast
Antonio Gibson (RB, WAS)
Few things are more frightening than a Gibson manager when Ron Rivera isn't giving their guy touches. This is exactly what happened last week, as J.D. McKissic saw an incredible 14 targets in the passing game at the expense of Gibson. The rookie from Memphis was limited to just nine touches for 55 yards, which is solid efficiency but disappointing volume for such a talented player. Last week was not the only one that has enraged Gibson fans; Peyton Barber has often gotten early carries that have caused Twitter rants.
Despite all of this, Gibson has managed to put forth multiple quality performances this year. In both Week 4 and Week 7, he tallied 128 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. His receiving efficiency has been more than good enough to merit a McKissic-sized target share; he's fifth among running backs in yards per route run. It is just a matter of time until Gibson has a string of dominant performances, and with a soft Detroit defense on tap this week, such a streak could come sooner rather than later.
The Holiday Warrior
Harrison Bryant (TE, CLE)
October 25 was National Tight Ends Day, and Bryant made sure we all knew it. He had the best game of his young career against the Bengals that weekend, putting up four receptions, 56 yards, and two scores. The Florida Atlantic product was filling in for Austin Hooper, who was out due to an appendectomy, and he made the most of his opportunity.
Harrison Bryant's second career TD comes on #NationalTightEndsDay! #Browns
?: #CLEvsCIN on CBS
?: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/MIIkbfUwYk pic.twitter.com/aBvNXTK0EX— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2020
Bryant followed that up the next week with just three catches for 25 yards, but the entire Browns offense was sluggish that game. Even with Hooper returning, Bryant has shown that he can be effective in a larger role. The rookie has the second-best true catch rate among all tight ends, and his 2.2 fantasy points per target are seventh-best. Keep an eye on how much the Browns use Bryant this week against the Houston Texans.
The Blowout Breakout
Adam Trautman (TE, NO)
New Orleans took the wind out of Tampa Bay's sails last week with a 38-3 drubbing. The gaudy final score overshadowed a solid performance from Trautman, who had been quiet this year before that game. The rookie from Dayton had just four targets in the first eight weeks combined, but he turned his three last week into three catches, 39 yards, and a touchdown.
The volume isn't enough yet to merit a lot of hype, but his increased usage in the offense was a good sign for the future. Also promising are his 81st percentile catch radius and his 95th percentile agility score, both among tight ends. While he will still have Jared Cook and Josh Hill to fight with for targets, Trautman is certainly someone to watch for this week versus San Francisco.
The Clutch Catcher
Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR, CLE)
With Odell Beckham Jr. out for the year with a knee injury, Cleveland has needed other receiving options to fill his void. Peoples-Jones stepped up in a big way in Week 7, catching three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, all career highs. Even better is the fact that his score was the game-winner and came with just 11 seconds left in the game.
THE ROOKIE DONOVAN PEOPLES-JONES GAME WINNER?
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 25, 2020
Peoples-Jones put up a goose egg in the stat sheet against the Raiders the following week, but his game against the Bengals could be a taste of what's to come. His 99th percentile burst score surely shows that his explosiveness against the Bengals was no fluke. Watch if Peoples-Jones can regain his groove against the Texans on Sunday.
The Highlight Maker
Bryan Edwards (WR, LV)
Rookie Raiders wideout Bryan Edwards was an absolute monster in college at South Carolina. His college dominator percentage of 48.4 percent ranked at the 99th percentile of receivers, but we don't need such fancy metrics to grasp his abilities. Just look at these highlights:
Daily reminder Bryan Edwards is a Raider ☺️ pic.twitter.com/WPiSom0RRF
— ??? (@Bfreenohogtie) June 24, 2020
Edwards has had a tough time with injuries so far this year, but he finally returned from a lengthy absence last week. With just six targets on the season, it's tough to draw any conclusions about his outlook for the rest of the year other than what is around him. Edwards has to compete with fellow rookie Henry Ruggs III, as well as Hunter Renfrow, Nelson Agholor, and Darren Waller, for targets, so production might be scarce. At the same time, he has only played four games in the NFL, so it may be premature to draw conclusions about his short-term prospects. He will take on the Broncos this week in what could be a breakout game for him.
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