RADIO
Now that the draft is over, it’s time to evaluate the prospects again—this time in terms of a fantasy perspective. While many players who were selected by their respective teams could make an impact, it may not be right away.
Nevertheless, fantasy managers should only be drafting players who they feel can make an impact and not every rookie will be able to do that in 2021.
Here is a collection of players who can make an immediate impact for their team and be a solid fantasy draft pick for you in redraft this upcoming draft season:
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Najee Harris - RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
With James Conner now in the desert, the Steelers selected running back Najee Harris out of Alabama in the first round of the draft, and Harris figures to be a prominent player on this offense. The Steelers don’t have a true RB1 on the team and Harris should be considered that guy heading into the season.
Guys like Benny Snell Jr. and Anthony McFarland Jr. remain on the team but Snell hasn’t rushed for more than 426 yards in any of his two NFL seasons while McFarland only rushed for 113 yards as a rookie last season.
Meanwhile, Harris is coming off two elite seasons at Alabama. He posted 209 carries for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns along with 27 receptions for 304 yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 2019. He did even better in 2020, getting 251 rushes for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns along with 43 receptions for 425 yards and four receiving touchdowns. Harris is a solid talent and can be considered an RB2 in drafts given the likelihood he will have a large role in 2021.
Ja'Marr Chase - WR, Cincinnati Bengals
It helps that Chase will play with his former college QB Joe Burrow up in Cincy now as it’s already known that they have chemistry from their days at LSU. Chase also enters a decent situation with the Bengals where he can function as the WR3 on the team with no TE likely threatening his production.
The Bengals will have Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, and Chase functioning as the top receivers, so while he may not be the top option, he should still see a good number of targets. In 2019, Chase posted 84 receptions for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns so the talent is there. Heading into drafts, the rookie is a good WR3 option.
DeVonta Smith - WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Smith has the most upside in fantasy of any rookie WR drafted. He enters a situation where the Eagles don’t have a true WR1 and the Heisman winner from Alabama is slated to take on a big role right off the bat. The Eagles’ TOP receiver last season was Travis Fulgham with only 539 yards. Meanwhile, Smith posted an incredible 117 receptions for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.
There is room for Smith to come in and take the WR1 role as Philly enters the season with the unproven Jalen Reagor and Greg Ward as the top receivers alongside Smith. With a large role essentially waiting for him, Smith has a chance to be the guy for Jalen Hurts this year and he should be valued as a WR3 or flex option in drafts for now until he proves he is of more fantasy value.
Jaylen Waddle - WR, Miami Dolphins
Rookie Jaylen Waddle has a chance to be the WR3 for the Dolphins this season behind DeVante Parker and Will Fuller V. Waddle brings excellent talent to the field and when he played 15 games in 2018 as a freshman for Alabama, he finished with 45 receptions for 848 yards and seven touchdowns.
The WR should see some opportunities this season and though he likely won’t see as many targets as Ja’Marr Chase or DeVonta Smith, there is still flex value for the youngster as he tries to carve out a large role for himself in Miami.
Kyle Pitts - TE, Atlanta Falcons
A very-hyped college prospect, Kyle Pitts enters the NFL in an ideal situation—on Matt Ryan’s talented and high-powered offense. Playing on a team that is known for its offense should help Pitts see plenty of targets and opportunities for production. Hayden Hurst would be the biggest TE competition for Pitts as he did post 88 receptions for 571 yards and six scores last season.
Nevertheless, Pitts should be considered the top TE on this depth chart. He had a solid season last year with Florida, posting 43 receptions for 770 yards and 12 scores. If he lives up his pre-draft hype, Pitts can be a dominant fantasy tight end someday. For 2021 drafts, he should still be considered in the TE1 tier given the lack of elite talent at the position.
Trevor Lawrence - QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Of course, Trevor Lawrence would be included in this collection of players. He has been talked of as the top prospect in the 2021 NFL draft for a while now and will be tasked with turning around a struggling Jaguars franchise.
Undoubtedly the QB1 on this squad, Lawrence figures to be fantasy-relevant heading into drafts. In college at Clemson, the talented QB finished with a total of 10,098 passing yards, 90 touchdowns, and only 17 picks. He completed 66.6 percent of his passes as well. As he still is a rookie, Lawrence should not be considered to have elite fantasy value but he does bring low-end QB2 value heading into 2021 fantasy drafts.
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