Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: 10 Early Values for Underdog Best Ball Drafts

With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, here are my top-10 rookie Best Ball values based on my initial fantasy football rankings relative to current Underdog Fantasy ADP. Note that most rookies – especially top rookies – tend to be valued at or even above their ceiling at this time of year, so my top rookie values tend to skew toward late-round picks.

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Quarterbacks

QB Jayden Daniels, Commanders (ADP QB18, My Rank QB13)

Daniels has mammoth rushing upside (1,135 yards, 10 TDs last season at LSU) and shows promise as a passer as well (11.7 YPA, 40 TD, 4 INT). Washington’s No. 2 overall pick should be considered the favorite to beat out Marcus Mariota for the Week 1 starting job under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who oversaw a QB8 finish for Kyler Murray as a rookie in 2019. With Daniels’ skill set, there’s no reason he can’t put up similar numbers to Anthony Richardson, who goes seven rounds earlier.

Running Backs

RB Kimani Vidal, Chargers (ADP RB70, My Rank RB63)

Sixth-round picks aren’t typically fantasy-relevant, but Vidal is entering a depth chart featuring J.K. Dobbins, who has missed 42 of a possible 51 games over the past three seasons; Gus Edwards, who is a 29 and doesn’t catch passes; and Isaiah Spiller, a 2022 fourth-round pick from the prior regime whose career average stands at 2.5 yards per carry. It’s not hard to envision Vidal, who amassed 4,010 rushing yards, 700 receiving yards, and 34 total TDs in four years at Troy, as a major part of the Chargers backfield in 2024.

RB Ray Davis, Bills (ADP RB59, My Rank RB54)

The Bills gave 442 snaps and 133 touches combined to 33-year-old has-been Latavius Murray and 26-year-old never-was Ty Johnson in relief of James Cook. Davis flashed a three-down skill set at Kentucky with 199/1,129/14 rushing and 33/323/7 as a fifth-year Senior last season, he should get an opportunity to fill the Murray/Johnson role all by himself, with the chance to operate as the featured back if Cook were to go down.

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (ADP UD, My Rank RB64)

Tracy is a former WR with a 96th percentile agility score and a 93rd percentile burst score, per Player Profiler. According to PFF, he led all backs in his class with 4.44 yards after contact. He joins a Giants depth chart led by Devin Singletary, who is on his third team in three years. Beyond Singletary, Tracy’s depth-chart competition is comprised by the likes of Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray, Deon Jackosn, and Jashaun Corbin, so Tracy is a good bet to earn the RB2 role.

Wide Receivers

WR Ladd McConkey, Chargers (ADP WR54, My Rank WR48)

McConkey is a great route runner who averaged 3.64 yards per route run last season, fourth in his class according to PFF. The Chargers let go of their top two WRs (Keenan Allen, Mike Williams) and their top pass catchers at RB (Austin Ekeler) and TE (Gerald Everett), leaving Justin Herbert’s No.1 target job up for grabs. McConkey should assume the starting slot role from Day 1, and it would not be a stretch for him to command more targets than Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston, who are holdovers from the past regime who are yet to establish themselves as true No. 1 receivers.

WR Keon Coleman, Bills (ADP WR62, My Rank WR56)

After the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis vacated 241 targets, 152 catches, 1,929 yards, and 15 TDs from 2023, it’s not hard to envision Coleman becoming the WR1 on a depth chart that is now headlined by holdover Khalil Shakir (45/39/611/2) and free-agent signees Curtis Samuel (91/62/613/4) and Mack Hollins (30/18/251/0). At 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, Coleman’s skillset is more akin to Davis’ than Diggs’, but Davis still posted a WR39 finish last season.

WR Roman Wilson (ADP WR73, My Rank WR68)

Wilson averaged 16.4 yards per reception and scored on 12 of his 48 receptions in his senior season at Michigan before running a 4.39 forty at the Combine. The only thing that stands between him and the Steelers WR2 job opposite George Pickens are the likes of Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, and Denzel Mims, who are not serious people.  

WR Xavier Worthy, Chiefs (ADP WR47, My Rank WR45)

As I said after Round 1, the Chiefs and Worthy are a perfect best-ball pairing. Worthy is a DeSean Jackson comp who posted 197 receptions for 2,755 yards and 26 TDs in three seasons at Texas before recording the fastest 40-time ever at the Combine (4.21 seconds). Given that the Chiefs traded up to get Worthy at No. 28 overall – the highest that GM Brett Veach has ever selected a WR – he should have a role in the offense from Day 1, likely as the No. 3 wide receiver behind Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown. The sizable investment also signals Chiefs brass has no concerns with his size (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) – which they shouldn’t given the NFL success of guys like Tank Dell (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) and Tyreek Hill (5-foot-10, 191 pounds). With Travis Kelce entering his age-35 season, Rice facing a potential suspension, and Brown also in his first year with the team, Worthy has substantial target upside.

WR Troy Franklin, Broncos (ADP WR58, My Rank WR57)

Franklin – the college teammate of QB Bo Nix, Denver’s No. 12 overall selection – was third in his class in yards per route run (3.32), trailing only Malik Nabers (3.64) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (3.44), who both went in the top six. With Jerry Jeudy traded and replaced by journeyman Josh Reynolds, Courtland Sutton failing to regain his alpha-WR form post-2020 ACL tear, and Marvin Mims profiling as more of a situational deep threat, Franklin has an outside shot at Denver’s WR1 role as soon as this season.

WR Ja’Lynn Polk, Patriots (ADP WR75, My Rank WR74)

Polk was taken No. 37 overall by the Patriots after posting a 69/1,159/9 season at Washington. While it’s fair to debate whether Polk was a reach, what’s not up for debate is his path to New England’s WR1 role. Kendrick Bourne is coming off a torn ACL and was miscast as a true No. 1 WR, Demario Douglas is a 5-foot-8 Day 3 pick, Juju Smith-Schuster is cooked, K.J. Osborn has never exceeded 655 yards in a season, and Javon Baker is a fellow rookie who was taken 73 picks later.

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