Fantasy Flex: 8 Rookies Set for Fantasy Football Success in 2024

Fantasy football draft prep is already in full gear as we enter the final few months before a new NFL season. It’s never too early to start looking at draft targets, and our fantasy football experts did exactly that in the newest episode of the Fantasy Flex Podcast.

Fantasy football analysts Sean Koerner and Chris Raybon gave out eight rookies they like from a landing spot standpoint, dissecting how each player’s skill set will translate to success with their new teams and the opportunities they’ll have to make a splash as rookies.

You can listen to the full podcast and also read four of their favorite picks below.

As a reminder, be sure to subscribe to the Fantasy Flex Podcast for breakdowns and analysis leading up to and throughout the football season.

Rookies With Fantasy Football Upside This Season

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

Sean Koerner: With the Chargers losing so many targets in the departures of Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, essentially any wide receiver that ended up on the Chargers was gonna be a great landing spot.

McConkey is a great fit, too. He can line up in the slot so he could take up a lot of those available targets left behind by Allen, but he’s also capable of lining up outside as well. He could be the No. 1 target for the Chargers out of the gate.

He’s attached to a very good quarterback in Justin Herbert, so I thought this was an excellent landing spot for McConkey. He’s my wide receiver #45 and he’s being drafted around #39, which I think is OK. 

I think he has the upside. He has a very high floor and a high ceiling as a rookie. So I’m OK drafting him inside the top 40, because I just love this landing spot for him.

Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals

Chris Raybon: The reason I like the landing spot for Marvin Harrison Jr. in Arizona as opposed to a team like the Chargers is because I think there’s going to be more pass volume there. Or he could’ve gone to a team like the Giants where they don’t have as good of a quarterback. So I think you have kind of a decent compromise here with him in Arizona.

The Cardinals are probably going to have a very bad defense yet again. They were dead last in DVOA last year. That should equate to a lot of negative game scripts and a lot of passing. You have a functional passing offense where it’s not necessarily just going to be Harrison getting triple-teamed every time Kyler Murray drops back to pass. He might get doubled a lot, but the Cardinals still have Trey McBride, I think Michael Wilson came on well last season and he’s going to be a solid No. 2 receiver.

I also think there’s kind of some hidden upside here with Murray. When you look at him with a true No. 1 receiver, the only one he’s ever had in his career was DeAndre Hopkins. He’s played about half of his career games with Hopkins and half without. With Hopkins, he averaged 7.7 yards per attempt and 1.7 touchdown passes per game. Without Hopkins, that went down to 6.6 yards per attempt and 1.2 touchdowns per game.

So I think you’re going to see a more efficient Murray, which means more targets to go around, and right away I project Harrison for a pretty big target share in this offense.

So I really like the landing spot for Harrison here. I like the fact that it’s a bad defense, a last place team, but you still have a functional quarterback and a functional passing offense.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

Sean Koerner: There was a scenario out there on draft day that would’ve seen the Chargers trade down with the Vikings and grab Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23. I think that would have maybe been an even better spot, but I don’t mind the Jaguars as a landing spot for the LSU wide receiver.

The Jaguars still have Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, and they will likely be Trevor Lawrence’s top two targets, but I think Thomas could be the No. 3 target there ahead of the newly signed Gabe Davis. I don’t think Davis is really a threat to Thomas necessarily, and Thomas has the skill set to become a true No. 1 wide receiver.

I like his long-term upside, and being tied to Lawrence could finally help Lawrence make that turn into becoming a high-end quarterback.

I liked Thomas coming into the draft, and this is one of the better landing spots for him because I think in year one he could establish himself at least as a top-three target, but then he could eventually overtake someone like Kirk.

He’s my No. 46 wide receiver and right now he’s being drafted as the No. 42 wide receiver, so that’s not too far off. I think he’s another guy that you can make a case for right around the top 40.

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

Chris Raybon: In terms of pure landing spot, I think Keon Coleman to Buffalo is a great fit because he’s going to have a chance to be their No. 1 receiver.

Now, can he take advantage of it? That’s yet to be seen. But if you look at the depth chart, you’re talking about Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins, Chase Claypool, Justin Shorter, Andy Isabella, KJ Hamler. A guy who was drafted 33rd overall definitely has a chance to beat all of those guys.

A lot of people looked at Coleman’s 40-time and said that he’s not fast enough, but I think if you watched him play, he plays a lot faster than that. He had a really good 10-yard shuttle, so I think he plays faster than that 40-time. 

I also think Buffalo drafted him with the hopes that he can be a No. 1 wide receiver, because if you just look at the depth chart, who else really is there? I think Samuel could continue doing what he had been doing in Washington. Shakir can kind of take a step forward and be a little more of a higher-volume guy, but Coleman is your best bet.

Remember to listen to the full podcast to find out which other rookies are ready to make an immediate impact on their teams in 2024.

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