Every year the league is flooded with first year players fresh from college. Some go on to Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame careers while others are done after one season. And like many of you, we here at the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football have a strange fascination watching these players adapt and adjust to life in the NFL.
With every rookie class, there is a wealth of new talent ready to produce in the league and in fantasy football and this year is no different. We'll begin our rookie report with those rookies who'll be lining up under center, guiding their teams' offenses - the rookie running backs.
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Darren McFadden - Oakland Raiders
This one-man highlight machine adds a potent running attack to a team that has largely been lacking one recently in the Raiders. McFadden has a rare combination of strength, speed and size that hasn’t been seen in the league since Eddie George was in his prime.
McFadden will start right away, which is a good thing for a team that’s transitioning to JaMarcus Russell at quarterback. While Russell is taking his lumps, the team will lean heavily on McFadden to help open up the offense. The biggest question facing the Raiders that could hurt McFadden’s value is the offensive line. Kwame Harris was brought in from the San Francisco 49ers and will take over the left tackle spot for Robert Gallery. Gallery, who was a bust at tackle, will slide over to left guard, which is actually an upgrade over former left guard Pat McQuistan. John Wade was brought in from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will be a solidifying force at center the right side of the line is still a question. Look for McFadden to finish the season with around 1,200 total yards , which is good enough for a low end RB2 or a high end RB3, but don’t expect a similar season to Adrian Peterson from a year ago.
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Jonathan Stewart - Carolina Panthers
After needing surgery on his big toe during the preseason, Stewart is recovered and ready to show off his talents in Carolina. Making a point to lock up their potential franchise running back, the Panthers just finalized a deal that will pay Stewart around $20 million over five season.
Just a few days into camp and the bulky back out of the University of Oregon has already impressed his coaching staff, which leads the Bruno Boys to believe that Stewart will instantly become a force for the Panthers. In the offseason, the team released DeShaun Foster, and DeAngelo Williams has never shown the strength and consistency to be a full time starter. Stewart’s vision and cutback abilities combined with his speed and strength means he could make the smoothest transition of all the backs to the NFL. As long as Williams is healthy, or until Stewart take control of the primary job, he will share carries with Stewart, but the rookie could end up taking most of the goal line touches. You should target Stewart as a low end RB3, but don't be surprised if he challenges McFadden for the most fantasy football points from a rookie running back. Plus, he can be had for a cheaper cost on draft day.
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Matt Forte - Chicago Bears
With the release of Cedric Benson, it shows that the Bears front office is confident that Forte can take on the load as the primary ball carrier in just his rookie season. The former University of Tulane standout is comfortable running between the tackles and outside them, and has incredible balance that should help him transition well to the NFL This is evident by his final eight games of his college career, in which he averaged over 202 yards per game and finished the season with a 5.9 yard per carry average.
Forte will actually be an upgrade over Benson and could be the missing piece the offense has been looking for, all Rex Grossman jokes aside. He’s got a good offensive line in front of him and if wide receivers Devin Hester and Brandon Lloyd can stretch the field, it should open up plenty of running room for Forte. The only question mark is the quarterback position and if either Kyle Orton or Grossman can just be average, Forte is set up for a big rookie season. However, the Bears issues at quarterback and the signing of often injured running back Kevin Jones (will start season on PUP list), raise some issues when drafting Forte. Still, he is a big back, has proven he can carry the workload and will be a nice RB3 for your fantasy football squad.
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Rashard Mendenhall - Pittsburgh Steelers
Somehow Mendenhall fell to the Steelers at the 23rd pick in the first round, which had Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger chipper on draft day. Mendenhall, despite being 5’11” and 210 pounds, is a power running back and will provide a perfect complement to over worked starting running back Willie Parker.
After three full seasons as a starter, the last two of which saw him surpass 320 carries each, Parker is entering dangerous territory for a running back and is trying to rebound from a broken fibula that he suffered in week 16 of last season. Much more wear and tear could lead to a potential career threatening injury and sub-par performances, so having Mendenhall will alleviate the amount of mileage Parker will have to endure. With Najeh Davenport gone, Mendenhall should slide easily into the second running back slot and could see anywhere from 125 to 150 carries, with a large number of those carries being around the goaline. His red zone prescene alone should be enough for you to target him as a top 35 running back.
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Kevin Smith - Detroit Lions
With the Detroit Lions depth chart featuring just Tatum Bell and unproven running back Brian Calhoun, you better believe Kevin Smith will have plenty of opportunities to run the ball in the Motor City. Bell has had fumbling problems and fell out of favor with the coaching staff last season after asking to be traded and Calhoun has missed the better part of two seasons because of a lingering knee injury. When the Lions drafted Smith out of the University of Central Florida they had one thing in mind, give him the football early and often.
Smith, who led the NCAA in rushing last season, and had over 450 carries in a season, may have slipped in the draft because of concerns about his size or his experience against top-level competition, but the guy is a great all-around runner. He should fit in comfortably with the offense and is worthy of a draft pick in the 5th or 6th rounds of fantasy football drafts, depending on how many running backs your league starts.
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Felix Jones - Dallas Cowboys
Marion Barber may be the man in Dallas, but it’s going to be hard to keep Jones on the sidelines. Barber has never been a full time starter in the NFL, so having a complement like Jones will be a boon to the Cowboys this season.
Jones and Barber provide a nice speed-power combination and it will be interesting to see how Dallas handles the situation. At this time reports are indicating that Barber is the featured running back and Jones will spell him when neccesary, but don't let this fool you as Jones will get his touches. Similar to Barber three seasons ago, Jones will make a big impact as a rookie and will probably receive 150-160 carries. However, Barber will be the team’s red zone back and vulture some touchdowns, so Jones will probably need to break some long runs to score some touchdowns.
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Chris Johnson - Tennessee Titans
Similar to Felix Jones, Johnson enters somewhat of a running back by committee situation in Nashville. The drafting of Johnson signals the team’s displeasure with Chris Henry, a second-round selection last year. Johnson, who was the fastest running back in this year’s draft, provides a great complement to the power running of LenDale White.
Johnson will immediately produce for the Titans, but similar to Jones, will see his red zone and goal line carries poached, this time by White. Also, with Vince Young still trying to get into a rhythm in the NFL, Johnson will be used as the Titans pass catching running back, and he should catch around 30+35 passes out of the backfield. The only downside to his game is that he needs to prove to the coaching staff that he can do more with his talent than just run fast. Playing in the NFL he will have to block and run between the tackles and as such he may be a bit slower to adjust to the league.
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Ryan Torain - Denver Broncos
As always, the Broncos organization heavily recruited the college ranks and landed Torain in the 5th round out of Arizona State University. At just 213 pounds, Torain is lean in terms of NFL running backs, but he brings quickness to the table, as evident by his 5 yard per carry average during his final year of college. He will enter training camp battling with Selving Young, Michael Pittman and Andre Hall for playing time, but don’t be surprised if Torain gets his chance at some point during the season. Everyone knows it is just a matter of time before Mike Shanahan starts playing games with the fantasy football owners in 2008.
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Ray Rice - Baltimore Ravens
Make no mistake about it, Rice was brought in to be the backup to Willis McGahee. Head coach John Harbaugh prefers to use a primary and secondary back system instead of the tandem running back system that some teams are moving to these days. That said, Rice is another guy who may have slipped in the draft because of concerns about his size as he weighs just 200 pounds. An exceptional runner with surprising speed, Rice would be a more valuable rookie running back if he weren’t stuck behind McGahee. Especially since Harbaugh was on record saying that he expects to get McGahee involved even more in 2008. As stands now, Rice holds little fantasy football value except in deeper leagues.
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Steve Slaton - Houston Texans
Slaton could be a sleeper in this draft class. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak is from the school of thought that you can never have enough running backs and Slaton will definitely have to earn his way up the charts. Heading into training camp, Slaton is part of a crowded backfield that includes Ahman Green, Chris Brown, Darius Walker and Chris Taylor, but Kubiak feels that Slaton fits well in the Houston system and is very capable of breaking long runs when he gets some space. Incumbent's Ahman Green and Chris Brown are not exactly examples of health and consistency, so don’t be surprised if Slaton is getting 8-12 carries a game by the end of the season.
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Jamaal Charles - Kansas City Chiefs
Charles didn’t exactly fill a need for the Chiefs in the third round, but he will be used to help spell Larry Johnson at times this season. Charles is another back that weighs in around 200 pounds, but the guy is among the fastest as his position. You can expect Johnson to once again get between 300-325 carries, but Charles is explosive and don't be surprised if he does some damage if Johnson once again falls victim to the injury bug.
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Position By Position Rookie Report
Rookie Report - Quarterbacks
Rookie Report - Running Backs
Rookie Report - Wide Receivers
Rookie Report - Tight Ends
Rookie Report - Kickers