The Rookie Report: Week 4

In Fantasy Football, rookies are often the most confusing players to evaluate. Due to their inexperience and lack of sample size in the NFL, they are susceptible to inconsistency and volatility, creating chaos for your fantasy team. To help get a better understanding of how to deal with rookies, each week, I’ll be writing a column breaking down some of the most important rookies for fantasy and helping you decide how to value these players moving forward. Welcome to the Rookie Report.

Quarterbacks

After a putrid Week 3 from this year’s crop of rookie quarterbacks, all five of them played much better in Week 4. Let’s dive a little deeper:

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

Lawrence had the best game of his young career last Thursday night. While his stat-sheet might not pop off the page, Lawrence made smart decisions and looked like an NFL starter. One very encouraging fantasy takeaway was that Lawrence had eight rush attempts and one rushing touchdown. As we all know, rushing quarterbacks are a glitch in fantasy football, so if Lawrence continues to see volume on the ground he could become a startable fantasy player sooner rather than later.

Zach Wilson, Jets

Zach Wilson won his first game in the NFL this week as the Jets upset the Titans in overtime. He had nearly 300 yards passing through the air and showcased his elite talent on several plays, particularly in the second half. However, the Jets offense is probably still a bit too inconsistent for Wilson to be rostered in most fantasy leagues.

Trey Lance, 49ers

Trey Lance SZN dawns upon us. With Jimmy Garropolo getting injured (again), Lance filled in as the starter for San Francisco and was a top-12 QB despite throwing just 18 passes and playing only 51% of the offensive snaps. While he obviously won’t be able to maintain such a ridiculous touchdown efficiency (2 touchdowns on 9 completions), Lance proved that he has the rushing fantasy floor that will make him a dependable fantasy starter. As long as Jimmy G is injured (the timeline is 2-4 weeks), and maybe even after that, Lance should be picked up and can be started in fantasy leagues moving forward.

Justin Fields, Bears

While he had the worst fantasy finish among the rookie quarterbacks this week, Fields looked fantastic on Sunday against the Lions. He led two long touchdown drives that were capped off by David Montgomery rushing touchdowns, and made a number of beautiful throws:

For those that thought Justin Fields didn’t play well because the Bears rushed for 3 TDs.



This is what you missed out on. pic.twitter.com/somJfje6I3

— Max Markham (@MaxMarkhamNFL) October 4, 2021

Fields should be rostered in fantasy for now and could become a matchup-dependent streaming option if Andy Dalton remains out.

Mac Jones, Patriots

Mac Jones was surgical versus Tampa Bay on Sunday night and looked Tom Brady-esque in the way he moved the ball versus the Buccaneers. However, because of his complete lack of stats in the run game, Jones likely will be a better NFL quarterback than fantasy quarterback this season and isn't worth rostering.

Running Backs

Najee Harris, Steelers

Najee was once again a strong fantasy player this week, finishing top-10 at the position and seeing a huge amount of volume. As the clear number one back in the Pittsburgh offense, Harris should continue to be excellent for fantasy and is a rock-solid RB1 for your team week in and week out. He’s also someone that I’d be trying to trade for using a player who had a big Week 4 (like Cordarrelle Patterson or Deebo Samuel).

Here's a graph that reinforces Najee's dominance in the Steelers backfield. He's one of the few running backs that almost never leaves the field, regardless of the down and situation the game is in.

Javonte Williams, Broncos

Javonte once again was incredibly average for fantasy. He saw just seven carries against the Ravens and was barely able to turn in a top-36 performance. His value hasn’t changed much at all since last week—continue to roster Williams and FLEX him if necessary.

Trey Sermon, 49ers

With Week 1 superstar Elijah Mitchell still injured, Sermon was given the start for the 49ers this week. He was able to churn out a solid performance, running for 89 yards on 19 carries. He wasn’t very good for fantasy because of a lack of passing game work and touchdowns, but the rushing volume was encouraging. Sermon is a deep-bench stash that can be FLEX-ed if Eli Mitchell continues to be injured.

Michael Carter, Jets

It speaks volumes that Carter scored a touchdown but still was just the RB28 on the week. The Jets have a full-fledged committee at running back, so it’s unlikely that Carter will see the volume needed to be fantasy-relevant this season. Leave him on the waiver wire.

Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles

Welcome to the Rookie Report, Kenneth Gainwell. The shifty Eagles running back was surprisingly an RB1 on the week, finishing 11th at the position. He saw a sizable volume through the air (8 targets) and was also able to punch in a touchdown, leading to his productive fantasy day. Gainwell will likely be a priority waiver wire pickup this week and should definitely be rostered—he’s proven he can be relevant despite not being the primary option out of the backfield. Needless to say, if starter Miles Sanders goes down with an injury, Gainwell would shoot up the running back rankings. He also happens to have the perfect name for a running back.

Wide Receivers

Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals

With Tee Higgins injured, Chase saw his highest number of targets on the season (9) and was able to turn it into a solid fantasy performance. He wasn’t able to continue his touchdown streak but showed that he has a high floor. Chase can be safely started in almost all league formats moving forward.

DeVonta Smith, Eagles

Smith was excellent for fantasy this week, amassing over 100 receiving yards on 10 targets en route to a top-20 finish at the wide receiver position. He’s the clear number one option in the Philadelphia passing game and should continue to be peppered with targets. Smith can be comfortably plugged into your FLEX spot for fantasy, especially in half-PPR and PPR scoring formats.

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins

Waddle was disappointing for fantasy this week, putting up a measly 33 yards on just four targets. The Dolphins’ offense under Jacoby Brissett does not look very good at all, meaning that fantasy points might be hard to come by for Waddle and the rest of the Miami receiving corps. Waddle should see enough volume to be FLEX-able in PPR, but he’s better off on your bench until Tua Tagovailoa returns from injury.

Rondale Moore, Cardinals

Moore was also an underwhelming player this week. He was 5th on his own team in targets and was barely utilized at all. Moore should be on your bench for fantasy until there’s a clear sign that he’s moved up the Arizona receiver depth chart.

Kadarius Toney, Giants

Another new addition to the Rookie Report, Toney had the first significant performance of his career against the Saints this weekend. The former Florida receiver had 78 yards through the air and was able to finish as a top-30 option. Toney is worth a pickup in fantasy with Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton both injured, and has an opportunity to showcase his talents in the coming weeks.

Tight Ends

Kyle Pitts, Falcons

Pitts was second on the Falcons with nine targets against Washington this week but was still mediocre for fantasy. He had just 50 receiving yards and is yet to have a breakout performance. Fantasy managers should keep a close look at him moving forward, as things don’t seem to be looking too optimistic for his fantasy value.

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

After hauling in a touchdown in Week 3, Freiermuth was essentially irrelevant for fantasy this weekend. Leave him on the waiver wire until further notice.