Ultimate Fantasy Rookie Performance to Follow 2023 Week 1

This was one of the craziest week ones that I can remember for a long time. Insane plays. Unpredictable scores. Injuries. So many injuries… I am just excited to announce that FOOTBALL IS BACK BABY!

I felt like a proud papa watching all my sophomores succeed in their second year in the NFL. Breece Hall had a solid game after coming back from last year’s ACL injury. Garrett Wilson made an unbelievable touchdown grab. Brian Robinson ran all over the Cardinals. Romeo Doubs was heavily targeted by his new best friend Jordan Love. Kenny Pickett survived being sacked 5 times by the 49ers defense. As much as I love these guys, it’s time to turn the page and see a new group of rookies. Let’s get started.

Rankings are based on fantasy points in a standard PPR score.

Embed from Getty Images

6. Jordan Addison (16.1)

Begrudgingly, I need to start the weekly list off with Jordan Addison. I really thought that, of the rookie wideouts, he would struggle the most, and KJ Osborn was a sneaky sleeper pick. Whoops. I suppose touchdowns will do that. Addison had the same number of targets as Osborn and did more with them. There will be opportunities when on the opposite side of the best wide receiver in the league so maybe Addison will be a staple on this list.

I wrote this and realized due to technical error and lack of sleep he’s actually 6th. First week bonus!

Embed from Getty Images

5. Roschon Johnson (17.5)

The former Texas Longhorn you expected to see on this list, right? Five rushes for 20 yards and six receptions for 35 yards is not great, but again, another touchdown. All of his work came in the second half when the Bears were already down by a lot against the Packers. Chicago has a messy backfield at best, but if you have space, Johnson may be worth a stash on your bench.

Embed from Getty Images

4. Zay Flowers (17.7)

Zay Flowers is my ride or die player in all of fantasy this year. I absolutely love his game and he is a major upgrade to the Baltimore Ravens receiving corps. In fact, I will go out on a limb and say Zay Flowers is the best wide receiver Lamar Jackson has ever played with. Against a secretly stout Houston Texans defense, Flowers caught 9 out of 10 passes thrown his way for 78 yards. Literally 45% of the passes went Zay Flowers’ way. Give me that volume all day long. The stats will only get better as the defenses get easier. I know he’s only 4th on the list and Bijan Robinson is the heavy favorite, but Zay Flowers will be rookie of the year at the end of the fantasy season. I just want that in writing.

Embed from Getty Images

3. Bijan Robinson (20.3)

Of course Bijan made the list. All of the groundwork has been laid for Robinson to have an incredible rookie year. The best running back from the draft going to the team that runs more than anyone else? Duh. For his first week in the league, Bijan had 10 rushes for 56 yards and caught all 6 of his targets for 27 yards and a touchdown. With his utilization, and barring an injury, of course, Bijan will be on this list all year.

Fun Fact! Four Falcons skill players touched the ball Sunday. Four. And they won. As a Panthers fan, this hurts my heart.

Embed from Getty Images

2. Anthony Richardson (20.92)

If a quarterback was going to make the list, Anthony Richardson was going to be the guy. Richardson is Cam Newton 2.0. On Sunday, Richardson was more accurate than analysts predicted (24/37 for 223 yards, a touchdown and an interception) and had all the rushing upside the masses were salivating over (10 rushes for 40 yards and a touchdown). If he hadn’t gotten hurt at the end of the game, he probably (definitely) would have had another rushing touchdown from the 1 yard line. He will be fun to watch all season long and as he gets more comfortable. the sky is the limit.

Embed from Getty Images

1. Puka Nacua (21.9)

“We didn’t start Nacua. As a fantasy manager, we gave up on the Rams”-Billy Joel to the tune of We Didn’t Start the Fire. Probably.

My brain broke when I heard the Rams stomped the Seahawks. I thought Seattle would easily be top 5 and the Rams would be bottom 2 in the league. Nacua was a big part of that. He had an absurd 15 targets and caught 10 of them for 119 yards. A trip to the end zone was not in the cards this week, but with that much attention it’s only a matter of time. Is Nacua the new Cooper Kupp or was this more about this particular matchup? Will the target share continue if and when Kupp comes back? These are all exciting things waiver wire winners of Nacua will anxiously wait and find out.

I have some exciting personal news to go along with the start of the new season. It is my rookie year as a dad! This parenting thing is exhausting and time intensive, but I promise I will do my best to get this out at the usual Wednesday time. I appreciate every one of you for reading and I’ll see you all next week.

Love,

@MeLlamoMoron

ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.