Ultimate Rookie Report week 1 2025

Football is back, baby! I didn’t get to watch most of it, but some wild things happened! Unfortunately, my rookies didn’t quite pop like I thought they would, but it’s only week one. 

I promise this intro will be better next week. I’m still exhausted from an ill-timed trip to Disney with a toddler.

For those of you that are new to the column, this is the top 5 rookie performances of the week, based on a points per reception fantasy league. There are no defenders because I would lose my goddamn mind if I had to keep track of all of that, too. Sorry, IDPers.

Without further ado…

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5. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (14.2)

Bill gained a lot of steam heading into the fantasy season, especially after Washington traded away Brian Robinson. He did not disappoint. Bill had ten carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Not a bad return for a seventh round draft pick.

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4. Tyler Warren (14.9)

Daniel Jones really came back from the dead and crushed the Miami Dolphins. Who saw that coming? Tyler Warren led the team in both targets (9) and receptions (7). Why not continue the trend of having the best tight end be a rookie for the third year in a row? This totally makes sense and isn’t crazy at all.

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3. Cam Little (15)

I’m taking responsibility for this one. I disrespected kickers, so one obviously had to make the list for the opening week. Cam Little kicked four field goals (35, 47, 36, 28 yarders) and two extra points. Welcome to the long list of people on my spreadsheet, Cam.

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2. Dylan Sampson (17.3)

Sampson was the lead back for the Browns with twelve attempts, but only managed 29 yards in the process. That’s a measly 2.4 yards per carry. That’s terrible! Why is he on the list? Well, he also led the team in receptions (8) and was barely edged out by Jerry Jeudy in receiving yards (64). I don’t know how sustainable any of this is with Quinshon Judkins finally signing his contract and the Browns playing a team that isn’t from Ohio. This is for sure a wait and see, but he’s a decent stash on your bench if he’s available.

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1. Emeka Egbuka (23.6)

What a bad time for Chris Godwin to be hurt. He just may not get his job back. On a day that Baker Mayfield only threw for 167 yards total, Egbuka hauled in six catches for 67 of them. The real points boost comes from the TWO touchdowns. This offense should play significantly better in the future and Egbuka will only increase his production as well.

This year I’d like to try to make some predictions. If Travis Hunter plays as much on offense as he did this week, I believe he could absolutely eat against the Bengals. He easily makes this list. Unless Liam Coen uses him to shut down Tee Higgins. This dual designation is really a pain in the ass for fantasy managers.

Good luck everyone! It’s so good to be back!

@MeLlamoMoron

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