Fantasy Football: NFL Rookies to Watch after Week 1
9 Sep
One week of the NFL season has come and gone with quite a few stories. Tom Brady is out for the season, all but eliminating the New England Patriots from Super Bowl contention. Two more AFC contenders, the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts, lost their first games. On the NFC side, Aaron Rodgers had a great debut as the Green Bay Packers’ undisputed starting quarterback.
Another story is the number of offensive rookies that have stepped up for their teams this past weekend. Here is the list of the top 5 offensive rookie performers. These rookies will provide help in any fantasy football league, but could prove to be must-haves in keeper leagues:
1. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears (44th pick), RB: Forte led a devestating Chicago running game that kept the Indianapolis Colts offense off the field long enough to rest a defense that shut down the Colts’ prolific passing and running attacks. Forte had 123 yards on 23 carries, including a 50 yard TD run.
2. Eddie Royal, Denver Broncos (42nd pick), WR: The Broncos were looking for a weapon this week after their star receiver Brandon Marshall had to sit because of a league-imposed suspension. They may have found an all-pro in the making to man the other side of the field when Marshall returns. Royal had 9 catches for 146 yards (to lead all NFL receivers) and a 26-yard TD reception. He also showed his intelligence by throwing the ball out of bounds on a blown reverse option.
3. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (3rd pick), QB: Most people though that Ryan would be good, but probably didn’t think he would do this well early. Now, with Michael Turner running all over the Detroit Lions defense, Ryan didn’t have to make many plays, but he also did not make any major mistakes. Ryan finished the game going 9/13 with 161 yards, a TD, and no interceptions.
4. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans (24th pick), RB: Chris Johnson proved to be quite a change of pace from bruising LenDale White for the Titans. He did not score a touchdown, but gained 93 yards on 15 attempts, and looked as though, he could break one at any moment.
5. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (18th pick), QB: Flacco didn’t have an incredibly easy game, but was good enough to get the win over the Cincinnati Bengals. While not being as efficient as his fellow rookie Matt Ryan, Flacco did not throw an interception while going 15/29 and 129 yards. Joe also proved that his feet could be a weapon with a 38 yard touchdown run.
Now, it is just Week 1 and there are always growing pains with rookies, but these 5 have the potential to become great assets to their teams, seeing that all 5 teams one in Week 1, as well as your fantasy team. So, come follow their progress and the NFL at InGameNow.
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