Week 7 Rookie Report

Welcome to the Rookie Report series. This will be a recurring series that highlights fantasy-relevant rookies, how they performed in the prior weeks, and what that means for the future. Let’s dive in! 

ROOKIE(S) OF THE WEEK

Zay Flowers (WR) - Baltimore Ravens 

Week 6 wasn’t necessarily Zay Flowers’ best receiving performance but he continues to impress weekly as the number one wideout on the roster. Flowers caught the first touchdown of his NFL career, marking the only trip to the endzone the Ravens made as Justin Tucker did most of the heavy lifting while the offense fell apart in the red zone. The rookie wideout led the team with eight targets, catching six for 50 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. Flowers continues to flourish, sharing the majority of passing work with Mark Andrews while no other wide receiver on the Ravens has performed well enough to earn a consistent target share. Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr are past their prime and Rashod Bateman has been a non-factor. The lack of support surrounding Flowers makes his early-season production even more impressive as teams shadow the Ravens WR1 with their best defensive matchup. Flowers has notably out-targeted Andrews in three of five games, further establishing himself as the go-to option through the air. Flowers is well past his expected development and a second-half rookie season boom could lead to fireworks.

Michael Mayer (TE) - Las Vegas Raiders 

Things are finally trending up for Michael Mayer. Sam LaPorta has stolen headlines as he leads the 2023 rookie tight end class but Mayer was once considered the top guy before a massively disappointing combine. Mayer started the season only drawing 2 targets in his first four games, never eclipsing more than 51.0% of offensive snaps in that span. In Week 5, Mayers began to show signs of progression as he jumped to a 66.0% snap share while catching two of his three targets for 39 yards. Facing the Patriots in Week 6 the Raiders tight end had a real breakout performance, playing 81.0% of snaps while catching five of six targets for a career/season-high 75 yards. Austin Hooper’s role is quickly dissipating as the veteran has been a near-net zero in the receiving game. Mayer will still face an uphill climb in his rookie development but a continued uptick in snap share and route participation makes the young tight end an interesting option down the stretch.

ROOKIE STANDOUTS

C.J. Stroud (QB) - Houston Texans

In a down week for rookies across the NFL, C.J. Stroud’s 19.2 PPG (QB13) was a welcome sight. Stroud fell just outside of the QB1 tier this week, marking just the second time in which that has occurred in his first six starts. The rookie signal-caller showed there is still much room for improvement in his game but the historic beginning to his NFL career lays an incredible foundation to build upon following the Texans Week 7 bye.

Josh Downs (WR) - Indianapolis Colts

Josh Downs continues to fly under the radar as a rapidly developing rookie wideout with extreme upside. The Colts offense will undeniably look much different now that Gardner Minshew is the starting quarterback, opening up an avenue for Downs to feast as the team’s short-yardage target with increased passing volume. Downs hauled in his first touchdown catch of the season, earning eight targets with five receptions. His 21 yards in Week 6 leaves much to be desired but the rookie’s ever-growing opportunity as the number two pass-catcher alongside Michael Pittman is incredibly encouraging for the rest of the season.

TOP ROOKIE PERFORMANCES

WR Zay Flowers: 17.1 Points - WR14

WR Josh Downs: 13.1 Points - WR 30

TE Michael Mayer: 12.5 Points - TE5

TE Brenton Strange: 10.7 Points - TE11

ROOKIE DISAPPOINTMENTS

An unexpected down week for rookie production across the entire NFL led to several disappointing rookie performances. These next five names stand out above the rest for varying reasons.

Quentin Johnston (WR) - Los Angeles Chargers

There is arguably not a more disappointing first-year player (regardless of position) than the Chargers' new wideout Quentin Johnston. The first-round rookie had a seemingly wide-open path to increased opportunity and development after Mike Williams suffered a season-ending injury. Instead, the team elected to give 100.0% of Williams' vacated snaps and routes to Josh Palmer while Johnston continues to be an afterthought in the game plan. Week 6 marked a brand new low for Johnston as he played just 48.0% of the offensive snaps despite coming off a bye week with extra preparation. Johnston saw two targets, failing to catch either with 0.0 fantasy points. 101 different wide receivers scored at least 0.1 fantasy points in Week 6. Johnston was not amongst them.

Emari Demercado (RB) - Arizona Cardinals

Emari Demercado was expected to receive an uptick in opportunity and snap share following James Conner’s injury. The Cardinals pivoted away from their workhorse approach to the backfield, electing to go with a committee of dysfunction as Josh Dobbs, Keaontay Ingram, Damien Williams, and Rondale Moore all shared rushing opportunities with the undrafted rookie. Demarcado finished the game with only two rush attempts for six yards, collecting his lone target for six receiving yards.

Puka Nacua (WR) - Los Angeles Rams

The return of Cooper Kupp has understandably capped the unfathomably high ceiling of the Puka Nacua. Kupp wasted no time acclimating himself as the Rams' unquestioned Alpha wideout, putting up two monstrous performances while the Rams rookie has been relegated to WR2 duties. Nacua’s secondary role did not appear to be an issue in Week 5 as he caught seven passes for 71 yards and his second touchdown of the season against the Eagles. Unfortunately, four receptions for 26 yards feels like a zero-sum for the fifth-round rookie wideout. Nacua should still be widely regarded as a high-end WR2 every week but performances like his most recent outing may crop up more often than managers are comfortable with.

Jordan Addison (WR) - Minnesota Vikings

The loss of Justin Jefferson left an irreplaceable hole on the Vikings' depth chart with Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn attempting to fill in for the star wideout. The offense as a unit was understandably less effective. Kirk Cousins completed 21 of 31 pass attempts for a mere 181 yards and one touchdown in a narrow 19-13 victory over the Bears. Addison caught only three of said attempts for 28 yards. A hopeful increase in opportunity yielded just five targets for the first-round receiver while Osborn (5 Targets), Alexander Mattison (7 Targets), and T.J. Hockenson (8 Targets) worked their way into the rotation. The rookie did, however, find himself on the receiving end of Cousins’ only touchdown pass and now leads all first-year wideouts with four scores in six games.

Bryce Young (QB) - Carolina Panthers

Byrce Young has still yet to secure his first win in the NFL, making him the only player selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft who has not felt the uplifting highs of victory at the pro level. The Panthers rookie quarterback completed 23/38 attempts for 217 yards and one touchdown in a lopsided loss to the overpowered Dolphins in Week 6. Young has shown several positive traits in his first-year development but remains well below the line of fantasy-relevant quarterbacks.

REMEDIAL ROOKIE PERFORMANCES

WR Puka Nacua: 6.6 Points - WR58

RB Jaleel McLaughlin: 6.2 Points - RB39

RB Zach Charbonnet: 3.9 Points - RB46

RB Emari Demercado: 2.7 Points - RB51

RB Kendre Miller: 2.2 Points - RB62

RB Tank Bigsby: 1.8 Points - RB 65

WR Quentin Johnston: 0.0 Points - <WR101

HEATING UP

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 

Jazon Smith-Njigba didn’t show out this week, nor did he set career highs in targets or receptions. He didn’t score and only beat his previous high in receiving yards by 14 yards. His 4 REC/48 YDS receiving slash was, however, respectable for a rookie competing with two incredible top-tier wide receivers for targets. Most notably, Smith-Njigba saw his snap percentage and total routes take a significant leap from weeks past. Smith-Njigba remains entrenched as the third-most targeted option and the clear WR3 with room for improvement inside the Seahawks system. Jake Bobo had another solid showing in limited playing time but he’s not supplanting the rookie anytime soon. Smith-Njigba is still far away from being a must-start Flex option but he’s beginning to border it. Some top defenses await in the near future but a Week 7 matchup against the Cardinals could be his best chance at a breakout before the second half of the season. There is still hope for the first-round wideout. 

NAMES TO WATCH

QB Tyson Bagent 

Tyson Bagent completed 10 of 14 pass attempts after taking over for an injured Justin Fields against the Vikings in Week 6. He only managed 83 yards and threw a pick but does face the Raiders this week. He’s worth a desperate start in a Superflex league if Justin Fields can’t suit up, which looks very likely right now. Nathan Peterman is also on the roster but I’d like to give The Bears the benefit of the doubt and say that they’d prefer to give a rookie some more experience in a season that was lost before it started. Perhaps sitting out would be better for development but I don’t think fans would be very forgiving after paying to watch Peterman throw three interceptions. Managers should monitor how Bagent performs against The Raiders this week. 

QB Malik Cunningham 

Mac Jones does not look like the answer to any of the Patriots' problems. Bill Belichick has a major decision to make at quarterback as his team sits 1-5 and Jones has been benched in two of his last three outings. Malik Cunningham was listed as the Backup quarterback against the Raiders but only got a few snaps this week and didn’t get a real shot to show anything off. It’ll be interesting to see if Bailey Zappe can retrieve his QB2 role on this team after having a fairly encouraging stint as the starter in 2022. However, things can change quickly and his role can’t be guaranteed. Cunningham may still be far away from sniffing a real starting role despite how bad things look but he has a good shot to make his name heard. Hosting the Bills this week may not be the best place to test out your rookie but the Patriots need to make changes quickly if they hope to salvage a sinking season.

Trey Palmer (WR) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trey Palmer nearly doubled his targets and receiving yards from the previous four weeks in one game. His seven targets were tied with Chris Godwin for the second most on the team and his 47 receiving yards on two receptions nearly beat out Mike Evans’ 49 yards on four catches (10 Targets) as the Buccaneers offense failed to gain traction against the Lions. It’s evident that game-script played a big part in Palmer’s involvement but he can still make a case for the WR3 on this team. It’s too early to justify rostering Palmer in most leagues but his name is one to watch. The best we can hope for is a small stretch of success closer to the fantasy playoffs.

BIG ROOKIE MOMENTS

Zay Flowers and Josh Downs Taste Paydirt For First Time

It took six weeks but both Zay Flowers and Josh Downs caught the first touchdowns of their NFL career in Week 6. Each player has shown positive production in their first few outings and should continue to contribute to their offenses in a myriad of ways as the season transgresses.

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By Matt Ward & Themi Michalakis