Week 5 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

Anthony Richardson (QB) - Indianapolis Colts 

Anthony Richardson finished as the QB3 in Week 4 (31.6 Points) after leading the Colts to overtime despite trailing 23-0. Whether it’s his fantasy prowess or ability to lead this team, he is becoming one of the most impressive players in the league and a polarizing player in the common football lexicon. There is still so much room for growth especially after only completing 11 of 25 passes in his last outing but Richardson is a must-start fantasy option every week and is showing out in a historically great rookie class. 

Puka Nacua (WR) - Los Angeles Rams 

Nothing can slow down the rapid ascent of Puka Nacua as one of the NFL’s best wideouts. The current rookie WR1 and WR4 Overall has now hit 10+ targets and 119+ receiving yards in 3 of his 4 games to start his career. Nacua now owns the NFL record for most targets and most receptions by any wide receiver through his first three games. He put an emphatic stamp on yet another historic outing, catching the first touchdown of his career to seal the game in overtime. caught his 1st TD this week. The Rams have been in some close games and can beat quality teams with their red-hot offense so matchup and game script may have little effect on the standout fifth-round rookie moving forward.

ROOKIE STANDOUTS

C.J. Stroud (QB) - Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud is off to a historic start as a first-year quarterback. Only three quarterbacks in NFL history have started their first four games with more than 1,200 total passing yards. Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, C.J. Stroud. The Rookie is also only the second quarterback in history to have no interceptions through his first four starts while averaging more than 30 pass attempts per game. Stroud is currently on pace to break the rookie passing yards record by over 700 yards, posting 1212 yards with a 62.3% completion rating and six touchdowns after a stellar Week 4 outing that saw the young star throw for 306 passing yards and two touchdowns.

De’Von Achane (RB) - Miami Dolphins 

Big play potential means that De’Von Achane can find success in some of the worst situations. After an 18-carry game, Achane and the Dolphins found themselves in a shootout that they couldn’t stay in for long. Raheem Mostert had seven carries and five targets but Achane led the team with eight carries, drawing five targets as well. His 101 yards and two touchdowns paired with three receptions for 19 yards pushed him into an RB4 overall finish on the week.

TOP ROOKIE PERFORMANCES

QB Anthony Richardson: 31.6 Points - QB3

WR Puka Nacua: 31.3 Points - WR4

RB De’Von Achane: 27.0 Points - RB4

WR Michael Wilson: 26.6 Points - WR6

QB C.J. Stroud: 25.8 Points - QB10

RB Jaleel McLaughlin: 19.4 Points - RB10

RB Bijan Robinson: 18.7 Points - RB11

TE Josh Whyle: 10.6 Points - TE12

ROOKIE DISAPPOINTMENTS

Bryce Young (QB) - Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young returned to action in Week 4 after missing just one game with an ankle injury. The rookie quarterback was held to just 204 passing yards with no touchdowns, absorbing five sacks as his offensive line did little to help the situation. The Panthers' offensive play calling has been frustratingly and unnecessarily remedial with Young under center this season. They currently lead the league in screen pass percentage while Young boasts a lowly Yards Per Attempt of 4.2 (32nd).

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR) - Seattle Seahawks

Week 4 was a down week for every rookie wide receiver in the NFL, save for Rams’ standout star Puka Nacua. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has yet to muster up a single outing above WR60 this season as the first-round wideout sits well behind Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf in the pecking order. Smith-Njigba has just 62 receiving yards on 12 receptions across four games this season.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson (QB) - Cleveland Browns

Not much was expected from Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 4 as the rookie got the first start of his professional career in lieu of an injured Deshaun Watson. Although the bar was low, Thompson-Robinson somehow managed to stay below it, throwing three interceptions with just 121 yards (zero touchdowns) on 19/36 attempts.

Jalin Hyatt (WR) - New York Giants

At this point, it may be a little disingenuous to call Jalin Hyatt a disappointment. The rookie has been awful, leaving nothing to be expected from him in the first place. A former Biletnikoff winner, Hyatt has plenty of upside as a gifted receiver but has shown none of those traits to begin his rookie campaign.

Tank Dell (WR) - Houston Texans 

The Texans ran away with an early lead in Week 4 after C.J. Stroud connected with Nico Collins for two touchdowns, leaving fellow Tank Dell with little to do in a game script that favored the run. That’s not his fault. His 3 targets were a career-low as he made only one catch for 16 yards. This is a rookie playing on a surprisingly good offense and should bounce back. Unfortunately, if you started him it’s very likely that he “TANKED” your week. 

Quentin Johnston (WR) - Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston had every reason to see increased usage and production in Week 4 but failed to see either of those things. The unfortunate season-ending injury to Mike Williams has left a massive role for a wideout to step up. The Chargers seem content with giving that spot on the depth chart to Josh Palmer as the veteran receiver played more snaps and ran more routes than the rookie while leading the team in receiving yards.

Jordan Addison (WR) - Minnesota Vikings

122 different active NFL wide receivers secured at least 1.0 PPR points in Week 4. Jordan Addison was not one of them, scoring 0.0 fantasy points with only one target. Addison has had a stellar start to his rookie campaign, showcasing excellent route-running, soft hands, and a knack for the deep ball. Let’s hope that Week 4 is merely an outlier of regression as opposed to a sign of things to come.

REMEDIAL ROOKIE PERFORMANCES

QB Bryce Young: 6.2 Points - QB27

RB Zach Charbonnet: 5.0 Points - RB45

WR Jaxon-Smith Njigba: 3.5 Points - WR85

WR Jalin Hyatt: 3.0 Points - WR89

WR Tank Dell: 2.9 Points - WR91

WR Quentin Johnston: 2.8 Points - WR93

QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 3.2 Points - QB31

RB Roschon Johnson: 2.5 Points - RB62

RB Kendre Miller: 1.8 Points - RB69

RB Tank Bigsby: 1.0 Points - RB74

WR Jordan Addison: 0.0 Points - <WR125

HEATING UP

WR Michael Wilson: 26.6 Points - WR6

Michael Wilson has been playing a steady share of the Cardinals' snaps as their defacto WR2 in 12 personnel sets. Rondale Moore has fallen out of favor as an every-down weapon, limiting his utility to three-wideout sets and gadget plays. Wilson’s big-bodied frame and catch radius have made him an unexpendable weapon for a Cardinals offense void of depth and top-tier talent outside of Marquise Brown and the injured Kyler Murray. Wilson hauled in seven of seven targets while playing 70.0% of the offensive snaps, totaling 76 yards and two touchdowns in a stellar outing. Wilson should continue to work his way into the mix as a more consistent pass-catcher with heightened opportunity shares.

RB Jaleel McLaughlin: 19.4 Points - RB10

This is an incredible finish by a player who is listed as the RB3 on the team’s depth chart. Javonte Williams only played eight snaps in Week 4 and is at risk of missing games with a hip issue that forced him to exit the contest early. McLaughlin stepped into a solid role, showcasing his ability with 72 rushing yards on just seven carries (10.29 YPC) while scoring his second touchdown of the season with three receptions for 32 yards and the aforementioned score. McLaughlin appears to be the “hot hand” in the Broncos backfield, taking his first NFL carry to the house for six points in Week 2. McLaughlin is quickly forcing his way into the game plan ahead of Samije Perine, earning more and more targets than the veteran back in Week 4. His playing time should continue to increase despite Williams’ availability. 

NAMES TO WATCH

WR Demario Douglas: 5.5 Points - WR55 

Despite limited snaps, Demario “Pop” Douglas is still getting a decent target share in a crowded receiving room. Kendrick Bourne currently leads the Patriots wideouts in targets but Douglas is the most efficient receiver by far. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a solid veteran but has a miniscule aDOT and hasn’t converted his menial target share into anything substantial. The Patriots offense is averaging over 38 pass attempts per game with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien calling the shots and the losses of All-Pro edge rusher Matthew Judon and DROY candidate Christian Gonzales should force the team into several negative game scripts where they will need to keep that volume up. ‘Pop” could pop off any week and is worth stashing in Dynasty leagues as a player to keep an eye out for a late-season surge. 

WR Quentin Johnston: 2.3 Points - WR89 

Quentin Johnston is trending toward being droppable in Redraft leagues. Although it takes several weeks for star rookie talents to develop it is hard to justify holding Johnston. The assumption of an increased role sans Mike Williams was just that; an assumption. Josh Palmer led the Chargers with eight targets and 77 receiving yards while Johnston only drew three targets, catching just one pass for 18 yards. Despite his frustratingly slow start, there is still a lot of optimism for the first-round rookie. Johnston was listed as a starter for the first time in Week 4, playing 51.0% of offensive snaps (after a previous high of 27.0%) and increased his best route participation rating from 38.09% to 70.97% according to PFF’s Nathan Jahnke. The Chargers were up almost the entire game, often by multiple scores, and did not need to lean on the passing game. After looking like a rookie with an uphill climb, Johnston is a player who looks set for a 2nd half boom.

BIG ROOKIE MOMENTS

Puka Calls Game!

Puka Nacua is, without exaggeration, off to the greatest start to a wide receiver’s career in NFL history. Nacua now owns the record for most receptions (39) and targets (52) by any wide receiver in their first four games. The rookie currently leads the NFL in receptions and is second behind only Justin Jefferson for league-leader in receiving yards (501). Nacua finished Week 4 as the Rams’ weekly leader in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (163) while catching the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime which just so happened to be the first touchdown of his career.

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By Matt Ward & Themi Michalakis