Fantasy football rookie watch: Harrison, Nabers break out

The performances of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (29.0 PPR points) and New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (28.7) gave fantasy managers a big boost in their Week 2 matchups. But things didn’t go as smoothly for other rookies.

So, what statistical tidbits should you know about, and which rookies deserve your attention moving forward?

Let’s dive into the biggest takeaways from the rookies in Week 2.

Quarterbacks

Top performer

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (90.0% rostered, 53.3% started)

Daniels earned his first NFL win, though we all held our breath when the rookie was shaken up on a run in the first half. Despite the scare, he finished the game with 13.4 fantasy points, which was quite a drop from the 28.1 he scored in Week 1. Still, Daniels remains on the QB1 radar thanks to his rushing ability. It’s also promising to see improvements in his pass attempts, completions, completion percentage and passing yards in Week 2 against the Giants. The Commanders face the Bengals in Week 3.

Keep ’em rostered

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (70.7% rostered, 12.6% started)

It’s been a tough start to Williams’ rookie season, with less than 10 fantasy points in both of his first two games. On Sunday night against the Texans, Williams struggled when blitzed. And he only completed two of nine passes for 20 yards with two interceptions and seven sacks when pressured. Despite having playmakers like DJ Moore and Rome Odunze around him, Williams needs time to adjust to the NFL. Keep him on your roster, but hold off on starting him for now.

Others to watch

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (10.1% rostered, 0.8% started)

Don’t get too caught up in Nix’s rushing potential. He put up just 11.0 fantasy points in Week 1 and 8.3 in Week 2, and he has thrown two interceptions in each game. The rookie is clearly struggling under pressure, completing only 35% of his passes, with zero touchdowns and three interceptions this season. Heading into Week 3 against the Buccaneers, Nix is still a low-end QB3.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots (2.5% rostered)

Maye continued to watch from the sidelines as the Patriots lost to the Seahawks in overtime. Jacoby Brissett continues to operate as a game manager after scoring 8.0 fantasy points in Week 1 and 10.5 in Week 2. He continues to take care of the football and leverage his offensive playmakers. Keep Maye on your watch list as the Patriots travel to face the Jets in Week 3.

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons (1.3% rostered)

There are some concerns about Kirk Cousins’ health as he returns from injury this season. In Week 1 against the Steelers, the Falcons used shotgun or pistol sets on 96% of their plays. It will be interesting to see if this changes on “Monday Night Football” against the Philadelphia Eagles. With playmakers such as Drake London, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts potentially at his disposal, keep an eye on Penix if Cousins doesn’t regain his form.

Running backs

Top performer

Braelon Allen, New York Jets (7.4% rostered, 0.3% started)

Allen made a notable impact against the Titans on Sunday, scoring 19.6 fantasy points on just nine touches (20 offensive snaps, 12 routes run). In comparison, Breece Hall had 21 touches and 24.4 points (40 offensive snaps, 19 routes run). Allen’s ability to break through defenders was particularly impressive. This is a running back with 3,494 career rushing yards in college, ranking ninth in Wisconsin school history. Expect him to take on a larger role in the Jets’ offense and be a key player to target on the waiver wire this week.

Keep ’em rostered

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29.6% rostered, 1.4% started)

The Buccaneers were limited to just 70 rushing yards by the Lions defense, with most of that coming from Baker Mayfield. Irving had only seven touches, compared with White’s 11, and neither was very productive from a fantasy standpoint — Irving scored 2.2 points while White managed just 3.3. The Buccaneers’ offensive line and backs struggled to establish the running game. From a fantasy perspective, the key takeaway is that offensive coordinator Liam Coen seems committed to using both Irving and White. Irving is worth stashing on your bench as a potential late-season difference-maker.

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (43.5% rostered, 0.8% started)

It was encouraging to see Benson finish with 11 touches, while Emari Demercado managed just two. Still, James Conner remains the elephant in the room when it comes to Benson’s fantasy outlook. If Conner misses time, Benson could take over a large chunk of his workload, putting him firmly on the RB2 radar. Conner has accumulated 19 or more touches in two straight games. Benson is worth keeping on your roster.

Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers (69.4% rostered)

Brooks remains on the PUP/NFI list as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last November at Texas, so he’ll be out for at least the first four games. The Panthers’ offense has struggled this season, getting outscored 73-13. While Chuba Hubbard had 14 touches and 11.6 fantasy points against the Chargers on Sunday, it’s hard to find much comfort in those numbers if you’re stashing Brooks on IR, especially given Bryce Young’s rough performance.

Others to watch

Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills (11.5% rostered)

Although Davis finished Thursday night’s game against the Dolphins with 10 touches, compared with James Cook’s 12, most of his came in the fourth quarter when the Bills were up by three touchdowns. Unless Cook, who has 34 touches this season, misses time, Davis is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant. The Bills host the Jaguars in Week 3, so keep Davis on your watch list.

Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins (25.2% rostered)

Even before Tua Tagovailoa’s exit, De’Von Achane was the focal point of the Dolphins’ offense, despite being questionable with an ankle injury. He logged 62% of snaps, finishing with 29 touches and 29.5 fantasy points. Meanwhile, Wright saw just 23% of snaps and five carries, even with Raheem Mostert out due to a chest injury. Mostert’s injury isn’t expected to be long-term. For Wright to become fantasy relevant, he’d need either Achane or Mostert to miss time.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (42.2% rostered)

It was surprising that Corum didn’t get more snaps in the second half Sunday against the Cardinals, especially with the game out of hand. It seemed like the perfect time to ease Kyren Williams’ workload. Corum’s roster percentage continues to drop. Keep him on your watch list, but not on your fantasy roster.

MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers (17.9% rostered)

Lloyd made his NFL debut against the Colts on Sunday, finishing with seven touches and 2.8 fantasy points. He played only a few snaps and is now dealing with an ankle injury. Despite this, Lloyd should be on your watch list. If starter Josh Jacobs were to get injured, the rookie would inherit some of that volume. Jacobs had 32 rushing attempts in Week 2 and 18 touches in Week 1, so if anything happens to him, Lloyd could help fill the gap. Keep an eye on Lloyd as a potential asset.

Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers (1.9% rostered)

Vidal has been inactive for two straight games (coach’s decision), but there’s still potential for the rookie in the Chargers’ run-heavy offense. The easiest path to fantasy relevancy would be if J.K. Dobbins or Gus Edwards misses time. Dobbins has already racked up 266 rushing yards in the first two games — the most by any Chargers player over that span in franchise history. This just highlights the potential Vidal could bring to the table. Keep him on your watch list.

Wide receivers

Top performers

Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals (98.7% rostered, 75.7% started)

This is exactly the kind of performance fantasy managers were hoping for from the highest-drafted rookie wide receiver in ESPN leagues over the past 20 years. Harrison racked up eight targets and 29.0 fantasy points. The only downside? His numbers might have been even more impressive if the game had been closer, as Arizona led by 21 points at halftime. In fact, Harrison had more receiving yards in the opening quarter (130) than his father, Marvin Sr., had in any game during his rookie season in 1996. Harrison is now firmly on the WR1 radar for Week 3 against the Lions.

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Liz Loza: Malik Nabers is a fantasy start in Week 3 vs. Browns

Liz Loza breaks down Malik Nabers’ great fantasy performance vs. the Commanders.

Malik Nabers, New York Giants (96.3% rostered, 63.3% started)

This was the performance we were hoping for from Nabers in Week 1. He delivered with 10 receptions and 28.7 fantasy points in a favorable matchup against the Commanders’ secondary. His 18 targets were the most for a rookie in a game since Puka Nacua had 20 in Week 2 of last season. Nabers also led the Giants with 26 routes run and topped all New York receivers with an average of 3.11 yards of separation at the time of pass arrival. The Giants have a more challenging matchup next week against a Browns defense that dominated the Jaguars on Sunday. For now, keep deploying Nabers as a solid midrange WR2.

Keep ’em rostered

Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (92.6% rostered, 44.5% started)

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Hollywood Brown “is not expected to play” until January, which solidified Worthy as one of the Chiefs’ top two receivers for the rest of the season. However, Worthy ended up with just four targets and 4.2 fantasy points in a game where QB Patrick Mahomes had only 25 pass attempts. The only players who saw more targets were Rashee Rice (6) and Isiah Pacheco (5). While Worthy hasn’t quite become the high-end flex option I was hoping for, that’s OK. He’s best viewed as an upside WR4 against the Falcons in Week 3. Keep Worthy on your roster.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (79.0% rostered, 13.9% started)

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence continues to struggle, with 11.2 fantasy points in Week 1 and 13.3 in Week 2. However, Thomas continues to make the most of his targets. The rookie has scored 10 or more fantasy points in two consecutive games. Thomas is third in snaps and routes on Jacksonville, behind Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk. The rookie does lead the team with 3.2 yards of separation on his targets. The Jaguars travel to Buffalo to face the Bills in Week 3. Thomas is best viewed as a flex option in deeper leagues.

Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears (74.2% rostered, 2.0% started)

Odunze was dealing with an MCL sprain heading into Sunday night’s game against the Texans. It was disappointing to see him get only four targets, especially with teammate WR Keenan Allen unavailable. Until Williams shows improvement at quarterback, it’s tough to have confidence in starting Odunze. Hold on to him for now, but keep him on your bench.

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills (83.0% rostered, 13.4% started)

After a strong Week 1 against the Cardinals, where Coleman led the team in snaps, routes run, targets, receptions and receiving yards, he followed it up with zero fantasy points in Week 2. Despite leading in snaps and routes again, Coleman had no targets as Josh Allen threw only 19 passes in the Bills’ blowout win. Allen is playing well, with only 12.2% of his throws off target this season. Fantasy managers should stay patient, as it might take time for Allen to build chemistry with the rookie. For now, keep Coleman on your bench.

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers (83.0% rostered, 19.3% started)

The Chargers leaned heavily on the running game in their 44 attempts against the struggling Carolina Panthers on Sunday. After a promising Week 1 with seven targets and 14.9 fantasy points, the rookie saw a sharp drop in Week 2, finishing with only four targets and 4.6 fantasy points. While the Chargers’ overall passing game was limited, with just 20 attempts, Quentin Johnston’s performance raises a few concerns. He led Los Angeles in snaps, routes run, targets and fantasy points (22.1). Week 3 will reveal whether this performance marks the beginning of a trend.

Others to watch

Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4.9% rostered)

McMillan led all Buccaneers receivers in snaps and routes run in Week 1 but saw just three targets. In Week 2 against the Lions, he ran a similar number of routes and played as many snaps as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, yet received only two targets. With Evans and Godwin commanding such a high target share, it’s tough for McMillan to be fantasy-relevant unless one of them misses time. Keep him on your watch list.

Ja’Lynn Polk, New England Patriots (21.9% rostered)

Polk scored 9.2 fantasy points against the Seahawks on Sunday, but he had just three targets. The Patriots’ wide receiver rotation is quite fluid, with everyone running a similar number of routes. TE Hunter Henry led the team with 10 targets and clearly has QB Jacoby Brissett’s trust, even though Brissett has thrown for less than 150 yards in each game this season. Polk should definitely be on your watch list.

Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers (25.3% rostered)

Legette saw fewer snaps and ran fewer routes than Adam Thielen, Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo against the Chargers, finishing with zero targets. His fantasy ceiling remains low, especially with Bryce Young, who has continued to struggle as much as he did as a rookie last season. In fact, Young is the third player in the past 20 seasons to average 4 or fewer yards per dropback in four consecutive starts (with a minimum of 20 dropbacks per game). The other two are David Carr and JaMarcus Russell.

Adonai Mitchell, Indianapolis Colts (27.9% rostered)

Mitchell did make an impressive on a long reception from Anthony Richardson against the Packers, but he’s not seeing enough snaps or running enough routes compared with other receivers in the room to be considered fantasy relevant. Plus, with Josh Downs set to return sooner rather than later, it’s going to be difficult for Richardson to support multiple fantasy-relevant receivers, especially with the Colts’ run-heavy approach.

Luke McCaffrey, Washington Commanders (4.8% rostered)

The biggest takeaway about McCaffrey is that he finished with zero targets. The Commanders aren’t a pass-heavy offense with rookie Jayden Daniels under center, and Noah Brown being active for Sunday’s game doesn’t help McCaffrey’s fantasy outlook. He should be on your watch list, however it’s tough to have confidence in any receiver on this team outside of Terry McLaurin.

Tight end

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (87.2% rostered, 45.6% started)

Even though Bowers is still splitting snaps and routes with TE Michael Mayer, it’s clear Bowers is the better player. His eight targets and 11.8 fantasy points in Week 1 against the Chargers hinted at a bigger role, and that came to fruition in Week 2. Bowers finished with nine targets and 18.8 fantasy points. He and WR Davante Adams made history as the first Raiders teammates to each have nine receptions and 90 receiving yards in the same game. Heading into Week 3 against the Panthers, you can view the rookie as a low-end TE1.