Field Yates says these 7 rookies are worth targeting for your fantasy team, but be careful

Field Yates’ seven rookies to draft in fantasy, ranked in order of importance

7. RJ Harvey – Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey is one of the most underrated RBs in fantasy right now, and somebody we’ve talked about at NFL Analysis for a while.

He was incredibly productive in his last two seasons with the UCF Knights, posting 1,303 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2023, followed by 1,578 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024.

Harvey has an extremely strong lower body and will certainly look to produce for the Denver Broncos in the red zone.

The one thing that Denver was missing in 2024 was a consistent run game, but RJ Harvey should change all of that for Sean Payton’s team this season.

6. Kaleb Johnson – Pittsburgh Steelers

Kaleb Johnson is going to get plenty of playing time this season. At least that’s how it’s supposed to be.

He’s playing in an Arthur Smith offense, a coordinator whose offense has been notorious for a lot of carries. His group has been a top five team in rushing attempts in each of the last three years, one as the OC for the Steelers and two as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Najee Harris left in free agency, and he’s been replaced by Kaleb Johnson.

That said, the consensus is that Jaylen Warren will take over as the lead back, while Johnson rotates in behind him.

Further to that, there are concerns that Kaleb Johnson is struggling, with some poor preseason film showing up on X this week.

He still has time to get it right, but there’s a lot of swing in his potential this season. He could play so well that he demands more of Jaylen Warren’s carries, but he could also perform poorly and sink further into the depth chart.

5. Tetairoa McMillan – Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers’ top ten pick Tetairoa McMillan could immediately jump into a primary role for the franchise, and he still feels underrated.

The Panthers have been relying on a 35-year-old Adam Thielen, and second-year player Xavier Legette is reportedly struggling at camp.

There is a world where Tetairoa McMillan becomes WR1 for the franchise a lot sooner than perhaps anticipated, which would likely mean he quickly outperforms his ADP.

4. Travis Hunter – Jacksonville Jaguars

Many are very high on the talent level of Travis Hunter this season, but nobody knows how much football he’s going to play on offense, versus snaps at cornerback with the defense.

Field Yates is extremely high on Hunter’s production as a wide receiver, saying:

“I believe that Travis Hunter is the same category of player that we thought Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze were at coming into the NFL last year.

Yates did speak to the concern that Hunter may only feature for 60% of the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive snaps, but then made a very valid point about Trevor Lawrence.

He said that Lawrence becoming a top 10 QB is the difference between the Jaguars being legitimate or not, and the way to get the best from your franchise QB is to surround him with talent. If Travis Hunter is playing extremely well with Lawrence, they’re not going to want to take him off the field.

3. TreVeyon Henderson – New England Patriots

Yates’ decision to put TreVeyon Henderson at number three on the list is because he’s a high upside player.

Henderson was a four-year starter for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and he’s proven he can do it all. He can run between the tackles, break away from the defense, catch the football out of the backfield, and play special teams.

He took his very first touch in a Patriots uniform for a 103-yard kickoff return touchdown this past weekend, in the team’s preseason opener against the Washington Commanders, proving that he can be an explosive playmaker.

Henderson is also the most accomplished pass-blocking back the NFL draft has seen in years. His well-rounded skill set will get him on the field, and once he’s out there, the New England Patriots may find it difficult to take him out.

2. Omarion Hampton – LA Chargers

Jim Harbaugh turned the LA Chargers around last season. They won 11 games in his first season in charge, and he’s only just started to build the roster he wants to build.

This year, the head coach is taking full advantage of the opportunity to implement the run game he wants, drafting Omarion Hampton in the first round and signing veteran free agent Najee Harris to a one-year deal.

However, Najee Harris is still yet to practice, having suffered what is thought to be a significant eye injury during a 4th of July fireworks display.

Omarion Hampton has been getting all of the first team reps while Harris works out on the sidelines, and the longer that goes on, the higher Hampton climbs on fantasy draft boards.

1. Ashton Jeanty – Las Vegas Raiders

Field Yates predicted that Las Vegas Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty should have 300 carries this season, while handling at least 20 touches a game for the team.

Jeanty managed a monstrous workload for Boise State last year, with 313 carries, 2,287 rushing yards, and 28 touchdowns in just 12 games.

He posted numbers that have only ever been beaten by the legendary Barry Sanders, and had it not been for Travis Hunter playing quite literally every snap on both sides of the ball, Jeanty would have walked his way to the Heisman Trophy comfortably.

Pete Carroll ran his offense behind the bell cow back that was Marshawn Lynch, and will now look to do the same with Jeanty in Las Vegas.

Hilariously, fans of opposing teams were calling him a bust after three carries in the preseason. He will very quickly prove those fans wrong when the real football gets going this year, and he’s the consensus number one rookie to be drafting in fantasy for a reason.