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- š¾ Rookie Class 10-Year Reunion
This week, Iām honoring the rookies of 2015 ahead of their 10th season, plus we get a dynasty nugget courtesy of our friends at Dynasty League Football.
š 10th-Year Rookie Reunion
This season marks the 10th year for many notable players and some not-so-notable ones. The 2016 rookie class doesnāt feature a bulk of talent at one position a la QBs in 1983 or WRs in 2014, but many are still crushing it or are at least still getting NFL paychecks, while some high draft picks have retired or fallen off the map.
No. 1 Overall Pick -QB Jared Goff š > š¦
His rookie year resulted in just 1,089 yards on 205 attempts with 7 interceptions, as the QB43 in fantasy points per game. Goffās current total stands at 35,058 yards as he starts season 10.
Since being traded to the Lions in 2021, Goff has averaged 16.8 fantasy points per game as the QB16, with his best finish coming last year as the QB7 in that category.
No. 2 Overall Pick- QB Carson Wentz š¦ >š§² > šŖ> ā
He broke out in his sophomore season, tossing the rock for 3,265 yards and a whopping 33 touchdowns. Wentz led the league in TD% (7.5) with an NFL-high QBR of 78.6 on his way to a QB3 fantasy finish. After a five-year stint in Philly, heās carried clipboards for three more teams for one year each.
Wentz is currently a free agent with some mild rumblings of meetings earlier this offseason.
No. 4 Overall Pick - RB Ezekiel Elliott š¤ > šļø> š¤
Out of the gate, Zeke notched two straight RB3 campaigns in half-PPR scoring on a per-game basis with 20.6 in 2016 and 19.0 in 2017. He remained a fantasy RB1 for the next two seasons before falling down to RB16 from 2020-2022.
Elliottās cup of coffee as a Patriot resulted in an RB41 output as he averaged just 8.7 half-PPR points per tilt, and last year, back in Dallas, he put up a measly 223 rushing yards and three TDs as the RB70. Zeke ended 2024 on the Chargersā practice squad and is currently still unemployed.
No. 35 Overall Pick - TE Hunter Henryā”ļø>šļø
As the first TE taken in 2016, Henry posted a 36-478-8 line as the TE19 in half-PPR points per game. He proceeded to bust out three fantasy TE1 seasons as a Charger when on the field, but was out all of 2018 due to injury.
Henry has been in New England for the last four years, and heads into 2025 as a low-end TE2.
No. 45 Overall Pick - RB Derrick Henryš”ļø> šŖŗ
They donāt call him The King for nothing. Henry has led the NFL in rushing attempts in four out of his nine seasons, heās led in rushing yards twice, and has scored the most TDs in three of those campaigns.
In his nine seasons, Henry has been a fantasy RB1 five times with two RB2 finishes, and his first two NFL years resulted in RB4 and RB6 outcomes. Henry currently boasts an ADP of 14.6 in early Underdog drafts, and I personally wouldnāt bet against him despite being on the wrong side of 30 as an RB.
Other Notable Picks Still Collecting NFL Paychecks at the 10-Year Reunion
šļø Austin Hooper, TE, (NE) - He signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in March.
šŖŗ Jacoby Brissett, QB (ARI) - Heāll back up Kyler Murray in 2025.
š Tyler Higbee, TE (LAR) - Higbee is kicking it as a TE for the Rams.
š¤ Dak Prescott, QB (DAL) - Heās still the Cowboysā QB1 heading into Year 10.
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Welcome to DLF Roundup. Each week, Ryan McDowell brings you a quick look at some of the dynasty happenings taking place over at Dynasty League Football.
Itās no secret. Underdog Fantasy Football and other best ball formats that have gained popularity in recent years have totally changed the game, especially for dynasty managers. In some ways, seasonal best ball and dynasty leagues couldnāt be further apart from each other. They certainly impact one another though.
In his latest, Tim Riordan examines the new crop of rookies with an eye towards the seasonal aspect as well in his Post-Draft Dynasty Rookie Rankings Vs Redraft Rankings.
Hereās some of what Tim had to say about the top incoming rookiesā¦
Ashton Jeanty is, of course, the top rookie pick in all formats, so there isnāt a difference between his dynasty and redraft rankings. Cam Ward is the first player with a significant difference, moving up to the number two rookie instead of the number four in dynasty drafts. In superflex drafts, typically quarterbacks get pushed up as theyāre the most important position on the board. Therefore, it makes sense that a quarterback who is nearly guaranteed to be the week one starter will be very valuable, no matter the format. But, in redraft leagues, itās even more important to get that quarterback position figured out early. In dynasty, Ward is a win-now pick, but only if your team needs a quarterback for this season. Itās always good to add a quarterback in superflex dynasty, because theyāll always be valuable. But, in a class like this, itās tough to pass up years of a high-end flex player to take a quarterback if your team doesnāt need it.
Looking at some of the lowest negative percentages in this round, Tyler Warren and Emeka Egbuka step out as clear outliers. They are both top ten picks in dynasty, but fall into the teens among rookies in the redraft draft. Landing spots can be blamed for this phenomenon. Warren goes to the Colts, who donāt have a solid hold on the quarterback position. Anthony Richardson is extremely volatile, and if he doesnāt earn the job, it will go to Daniel Jones. Thereās no denying Warrenās talent and opportunity in Indianapolis, but it may take him a while to get a high-end quarterback throwing him the ball. Notably, Brock Bowers had a dominant rookie season last year despite horrible quarterback play, so it is possible. Egbuka goes to a crowded WR room where heāll likely line up in the slot while Chris Godwin recovers from his injury. Egbuka has a bright future on a really good offense, but his upside for 2025 is definitely capped.
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