A large chunk of value in Fantasy Football comes from opportunity, and that can take a while for a rookie to earn. Sometimes it takes an injury, which is what happened for Jaleel McLaughlin last week and we could see a repeat in Week 6 with Emari Demercado. But also, sometimes rookies see a bump in opportunity after a team's bye week, which is what I'm hoping for from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Quentin Johnston this week.
I'm not just focusing on rookies here. Dan Schneier and I had Matt Waldman join us on FFT Dynasty to talk about what we've learned from the 2023 rookie class through the first five weeks. It was one of my favorite conversations we've had on the show, you should definitely check it out.
Here are the five rookies I'm, watching this week.
Emari Demercado, RB, Arizona Cardinals
With James Conner on injured reserve, the first thing I'll watch is Demercado's total touches. He did not profile as a feature back and the team could get Keaontay Ingram back this week. The one area Demercado could make a big impact is in the passing game, he has seven targets in the past two weeks. If he can manage 10 rush attempts as well, he'll be a borderline RB2.
Dan Schneier and Matt Waldman broke down what they saw on the All-22 coaches film of Demercado when he got extended work in Week 5 on this week's FFT Dynasty podcast:
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos
McLaughlin is the one guy on this who is in a slightly different place. He got his chance last week and popped. Now Javonte Williams is returning and we get to see what this three-headed monster looks like. McLaughlin has scored the only running back touchdowns for the Broncos this season and has averaged as many yards per carry himself (7.3) as Williams and Samaje Perine have combined. Hopefully, Sean Payton sticks with the rookie in a 1A role.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Smith-Njigba is coming off a bye and I'm hoping as much for a role change as a role increase. He's already seen at least five targets in three of four games, but he has a minuscule ADOT of 3.2 that hasn't made those targets very valuable. This is not what Seattle envisioned when they drafted Smith-Njigba and I'm hoping they've come up with a better plan over the bye.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Johnston saw an increase in playing time in Week 4 after the Mike Williams, but it didn't translate into production. The Chargers must have used the bye week to come up with an offensive plan that does not include Mike Williams and I'm hopeful that plan includes Johnston as a full-time player.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Addison has already flashed his star potential. Now, with Justin Jefferson on IR he'll see more opportunity and more challenge. The opportunity comes from the fact that Addison should be playing more on two wide receiver sets, which should translate to more routes and targets. The challenge comes from getting open without Justin Jefferson drawing the defenses attention. I expect Addison to be a top-20 wide receiver as long as Jefferson is out.
For more Dynasty content, you can head over to SportsLine to find my complete Dynasty Trade Chart with values for both Superflex and one-QB leagues. These will be updated once a week on Wednesday nights throughout the season and are based on 12-team PPR leagues where you start two running backs, three receivers, and a tight end. The values assigned to the players factor in a combination of current year projection, age, and my perception of the player's upside and risk. There is also a factor for replacement cost at a given position. You can find the Dynasty Trade Charts here.
