Each week I will recap the top 14 highest-scoring rookies from the previous week. I use 14 as I feel that’s the best average league size of teams The scoring will be based on our IDP Nation Listener League II settings. If you want to look at the scoring used you can use this link to see our scoring system.
#1 Dominique Robinson, DE, Bears
The Bears lost a number of veteran pieces of their defensive line from last season. This was thought to be a major hit on their ability to rush the passer. They would draft defensive end Dominique Robinson in the fifth round of this year's draft, and the rookie has already made an impact. Last week versus the 49ers he played 28 defensive snaps (41%) and recorded seven total tackles, five being solos, one TFL, 1½ sacks, and two QB hits. With this performance, he was the leading IDP-scoring rookie with 26 fantasy points. Can he be the replacement to replace Khalil Mack? He sure looked the part in week one, but now he has to do it consistently
#2 Travon Walker, DE, Jaguars
I admit I am not as high on Travon Walker as most are, but he’s a very talented player with all the opportunities to be successful. The Jaguars drafted Walker with the first overall selection in this year's draft and was all over the field in week one versus Washington. Walker played 64 defensive snaps (83%) and produced four total tackles, three were solos, one TFL, one sack, one QB hit, one interception, and one PBU. At the end of the day, this all added up to 21.9 fantasy points. It looks like the Jaguars made the right choice and will need Walker to continue to play like this if they want to get back to winning.
#3 Devin Lloyd, LB, Jaguars
Well, look at this, the Jaguars with two rookies in the top three! We just talked about Walker above and now we look at Lloyd who plays behind him on the second level of the defense. Like Walker, Lloyd was also a first-round selection by the Jags but the better overall player in my opinion. In week one on the road at Washington, Lloyd played 69 defensive snaps (90%) and had a huge game of 11 total tackles, with eight being solos, which added up to 19 fantasy points. If he can play similar to this each week, he becomes a must-start for me.
#4 Jalen Pitre, S, Texans
The Texans have fallen on hard times over the past few years and now have a new head coach in Lovie Smith. He quickly got to work drafting his type of guys for the rebuild. One such player is rookie Jalen Pitrewhom they drafted in the second round from Baylor. In week one versus the Colts, Pitre made his first career start and played all 92 of the defensive snaps. In the game, he recorded ten total tackles with five of those being solos. No impact plays but double-digit tackles aren’t too shabby for a rookie in his first game. For the week, Pitre scored 18.8 fantasy points and should be right around that number all year.
#5 Kyler Gordon, CB, Bears
Just like the Jaguars, the Bears also have two rookies in the top five scorers this week. What does that tell you? It tells you these teams are bad and are putting their rookies out there right away. Gordon made his first start and also played every defensive snap (68 snaps) of the game. He tallied six total tackles, all of which were solos, and added one tackle for a loss. Add this up and it equated to 18.5 fantasy points. He’ll have a strong test this week against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
#6 Kader Kohou, CB, Dolphins
Who? Exactly! An undrafted rookie from Texas A&M-Commerce. Talking about the obscure fantasy player, Kohou is that. I hardly doubt ant fantasy manager had him rostered and forget about having him in their starting lineups. Last week versus the Patriots, Kohou earned a small role of reps (18 reps / 32%) but managed to make the most of them. On the day, he registered three total tackles, all solos, with one TFL, one PBU, and one forced fumble. That kind of play will for sure get you more looks. For the week he scored 16.3 fantasy points and will be a trending up waiver add for week two.
#7 Derek Stingley Jr, CB, Texans
Now we have the third team with multiple defensive rookies in the top 10. Houston just like Jacksonville and Chicago, they are talent deprived, which makes starting their rookies important. Stingley Jr was regarded as one of if not the best cornerbacks in this draft class. He would make his first career start and played all 92 defensive snaps. Against the Colts he produced seven total tackles, three being solos, and one PBU, which when all added up came out to 16.3 fantasy points for the week. Remember rookies get tested a lot early in their careers.
#8 Jaquan Brisker, S, Bears
Now here is a first! I have done this rookie recap for the past five years and I have never seen one team have three rookies make the list in the same week, but the Bears have done it, and all are inside the top ten. That just boggles my mind. Anyway, Brisker was a rookie draft favorite and fantasy managers expected him to be one of the best rookies each week. Like most on this list, Brisker started his first game in week one and he played 68 of the defensive snaps (100%). For the game, he tallied four total tackles, all solos, one TFL, and one fumble recovery. Added up that equaled 15 fantasy points. Brisker will have a big matchup this week as the Bears head to Green Bay and face Aaron Rodgers.
#9 Quay Walker, LB, Packers
Speaking of Green Bay, they have a rookie everyone was trying to grab for their fantasy teams. They drafted Quay Walker in the first round of the draft and slotted him in as a starter next to DeVondre Campbell. They put their trust in him for week one and he didn’t disappoint. On the road at Minnesota, Walker produced eight total tackles, with seven being solo stops. The fantasy point sum of those stats was 15 fantasy points. He’ll have a very nice matchup this week versus a Bears team that loves to run the ball.
#10 Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Lions
The Lions selected Malcolm Rodriguez in the sixth round of this year's draft from Oklahoma State. He made his first career start in week one for the Lions and played 46 of the defensive snaps (60%). On those reps, he registered six total stops, with four being solos, while adding one tackle for a loss. For the week that adds up to 12.5 fantasy points. Like most teams on this list, the Lions are a rebuilding team that is doing the rebuild with their rookies. Linebackers typically score the most fantasy points, so look to see if you can acquire him for your fantasy teams.
#11 Martin Emerson, CB, Browns
To this point, all of the rookies but one on this list are most likely rostered. Emerson is now the second that can be picked up off of the waiver wire. Surprisingly, he received a big role in week one at Carolina. He played 42 defensive snaps (79%) and recorded five total tackles, with four being solo stops. Emerson’s fantasy point total for the week was 12.3. Don’t overreact to his week one output, but keep track and see how he does going forward in case you need a corner in the future.
#12 Nick Cross, S, Colts
One of the hottest rookies in IDP this offseason is Colts safety Nick Cross. The 3rd round rookie out of Maryland started his first game for the colts and played all 70 of the defensive snaps (100%). In the week one game versus the Texans, Cross registered just four total tackles, but all of them were solos. His fantasy points total for the week was 10. I expect to see Cross on this list every week and like him as a dark horse for IDP rookie of the year.
#13 Ahmad Gardner, CB, Jets
We talked about Derek Stingley Jr earlier and how most considered him the top CB of the class, but Gardner was highly regarded as well. The Jets selected him with a top 5 pick (4th overall) to be their future shutdown corner. He started week one versus the Ravens and played 56 of the defensive snaps (100%). Gardner tallied only two tackles, but both were solos and he had one PBU. The Ravens only targeted Gardner twice, where he allowed on the catch for 11 yards, and the other he betted away. For the week he registered 8.5 fantasy points.
#14 Christian Benford, CB, Bills
With the Bills not having Tredavious White available they needed all hands on deck. Benford who had a solid preseason received a decent role in week one. He played 39 of the defensive snaps (58%) and held his own for the most part. He recorded three tackles, just one was a solo, and he had one PBU. These are not eye-popping stats but it’s enough for him to keep the trust of the Bills coaching staff in him growing. Benford is a nice little taxi squad stash that I really like. He’s likely available on most waiver wires and worth an add in deep leagues
This was an interesting and informative week one list. Cornerbacks were the dominant position on the list as they made up six of the 14 players (42.8%). Linebackers and safeties were tied for second with a 21.4% (3 of 14) share of the list. While defensive ends had the lowest share (14.2%) they were the top two overall scoring rookies. We had three teams (Bears, Texans, & Jaguars) with multiple rookies on the list this week, led by Chicago’s three. Trends and statistics of lists can be a useful tool for tracking and seeing the trends.
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy.
