NFL rookies are the hardest players to predict Fantasy Football success for. The NFL Draft is considered by some to be a crap shoot, as it is hard to predict which players will become superstars and which will become draft busts. The same can be said about Fantasy Football, although fans do have a better feeling about which players will put up big numbers for the upcoming season, considering most fantasy prospects have proven production in the NFL over multiple years.
The same can't be said about rookies, as we don't even know if they will work out in the NFL, let alone if they will become fantasy contributors. After all, rookies are still adjusting to the professional game, and they often need years of development before they thrive. Because of this, though, first-year NFL players don't tend to be drafted high in Fantasy Football leagues, which means that you can get a sleeper later in the draft who can win you your league.
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In this article, we are going to predict the best rookie sleepers for the 2024 NFL Fantasy Football season. Not all of your buddies will think to take these players, but they could help you bring home your championship trophy, and you won't need to draft them at the top of the draft. That means we won't be including rookies who are expected to find immediate success, like generational players such as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Caleb Williams. Check out the gallery to see who the top five Fantasy Football rookie sleepers are for 2024.
1. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers (WR)
For years, the Los Angeles Chargers were stacked at the skill positions. Austin Ekeler was long one of the best running backs in the NFL during his time in Los Angeles, while the team also employed a stacked receiving duo of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. All three players were part of a high-octane offense led by quarterback Justin Herbert.
Now, Herbert will be looking for new players to feed the ball to, as Ekeler, Allen, and Williams all found new homes in the 2024 offseason. Herbert is one of the most talented signal-callers in the NFL, but he will need someone to step up. Ladd McConkey could be that player.
The rookie second-rounder was part of a stacked NFL Draft class at the receiver position, and if it wasn't for that, he might have been a late first-round pick. Now, he could be in line to start for the Chargers sooner rather than later. He is currently listed behind Quentin Johnston, DJ Chark, and Joshua Palmer on the depth chart, but Johnston looked like a massive bust as a rookie last year, and Joshua Palmer has never proven himself as anything more than a depth piece in Los Angeles. Chark has even spent years as only a third receiving option.
Los Angeles needs a true number-one receiver, and McConkey could be that guy. With Jim Harbaugh coaching the Chargers, there will be a focus on the running game, but Harbaugh isn't going to waste Herbert's talents. Herbert has a cannon for an arm, and it leads to a lot of big plays down the field. McConkey has a great chance to be on the receiving end of Herbert's long bombs as early as the beginning of the season. Despite that, fantasypros.com only lists him as the fifth-ranked rookie receiver, and ESPN has him as the 94th-best Fantasy Football player overall.
McConkey's potential pins him as a number one option and favorite target of one of the best quarterbacks in the league, yet he isn't being drafted until the 10th round. The rookie receiver will be a great value pick that low in the draft, and he can significantly outplay his draft slot.
2. Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers (WR)
The Chargers are in need of a receiver to step up because of departures at the position. That hasn't happened quite yet to the San Francisco 49ers, but it is only a matter of time. Brandon Aiyuk has been sitting out all of training camp, and he hasn't played in the 49ers preseason games.
The star wants a new contract on a new team, and since requesting a trade out of San Francisco, Aiyuk and the 49ers have been trying to find a trade that makes sense. So far, that hasn't happened, but rekindling a happy marriage is a rarity after a trade request. If Aiyuk is inevitably traded, or even if he is never able to re-establish a happy relationship with the 49ers, then the team will rely on Ricky Pearsall to step up.
San Francisco drafted Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 31st overall pick. He was a highlight machine with sure hands in college at Arizona State and Florida, and the 49ers believe he has star potential in the pros. There are a lot of other weapons in San Francisco, including Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel, but their offense has been so successful over the last few seasons that even Aiyuk was able to put up huge numbers.
So far, the 49ers haven't been able to find a trade partner to take on Aiyuk, and it is possible that he sticks around in San Francisco. However, his trade request and lack of participation leading up to the 2024 season isn't great for his season outlook. The 49ers are heavily invested into Pearsall, so they will be incentivized to get him touches even if Aiyuk isn't traded.
The rookie is only listed as the number eight first-year receiver in Fantasy Football and the 194th player overall. Pearsall has an average draft position of 176, meaning he is going undrafted in plenty of leagues. For this reason, he is our number two-ranked rookie sleeper. While plenty of touches will go elsewhere in San Francisco, defenses will have to focus on the 49ers stars, so there could be plenty of opportunities for Pearsall to take advantage of matchups.
3. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (QB)
Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels were drafted with the first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and they have both already been named their respective team's starting quarterback. Bo Nix, on the other hand, is still in a quarterback battle with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.
Additionally, Nix was only the sixth rookie quarterback taken in the first round, as Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., and J.J. McCarthy were also all taken before the Oregon product. However, those three quarterbacks will be watching this season from the bench (at least at the start of the season), while Nix has dominated the Broncos quarterback competition. The NCAA single-season completion percentage record holder has looked vastly superior to his peers, and it seems like only a matter of time until Sean Payton announces him as the team's regular season starter.
In fact, Nix has looked so good through the preseason that we are confident that he can be a Fantasy Football contributor. Nix is only the 267th-ranked Fantasy player according to ESPN, but considering his untapped potential, he can far outplay the quarterbacks ranked above him.
Former Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, for example, is the signal-caller listed directly ahead of Nix. While we don't know what Nix will become, we already know what Wilson is. The ex-Seahawk has looked like a shell of his former self in recent seasons, and he will likely never re-attain his previous glory. For that reason, taking a flyer on a sleeper prospect like Nix makes much more sense for your Fantasy Football draft.
We've seen a rookie quarterback make waves in Fantasy as recently as last season (C.J. Stroud), and while Williams and Daniels are more likely to put up big numbers as first-year players, you shouldn't rule out the Broncos rookie from making an impact early.
4. Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers (RB)
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Had it not been for an ACL injury in November of 2023, Jonathon Brooks likely wouldn't have qualified for this list. Brooks was the best running back in college at Texas, but his injury forced him to fall to the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Even then, he was still the first running back taken.
Now, Brooks is still recovering from his injury, which means he will likely start the season on the NFI list. That will force Brooks to miss at least the first four games of the season, but when he is ready to debut, Brooks could be in line to make a huge impact on the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina was the worst team in football last season, and they are desperate for playmakers to step up. At his best, Brooks can certainly become an elite running back with the team. Of course, it isn't easy to predict how Brooks will look coming off of his injury, but he only ranked as RB36 on ESPN's top 300.
Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders should be relatively easy to surpass on the depth chart, and Brooks could receive a massive workload in an effort to take some of the burden off of Bryce Young's shoulders. Young was the first overall pick in 2023, but he struggled mightily as a rookie, and the Panthers want an improved run game to help him out in year two.
Of course, Brooks' injury makes him a gamble for this Fantasy Football season, but he is only a sleeper/value pick because of how late he will be drafted. Brooks' upside is much greater than RB36, and he can become one of the best Fantasy running backs this year, even if he does miss the first few weeks of the season.
5. Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers (WR)
Xavier Legette has already become a fan-favorite in the NFL due to his joyful personality and strong country accent. He also ranks as one of our biggest rookie sleepers for the upcoming Fantasy Football season and the second member of the Panthers to make this list.
As stated previously, the Panthers are desperate for help. Before the even drafted Brooks, they took Legette with the final pick in the first round. Last year's receiving depth chart in Carolina was filled with aging veterans, so the team is ecstatic to deploy a talented and exciting youngster.
Legette is currently charted as a backup to Jonathan Mingo and as the 10th-ranked rookie receiver in Fantasy Football. He is also listed as the 63rd overall receiver. Legette shouldn't sit the bench for long, and he is sure to make his Fantasy rankings look foolish. Legette put up big numbers in college at South Carolina, and he can do so again at the NFL level. With a starter like Adam Thielen on the older end in Carolina, the Panthers will be motivated to unleash their rookie first-rounder sooner rather than later.
