Rest of season rankings for 2024 rookie wide receivers

What can we expect from the rookie WRs for the rest of the season?

The 2024 NFL season is rolling along and rookies are making an impact, as they always do. From a fantasy perspective, the rookies making the biggest waves are the quarterbacks and wide receivers, which isn’t a surprise. The first 14 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft were all offensive players, which was double the previous record of seven (2021). Those 14 selections included six quarterbacks, three wide receivers, one tight end, and zero running backs (the first RB wasn’t taken until the middle of the second round). After pick 14, eight more receivers came off the board by the fifth pick of the second round.

The parade of new talent and potential at the QB and WR positions gave fantasy managers a lot to evaluate this past summer. In August, I wrote two pieces on this Site about the fantasy prospects of the rookie QBs and rookie WRs We’re at the halfway point of the NFL season, so I think it’s a good time for a follow-up to see how the freshmen are coming along. Today I’m covering the first-year WRs, and next week I’ll dive into the QBs. Consider this a two-month checkup on the new guys.

With three WRs selected in the first nine picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, and a total of 11 taken in the fist 37 picks (plus TE Brock Bowers), fantasy managers were rightly excited about the pass-catchers in this class. That was especially true because in recent seasons, several rookie receivers (and last year, a couple of rookie TEs as well) have had a very big impact in fantasy. The August piece details that, including the evolution of rookie receivers from “wait a year or two” to “find the right one, draft him at a discount, and you might have a league-winner”.

Let’s get to it. I’ll list the rookie wideouts in the order that I’d want to roster them for the remainder of the 2024 season (ROS), and at the end I’ll give an early take on where I see their fantasy draft prospects for next season. I won’t talk about Bowers, other than to say that he’s been a more consistent performer, and a better value, than any of the rookie WRs. He’s also the only fantasy-relevant rookie TE in this class at the moment.

All rankings and fantasy point totals referenced are for half-point PPR, and are through Week 9 unless indicated.

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Group 1: Set it and forget it

1. Malik Nabers (current overall rank: WR8, 14.5 fantasy points per game (FPPG))

I went back and forth on the top two players in my ROS ranking, who amazingly were college teammates last season. Crazy, right? And their college QB is running away with Offensive Rookie of the Year. Let’s Geaux! Anyway, in the end I put Nabers ahead of Brian Thomas, Jr. and a big reason for that is the ludicrous target volume he’s getting. Nabers leads the NFL with an average of 12 targets per game and is tied for second in the league in total targets (84), despite missing two games with a concussion. The main drawback here is his QB and a sub-par offense that struggles to score TDs. Things working in his favor include positive game scripts with his team often trailing, and a very favorable remaining schedule. The Giants still have games against Tampa, Baltimore, Carolina, and Atlanta, all of whom rank near the bottom in fantasy points surrendered to opposing WRs. Nabers should continue to produce low-end WR1 numbers, with weekly Top-10 upside.

2. Brian Thomas, Jr. (current overall rank: WR16, 12.5 FPPG)

When the dust settles, Thomas has a good shot to be on this year’s short list of players who appear on lots of rosters that win 2024 fantasy championships. I was high on him in the preseason, and those who drafted him in the Round 9-10 range got great value (so far). Thomas led FBS in TD catches last season with 17, and guess what? His five TD catches currently leads all rookies. He’s a legitimate deep threat (his 17 yards-per-catch (YPC) average is Top-10 in the NFL), with a strong-armed QB who likes to push the ball down the field. The target volume hasn’t been consistent enough, but the season-ending injury to Christian Kirk should lead to more opportunity. The one concern here is his schedule, which is good for a few weeks but then very difficult after that. The Jaguars have two remaining games with the Titans, plus the Jets, all during the fantasy playoffs. Thomas came into Week 9 battling a chest injury and put up his worst stat line of the season. Better days are ahead for the talented rookie, who should continue to perform as a WR2 with upside.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Group 2: Mix and Match

3. Marvin Harrison, Jr. (current overall rank: WR 35, 9.6 FPPG)

I can’t put Harrison in the must-start group, given how inconsistent he’s been. Those who took him with a second-round pick can’t be too happy with his performance so far, and especially his Week 1 debut (one catch for four yards). I warned you, and I’m guessing that a lot of fantasy managers didn’t have him active for his two spike weeks. He’s one of the top “FOMO” players right now. That said, it’s common for rookie WRs to gain momentum as they get further into their first season and Harrison profiles as a player who could emerge as a high-end WR2 down the stretch. Or not. I’m just as skeptical than I was in August. His 20 fantasy points in Week 8 against Miami’s strong pass defense was encouraging, but in the four weeks surrounding that outburst (Weeks 5, 6, 7, and 9) he put up a combined total of just seven catches for 91 yards. Hopefully he gets to must-start status, but he hasn’t gotten the volume to be that player so far. He has the Jets in Week 10 and then his Bye, but after that the schedule is very favorable.

4. Ladd McConkey (current overall rank: WR 29, 10.7 FPPG)

The concern during draft season with anyone in this passing offense was how much the Chargers would throw. And sure enough, they pounded the ball early in the season. But they’ve had a much higher throw rate the past few weeks, and McConkey has benefitted. He also benefits from an unproven receiving corps with no prominent veterans. He had his best game of the season in Week 8 (26 fantasy points, the second best WR performance of the week), but that was his only Top-15 weekly finish of the season. He’s got WR2 upside and is putting himself in the weekly Flex conversation, but isn’t quite there yet as a weekly must-start in 2-WR leagues. He could get there though if current trends continue. Having Justin Herbert helps. He’s a prime candidate for a very strong second half. His remaining schedule has some attractive matchups.

5. Xavier Worthy (current overall rank: WR34, 9.7 FPPG (through Week 8))

In my preseason preview of the rookie WR crop, I labeled Worthy as the kind of player you want in best-ball formats, and that’s how it has played out so far. He burst on the scene with two TDs in Week 1 (one rushing, one receiving), but has struggled with consistency and hasn’t gotten that many targets or rushing opportunities. The Chiefs have been winning by grinding it out on offense and playing solid defense, which hasn’t helped things. The season-ending injuries to Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice should eventually open the door to more chances and he did see a season-high eight target in each of Weeks 7 and 8, which is promising. The addition of DeAndre Hopkins might end up helping Worthy by drawing more coverage away. He’s a threat to score any time he touches the ball, but he’s hard to trust in lineups. Still, I absolutely want him on my roster, and am happy to roll the dice on him in plus-matchups (like Week 9, vs. Tampa Bay).

6. Keon Coleman (current overall rank: WR48, 8.1 FPPG)

Coleman is on the rise, and is another candidate for a breakout of some kind for the rest of the season. It may have already started, with back-to-back games with either 100 yards or a TD, and at least 14 fantasy points, in Weeks 7 and 8. He only caught one pass n Week 9 however, although he did contribute a 2-point conversion. That kind of inconsistency is the concern. The Bills were very run-heavy in September but are now throwing the ball a lot more, and the addition of Amari Cooper makes their passing game that much harder to defend. There are a lot of mouths to feed, but what’s nice about Coleman is he’s getting targeted deep while also seeing some targets at the goal-line. His 19.0 YPC average is fourth best in the NFL. Catching his passes from big-armed Josh Allen is obviously a huge plus.

Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Group 3: Stash and See

7. Xavier Legette, Ricky Pearsall, Rome Odunze, and Jalen McMillan

These players should all be rostered, and can be flexed if you need them, but none are weekly starters at the moment. Legette will benefit from the departure of Diontae Johnson, even if/when Adam Thielen returns. The problem for him is the offense he’s in. Pearsall, whose season just started two weeks ago due to a gunshot incident over the summer, is in an interesting position due to the season-ending injury to Brandon Aiyuk. Unlike Legette, he’s on a great offense that gets the ball to receivers in space, and he’s already shown some playmaking ability. Stash him for sure. Odunze is sitting on fantasy benches for all the reasons we expected: lots of target competition, a rookie QB who is coming along slowly and is hard to trust, and shaky coaching on the offensive side of the ball. His 100-yard effort in Week 9 is promising, but it’s just his second weekly finish inside the Top-50 WRs. McMillan didn’t do a lot in the Bucs’ first game with both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans sidelined, but is worth a “wait-and-see” roster spot.

Group 4: Waiver Wire watch list

Troy Franklin
A.D. Mitchell
Jalen Coker

2025 Fantasy Outlook

Projecting the average draft position (ADP) of these receivers for next season isn’t easy, because (a) a lot can change with them for the remainder of this season, and (b) there are a lot of unknowns. Who will be the Giants’ and Panthers’ starting QBs? Will Keenan Allen re-sign with Chicago, and will they have a new coaching staff? Will the Chargers add a big-name receiver? Each NFL team will undergo personnel and coaching changes that will have an impact. That said, here is my best guess for the top nine guys, based on what we know now, and how the first nine weeks of their rookie year has played out.

This list is for 12-team re-draft leagues with half PPR scoring.

Round 1 – None
Round 2 to Early Round 3 – Nabers, Thomas
Round 3 to Early Round 4 – Harrison
Round 4 – Odunze and McConkey
Round 5 – None
Rounds 6-8 – Coleman, Worthy, Legette, Pearsall

That’s a wrap. Next week I’ll check in on the rookie QBs.

Check out my weekly fantasy preview/Start-sit each Thursday, and my weekly fantasy waiver wire column each Monday, at SBNation sister site Big Blue View.