The RADical Review: NFL 2024 Top 25 Rookie Review 1-12 (Pt. 2)

NFL 2024 Top 25 Rookie Review

Alright, gang! We are back to close out the “RADical” review of my top 25 rookie class! Now we get to see who made it into the top 12 and what players you need to keep tabs on as you get ready for your fantasy leagues this season. If you haven’t seen part one, make sure to click here and catch up. Don’t hesitate to comment below on what you think of the articles and if you have any questions, drop them there as well. Now let’s see how the list shapes out.

12. Keon Coleman, WR – Buffalo Bills (Florida State) –

Coleman’s overall game log stood at 27-525-4 for his rookie season. But that can be deceiving. Coleman injured his wrist during a Week 9 victory against the Miami Dolphins which caused him to miss several weeks. That was after a two-week stretch where he had nine receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown so he was just beginning to show signs of chemistry with Josh Allen. Had Coleman not been injured he would have had numbers that were as good or even better than some of his rookie colleagues. Coleman also had a lot of games where he had a single reception. At 6’4″, 215 lbs. he is still a big red zone target while being paired with an MVP-caliber quarterback so there is still a ton of upside for his fantasy value.

11. Xavier Legette, WR – Carolina Panthers (South Carolina)

Xavier Legette was a good receiver in a bad situation last season. His best game came in Week 4, posting six catches for 66 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. This was to be expected as the Panthers were a team clearly in rebuild mode. It may be a while before Legette can be considered a choice to be started regularly. Bryce Young did show some improvement in Year 2 and he and Legette showed some chemistry toward year’s end. Hopefully, that will translate to 2025 and help Legette gain relevancy in fantasy circles outside a mention here or there.

10. Brock Bowers, TE – Las Vegas Raiders (Georgia)

Brian Thomas wasn’t the only rookie who shined on a bad team. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers was in the same situation. Bowers picked up right where he left off from his storied college career, recording a 100-catch and 1,000-yard season for the Raiders and he did it despite playing with several below-average quarterbacks. He also broke the reception record for a rookie Tight End held by Hall of Famer Mike Ditka. One can only imagine what he can do with a big-time player under center (Shedeur Sanders anyone?). The earlier questionable future of the position in fantasy football looks to be in great hands with players like Bowers leading the way. Draft him as a TE1 as early as round three with confidence.

9. Malik Nabers, WR – New York Giants (LSU)

Malik Nabers quickly established himself as one of the premiere rookie receivers with a 100-catch/1100-yard season. Nabers saved his best performance for fantasy championship week, with an 8/171/2 line against the Indianapolis Colts. He’s a big-time player with the talent to match and whether it was Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, or Drew Lock throwing him the ball Nabers delivered as the primary receiver on almost every play. Nabers established himself as the Giants WR1 going into 2025 and now will be paired with Russell Wilson, who was picked up during the 2025 free-agency period. He is also a great choice starting as early as round three of the fantasy draft. I think we’ve only scratched the surface of how good Malik Nabers can be in the NFL.

8. Rome Odunze, WR – Chicago Bears (Washington)

Odunze had an up-and-down rookie season due to the inconsistencies of fellow rookie Caleb Williams. He had three catches in his first two games, then doubled that in a Week 3 game against the Indianapolis Colts, recording six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. Still, he would not find the endzone again until nearly three months later, with a two-touchdown game in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers, and in that span, he recorded only one other 100-yard game.

In fairness, he had to compete for targets with more established veterans like Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. He finished the fantasy season (ending in Week 17) with 52 receptions for 716 yards and 3 scores; not terrible, but also slightly disappointing given how improved the Bears offense was projected to be with Odunze being a big part of it. Year two should be better for Rome Odunze and a high-end WR3 rank seems a reasonable expectation for him. Expectations are certainly high with the Chicago Bears adding former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach.

7. Jonathan Brooks, RB – Carolina Panthers (Texas)

Brooks was behind the eight ball going back to his days at Texas. Brooks worked his way back to the NFL field after being drafted but suffered a setback, re-tearing his ACL late in his rookie season. Now Brooks is expected to miss all of the 2025 season. This turn of events, with the emergence of Chuba Hubbard as the team’s RB1. The Panthers also gave an extension to Hubbard to the tune of a three-year, $33 million contract. With Hubbard firmly planted as the top running back and the Panthers adding former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle as the backup, it all but renders the talented but injury-prone back a virtual non-fantasy factor for next season.

6. Adonai Mitchell, WR – Indianapolis Colts (Texas)

The Colts had big plans for Mitchell coming into the year after taking him early in the second round but the results were underwhelming, to say the least. Mitchell only caught 23 passes for 312 yards and didn’t find the endzone at all. Ouch. That isn’t what the Colts were expecting, but they probably didn’t expect the below-average play of Anthony Richardson and the past-his-prime play of grandfather Joe Flacco to be their Quarterback situation either. Mitchell eventually ceded snaps to the promising Josh Downs and veteran Michael Pittman along with the late-season resurgence of Alec Pierce so Mitchell will have an uphill battle to be fantasy-relevant next year. Don’t expect Shane Steichen and the coaching staff to give up on him that easily, but don’t invest too heavily in him in drafts next year either.

5. Blake Corum, RB – Los Angeles Rams (Michigan)

I don’t wish injury or bad health to anyone, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t expect Kyren Williams to get hurt at some point in 2024 and Corum to step in and be a significant fantasy contributor. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you view it) Williams didn’t get hurt and had a clean bill of health all season, leaving only scraps on offense and special teams for one of Michigan’s most decorated college players. Another year in the Rams’ complex offense will no doubt lead to more opportunities for playing time in the future but as long as Williams is healthy and producing at a high level, Corum’s opportunities will continue to be dart throws. He is one of the best handcuffs in fantasy football so he does justify a spot on rosters in deeper leagues.

4. Xavier Worthy, WR – Kansas City Chiefs (Texas) –

Worthy was one of the most versatile rookies this year and when you can do more than one thing on a team, you are absolutely “worthy” of a fantasy roster spot. Right from opening night, the Chiefs looked for creative ways to get the ball into his hands and it became a bigger point of emphasis when Rashee Rice was lost for the season in Week 3. He finished the season with 638 receiving yards on 59 receptions and six touchdowns and added another three rushing touchdowns. Worthy’s game-breaking speed adds another element to the Chiefs’ already creative offense so even when Rice returns next year, he will be “worthy” of a WR2/high-end flex role on your fantasy team.

3. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR – Arizona Cardinals (Ohio State)

Harrison was the top-rated receiver coming into this year but he struggled with sometimes shoddy QB play. That led to inconsistency and poor production when compared to his other rookie counterparts. Harrison also disappeared during fantasy playoff runs, failing to record better than 60 yards in any game and only scoring once, though he did close out the fantasy season with a serviceable (6-96) line in championship week. Despite the lackluster numbers for a player who was taken as early as the second round in many fantasy drafts, he still has big-time WR1 potential. Don’t be swayed by his (lack of) production this year. In fact, that should be a big reason you target him next year in the early rounds yet again.

2. Jayden Daniels, QB – Washington Commanders (LSU)

Daniels’ rookie season was one of the best by a rookie QB in recent years and he had plenty of big moments, including a hail-mary winner in Chicago, which probably helped a lot of owners win their matchup for that week and no doubt was a huge turning point in the Commanders season. He quickly established himself as a regular starter and rewarded his fantasy owners with steady production, both passing and as a rusher. He was particularly big time when the fantasy playoffs started: In Weeks 14-17, he threw for 13 touchdowns to just four interceptions and rushed for an extra 308 yards and another score while helping the Commanders clinch the NFC’s final wildcard spot. Daniels is a star who is only going to get better and while he will give me fits as an Eagles fan, he will be on my target list as a QB1 in every fantasy league I’m in that has added value as a rusher. I am a big fan, and I just hope he doesn’t have the same fate as another famous Heisman winner that Washington took 12 years ago, who had an eerily similar rookie season.

1. Caleb Williams, QB – Chicago Bears (Southern California)

The Bears should have had more wins than they did in 2024 because if they did, more people would have put respect on Caleb Williams’s name as one of the more efficient fantasy rookies. Williams started off the season shaky, but he eventually settled down and played some of his best football towards the middle of the season. In fact, after Week 3, Williams threw 17 touchdowns to only one interception, though it should be noted that in 4 of those games, he did not have a passing TD. His worst game of the season occurred in championship week against the Seahawks and if you relied on him to win your league then he probably drained your score badly. Nevertheless, Williams showed enough to be considered as a fantasy starter in 2025, though compared to his counterparts like Daniels and Nix, he still has some catching up to do before he’s a no-brainer QB1.