2015 Fantasy FootballFantasy Football

2015 Fantasy Football: Week 3 Rookie Report

Let’s check in with the NFL’s rookies through three weeks.

The Tennessee Titans appear to have found their quarterback of the future, as the former Oregon Duck has continued to impress through three NFL games. Although Mariota threw two interceptions against the Colts, one of them was the fault of his tight end, Delanie Walker, who bobbled the ball away right to Colts safety, Dwight Lowry. Mariota threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 833 yards and six touchdowns through three games, which is good for 8th in the NFL.

Todd Gurley had just nine rushing yards on six carries in his NFL debut, but it was encouraging nonetheless to see him out on the field for the first time since tearing his ACL in his senior season at Georgia. Gurley is going to be eased into action, and with the Rams having Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham in their backfield as well, they will likely use some sort of running back by committee for the rest of the season. Gurley will take over as the every down back in St. Louis eventually, but with his injury history, look for the Rams to ease him into that role until they know he can handle it.

Ameer Abdullah has been fairly quiet on the ground this season with just 82 yards on 21 carries, but appears to be the number one option in Detroit. Although Joique Bell had more carries than Abdullah and finished with the only rushing touchdown of the two, Bell tallied just six yards on 10 carries. Abdullah is even more relevant in PPR leagues, as the Lions are very well known to be a pass-heavy offense.

Melvin Gordon has still yet to reach 100 yards in one game for the chargers in 2015, but a great deal of that has to do with the fact that he is only averaging 14.7 rushing attempts per game. Like Abdullah, Gordon is in a pass-heavy offense that has found themselves trailing this season early and often, causing them to pass more. Gordon is the primary runner in San Diego, and should be counted on more and more as the season goes along.

Thomas Rawls stepped in for the injured Marshawn Lynch on Sunday, where he carried the ball 16 times for 109 yards against the Bears. Fred Jackson is listed as the second string running back, but it was Rawls that got most of the work when Marshawn Lynch left the game with a hamstring injury. Rawls, a Central Michigan product, might not be able to be relied on if Lynch has to miss some time, but in deeper leagues he might be worth taking a flier on to see if this could lead to more.

Amari Cooper has quickly separated himself as the best receiver in the 2015 class, and that appears very clear even though it’s just three weeks in to the season. Cooper had just five catches for 47 yards in week one against the Bengals, but he has had 15 catches for 243 yards and a touchdown combined in weeks two and three. Cooper did lose a fumble against the Browns on Sunday, but he has been nothing short of sensational so far in 2015. Cooper has given Derek Carr a receiving weapon that he lacked in 2014, which has helped lead the Raiders to a surprising 2-1 record so far this season.

Phillip Dorsett caught his first career touchdown on Sunday against the Titans, finishing with two catches, 45 yards and a touchdown. Dorsett has just five catches in 2015 so far, but when you take a look at what the rest of the Colts have done on offense, he might find himself with a bigger role that we might have initially thought. Andre Johnson, who has been a major disappointment so far in 2015 for the Colts, has just seven catches for 51 yards in three games. Hilton and Moncrief have been the primary receivers in the first two weeks, leaving the door open for Dorsett to see his role with the team expand down the road.

DeVante Parker has been brought along very slow so far this season, largely due to the fact that he has been getting over a foot injury that he sustained in the offseason. Parker had he best game so far this season in week three, finishing with three catches for 46 yards in the Dolphins blowout loss to the Bills. Parker may have seen additional targets (seven) due to the fact that they were down early and often in this game, but it was still encouraging to see him get worked in the mix more and more each game. Parker will likely be one of the top receiving options for the Dolphins in the years to come, but it might take him longer than anticipated.

Dorial Green-Beckham caught another touchdown on Sunday against the Colts, giving him two on the season, which actually leads all rookies in the NFL. Green-beckham has just three catches for 35 yards in three games, but has shown his raw talent in the red zone so far in 2015 as Marcus Mariota has now found him twice in the last two games. Kendall Wright has two touchdowns as well for the Titans, tying Green-Beckham for the leader on the team. If DGB can continue to get better outside of the red zone, he could sneak in and challenge Amari Cooper as one of the better rookie receivers in 2015, because of the number of touchdowns and targets he will continue to get in the red zone.

Tyler Lockett did not have a catch for the Seahawks in their dominating win over the Bears in week three, but he did return a kickoff 105 yards for his second special teams touchdown of his young career. Although you cannot rely on Lockett as a receiver just yet by any means, if he’s available in deep leagues he might be worth owning for the chance he returns one for another touchdown. He already has a punt return and a kick return touchdown in 2015 and will likely have more down the road.

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