The preseason top-30 list is still available here, but let’s get this puppy runnin’. As I said, I’m going to be stubborn as this is my take on the rookies production + projection. I don’t want to repeat the same list every week, so I’ll try and include at least a few break-out players per week. If you want to just view production, go here.
The Top 20 to 30ish NFL Offensive Rookies
30. Jonathan Baldwin (LW: 23)
The longer that Baldwin goes without playing a game, the longer he’ll remain number 30th. He’s so damn talented, so I won’t take him off the list until week six, but Kansas City looked awful and Baldwin seems like a head-case in the making.
29. Jamie Harper (LW: 27)
Harper had a pretty good game with 30 total yards, but the Titans really eased in Chris Johnson. I wouldn’t expect Harper to be on the list long, but there’s a decent chance that Johnson pulls a hammy in the next few weeks as he becomes acclimated after that darn hold-out.
28. Johnny White (LW: URNK)
Buffalo seems to be a collection of misfits and White’s behind Jackson and Spiller, but White did manage 8 carries in week one. That’s more than Spiller saw.
27. Dwayne Harris (LW: 26)
No receptions and Kevin Ogletree looks to be the number three, but he is returning punts and I think we’ve gotten a taste of the Dez Bryant experience in week one. Greatness followed by Injury. Harris should hold some value until he eventually takes over for Ogletree.
26. Dion Lewis (LW: URNK)
He’s behind Shady and Ronnie Brown, but he saw three touches in week one. I’m curiously optimistic about Lewis, especially considering McCoy’s size.
25. Jake Ballard (LW: URNK)
Ballard looked absolutely tremendous in week one. His blocking ability should keep him on the field and if he could develop into a Kevin Boss type player, everyone will be pleased. His big receiving game came on two receptions, so I can’t get too excited, but I like what I see.
24. Leonard Hankerson (LW: 25)
Hankerson moves up one spot despite not putting up a single yard. This has almost everything to do with Rex Grossman not sucking. There were some hilariously awful sacks where Grossman reminded us that he is Grossman, but the Skins offense doesn’t look terrible. Hankerson could be a great target when he finally settles in.
23. Kyle Rudolph (LW: 24)
I was very surprised that Rudolph didn’t see the ball in week one. I’m still somewhat worried about the Vikings offense, but Rudolph should start contributing shortly.
22.DeMarco Murray (LW: 30)
The Cowboys used Murray as expected, but they put him in for some pretty important situations. I’m higher on him than I was a week ago. Although I’m very optimistic about Felix Jones, he’s been known to fade and Dallas seems well aware of this. Murray gets a nice little jump.
21. Jake Locker (LW: 16)
Matt Hasselbeck played better than expected considering that he really didn’t have Chris Johnson to rely on. I get the feeling we might be dealing with Hasselbeck all year.
20. Doug Baldwin (LW: URNK)
What a way to break out. Baldwin lead all rookies with 83 yards. He notched a touchdown too. Sidney Rice shouldn’t be out *too* long, so I’ve tempered my expectations, but I wanted to make sure that I included him.
19. Titus Young (LW: 29)
I’m a believer in the Lions. This is a huge BOOM-BUST pick, but with Megatron on the other side and Burleson carrying a hefty injury history, Titus Young could really step up.
18. Alex Green (LW: 8 )
James Starks looked better than expected and the Packers limited Grant about as much as expected. Green didn’t see the ball, but I’m still very excited about his potential with Grant’s injury history.
17. Vincent Brown (LW:19)
Vincent Brown is still way behind the learning curve, but playing on the Chargers will give him a leg up. Fellow Rookie, Bryan Walters, caught two balls, but Brown’s got better long term potential. I have trouble believing that the Chargers will continue to feed the ball to their backs and tight ends all season.
16. Colin Kaepernick (LW: 13)
I’ll need to watch the SF game, but Alex Smith and the 49ers just appeared awkward. The Niners did get up early, but that won’t happen ever week. For Smith’s sake, he better improve on those 124 yards passing.
15. Roy Helu (LW: 12)
Helu got one carry during an insanely important drive. No one understood it. Hightower looks good right now which is both good and bad. Hightower only averaged 2.9 yards per carry, but looked good doing it. Watching the Skins, it looks like they could develop into a pretty solid O-Line.
14. Kendall Hunter (LW: 18)
Frank Gore looked awful. The O-Line looked mediocre. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Niners work in Hunter more often.
13. Delone Carter (LW: 20)
Indy looked turrrible, but Carter got 7 carries with the Colts behind almost the entire game. He looked pretty good doing it too.
12. Stevan Ridley (LW: 6)
New England just didn’t run the ball. I still think Ridley and Vereen do well, but it’s going to be a tough road to plough when the current breakdown is only Woodhead (14), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (7)
11. Lance Kendricks (LW: 14)
Kendricks got open often and dropped a ball in the endzone. He should be a huge target for Bradford and as of this moment, I haven’t been able to get any information on Bradford’s injury.
10. Blaine Gabbert (LW: 9)
Gerrard’s gone. McCown looked meh. MJD will keep this team somewhat balanced.
9. Randall Cobb (LW: 22)
I’m not a true believer in Cobb. I just had to give him a huge bump because of his opening game. Hearing Aaron Rodgers declare that Cobb ran the wrong route on his TD and Cobb say that he wasn’t supposed to take that return out of the end-zone makes me wonder about his long term viability. He does play for Green Bay though and if he can prove himself, he’ll get the chances.
8. Greg Little (LW: 5)
Little was rather meh, but I still like him in the Browns offense.
7. Jacquizz Rodgers (LW: 15)
The Falcons are still a premiere team and they’ve shown that they’ll target Rodgers in the rushing game and the passing game. He could be a huge weapon.
6. Daniel Thomas (LW: 7)
Thomas was injured going into week one and he was already behind the 8-ball with a blasé camp. Still, he’s got the opportunity and the talent to become a pretty solid ball-player. Miami also looks much better than expected.
5. Andy Dalton (LW: 10)
No news about his injury, but he looked good in limited time.
4. A.J. Green (LW: 4)
Cinci ran a lot and Green only saw one catch on a blown coverage, but he’s still a great option.
3. Mark Ingram (LW: 1)
I’m somewhat worried about Ingram after getting stuffed at the goalline. He notched 40 yards, but the pill still has to be split between about 50 different running backs. The Saints made sure to get Ingram the ball 13 times, but to be honest, he looked pretty average. Pierre Thomas ran very well and Sproles blew it up in the passing and return game.
2. Cam Newton (LW: 3)
Newton put up the best opening day rookie performance for a QB ever. It was against the Cards though, so I can’t anoint him quite yet.
1. Julio Jones (LW: 2)
Freakin’ SEC is dominating this list. Five receptions, 71 yards, and boy did he look good doing it. I can’t wait until the Falcons click and score more than 12 points.
Just Missed It
Shane Vereen, Cecil Shorts, Julius Thomas, and Denarius Moore, all fell out of the top-30, but they should be back.
Vereen is limited by opportunity. Shorts should make his way into the line-up shortly. Denver looks to be targeting the TE quite a bit, so Thomas could still be huge. Denarius Moore is still a question mark, mainly because Hey-Bey didn’t suck as much as expected.
