It was rookie break-out week and I’m already kicking myself in the nuts for removing some of the players that I was high on after week one. I realized the list would get pretty boring if players like Doug Baldwin didn’t make it, so the list might be a bit schizophrenic.
Week 1 is obviously available for comparison. The Week 2 Production Only is available here.
The Top 20 to 30ish NFL Offensive Rookies
30. Jonathan Baldwin (LW: 30) — none
Kansas City is falling apart around the edges: Jamaal Charles is out for the year, Matt Cassell looks awful. Todd Haley looks like he’s going to get canned. But, Baldwin still has ridiculous potential and could end up being a very good rookie.
29. Victor Cruz (LW: UNRK) — 17 Rec. Yds
The Giants are having a hell of a time filling Steve Smith’s shoes. Fellow rookie, Jerrell Jernigan, was inactive and the newly signed Brandon Stokley didn’t play. That leaves Victor Cruz (and his drops) as an option. The drops kill Cruz, but the Giants have been dealing with quite a few injuries at WR in addition to Smith’s departure.
28. Jake Locker (LW: 21) — none.
Locker’s a tough rank because Matt Hasselbeck continues to play well. After last week’s performance, maybe Tennessee could hang around in the playoff picture all year which means no snaps for Locker.
27. Alex Green (LW: 18 ) — none
Green was dinged up last week and still hasn’t gotten a touch. His talent is immense and if called upon, he should be able to fill either Grant’s or Starks’ shoes. I can’t quite give up on his all around skillset quite yet.
26. Dion Lewis (LW: 26) — 10 Rush Yds.
Lewis has been doing a good job on kick returns (7/149 yards) but he’s here because of his ability to fill McCoy’s shoes. I think the Eagles will probably start slowing down the rate at which they get Shady the ball and might start giving Lewis some decent PT. He’s still behind Ronnie Brown on the depth chart, but he’ll get substantial action if LeSean McCoy endures an injury.
25. Vincent Brown (LW:17) — none
Vincent Brown was inactive last week again, but the San Diego offence is really starting to look good. I still have very high hopes for the kid.
24. Kendall Hunter (LW: 14) — 4 Rush Yards
Has yet to produce, but thankfully, the 49ers offense looked a little bit better in Week 2. Looking at their O-Line, they should be able to beat anyone off the ball, but that hasn’t happened yet. Only time will tell. Frank Gore’s still only averaging 2.5 Yards Per Carry.
23. Christian Ponder (LW: UNRK) — none
The Vikings have been absolutely falling apart in the fourth quarter. If this continues, Ponder could see some action. All signs point to McNabb keeping his spot all year, but I’ll gamble a bit here.
22. Doug Baldwin (LW: 20) — 87 Rec Yds, 1 TD.
The Seahawks and Sidney Rice should start getting healthy soon, so Baldwin’s fate may be sealed. He followed up his break-out game with a 4-yard Week 2 performance.
21. Greg Salas (LW: UNRK) – 48 Rec. Yds, 1 Fumble
I didn’t realize quite how big Salas was until the Monday Nighter. He’s listed at 6’1″/209lbs, but looks at least 10lbs heavier. The fumble hurts, but he’s put up steady yards in the receiving game and punt return game.
20. Colin Kaepernick (LW: 16) — none.
Well, Alex Smith looked better but I wouldn’t be surprised if Harbaugh starts drawing up players for Kaepernick because right now, the offense is boring and bland and just can’t move the ball. On offense, things just aren’t pretty.
19. Kyle Rudolph (LW: 23) — 15 Rec Yds.
He looked half-decent in week two, but he’s still relying on McNabb and his 267 Passing Yards. Even Alex Smith has 303 Yards for Hoot’s sake!
18. Dane Sanzenbacher (LW:UNRK) — 39 Rec. Yds, 1 TD
Sanzenbacher has proven to be a fairly useful player despite being undrafted. Matt Forte has 15 Receptions, but Sanzebacher isn’t far behind Johnny Knox’s five, and he’s tied with Roy Williams and Devin Hester at four receptions.
17. Stevan Ridley (LW: 12) — 9 Rush Yds
Finally starting to get some PT, the pre-season darling could slowly be worked into the offence. Aaron Hernandez is dinged up, so the Patriots may have to stop peppering the ball down the seams to Hernandez and Gronk. This could mean a few more rush opportunities for everyone involved.
16. Lance Kendricks (LW: 11) — 44 Rec. Yds
He’s starting to look pretty solid, despite Josh McDaniels’ offense not fully clicking in St. Louis. Kendricks should continue to show steady production throughout the year.
15. Jacquizz Rodgers (LW: 7) — 17 Rush Yds, 33 Rec. Yds.
Michael Turner went off last week, and the Falcons are slowly starting to work Rodgers into the gameplan. Keep in mind, the Falcons have played the Bears and the Eagles so far, so the statistics should only get better. The Falcons are a Superbowl calibre team and probably are quite happy opening the season 1-and-1 against Chicago and Philly.
14. Greg Little (LW: 
— 50 Rec. Yds.
Nabbed four receptions in week two, and with the oft-injured and drop prone Massaquoi, he should see plenty of looks heading forward. We’ve yet to really see him bust one and that’ll come soon.
13. Delone Carter (LW: 13) – 71 Rush Yds
One of the better rookies this year, Carter has impressed everyone on what appears to be an awful Colt’s team. He’s in a full-fledged time-share with Addai and should be seeing whatever GL carries the Colts manage.
12. Titus Young (LW: 19) — 89 Rec. Yds.
Detroit looks unstoppable and Titus Young had a break out game. He should develop into Matthew Stafford’s newest toy. Coverage continues to be shifted towards Megatron, so Young should see some nice YAC with his speed and coverage focused on Calvin Johnson.
11. Roy Helu (LW: 15) — 76 Rush Yds, 38 Rec Yds.
In limited time, Helu looked great. Then again, so did Hightower. I’m not even going to try and predict with Shanahan will do with his backfield.
10. Randall Cobb (LW: 9) — 60 Rec Yds, 1 TD, 1 Return TD
The Packers are still the Packers, but their defense is looking pretty lacklustre. Losing Nick Collins for the year should result in the Packers having to fling the ball early and often.
9. Denarius Moore (LW: UNRK) — 146 Rec Yds, 1 TD, 25 Rush Yds.
Now, everyone was out last week for the Raiders; Jones, Murphy, Hey-Bey were all dinged up. But, the pre-season favorite for a breakthrough performance put up massive numbers against the Bills. Moore showed great control in the air, and he’s fast as hell. How many targets he’ll see once everyone gets healthy is still up in the air.
8. DeMarco Murray (LW: 22) — 21 Rush Yds, 17 Rec Yds
Felix Jones separated his shoulder so Murray gets a HUGE bump. Murray looks better than Choice to fill Jones’ shoes if Felix is out for any amount of time. Dallas plays Washington and Detroit before their bye, so big numbers aren’t that far fetched.
7. Blaine Gabbert (LW: 10) — 52 Pass Yds, 0 TD, 1 Rush Yds
Gabbert vs. Newton is now official. The Jaguars have the weapons to really keep the kid gloves on Gabbert for at least a week or two, but there’s nothing wrong with screen passes to Jones-Drew that go for 50 yards. On the statsheet, 50 yards is 50 yards.
6. Daniel Thomas (LW: 6) — 107 Rush Yds, 0 TD, 10 Rec Yds, 1 Fumble Lost
Thomas looked great in week 2. In his break-out game, he went for 107 while averaging almost six yards per carry. The Dolphins are getting bashed in the press for their lack of Reggie Bush in week two, especially after getting him 20 touches in week 1.
5. Mark Ingram (LW: 3) — 91 Rush Yds, 0 TD, 1 Fumble Lost.
Ingram is sliding down boards as Sproles is shooting up boards. He’ll really have to get his shit together in short yardage or see an injury to Pierre Thomas to get back into the top-2 or top-3.
4. Julio Jones (LW: 1) — 100 Rec. Yards, 0 TD.
He hasn’t broken out yet, but he’s shown some unbelievable ball skills. At the very least, he’s looked like an All-Pro Wide Receiver. The Falcons normally get the ball going against the Bucs, and it could be Julio Jones rather than Roddy White that has the huge game.
3. Andy Dalton (LW:5) — 413 Pass Yds, 3TD, 0 INT, 3 Rush Yds, 0 TD
He’s looked terrific in Cincinnati thus far. He’s got a 66% completion rate and a 105.7 QB-Rating. He went for 332 passing yards in Week 2, but the 49ers could prove to be a bit of a challenge in Week 3.
2. A.J. Green (LW: 4) – 165 Rec. Yds, 2 TD
Green already looks comfortable in the Bengals system and could put up pretty big rookie numbers. He doesn’t quite have the gaudy physical attributes of Julio Jones, but he is the best all around wide receiver. Green is only as good as the QB that’s getting him the ball though…
1. Cam Newton (LW: 2) — 854 Pass Yds., 3 TD, 4 Int, 71 Rush Yds., 2TD
I’m not a fan of the interceptions, and it seems like everyone’s ignoring them to look at Newton’s gaudy passing statistics. He’s clearly number one, and his rushing yards alone probably put him in the top-6(ish)
Newton vs. Jacksonville could be a real coming out party and I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for a Jacksonville v. Carolina game, although there must’ve been a good game somewhere in the early-to-mid 2000s in the Delhomme v. Leftwich era.
Who Fell Off? Leonard Hankerson, Johnny White, Jamie Harper, Dwayne Harris, Jake Ballard all came off the board. With Gabbert coming in, Cecil Shorts may make a strong return appearance next week and Chris Johnson really looks like he’s primed for an injury, so maybe we’ll see Jamie Harper. With the Cowboys receivers ailing, Dwayne Harris might finally get some targets.
Love it!!! Thirty? How late were you up?? Well, with you and Josh doing a list (theyre both different and I use em both several times a day), I guess I won’t be doing one! Thx so much for the reference and the AD. Thats super kind. Im gonna talk to Josh tomorrow and ask if he can x-ref yours when he does his. I may even use the top 15s of both lists in an excel sheet side by side if I write an article about the rooks; woud be dissimilar to both this and Josh’s.
GOOD STUFF!!!
Jamie, Atlanta Sports Cards