2011 Rookie Rankings
2011 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DST | IDP | Rookies
The NFL Draft is always a strange place to find fantasy football values for the upcoming season – especially when there is no guarantee that there will actually BE an upcoming season.
Typically, the easiest way to determine which rookies are going to have the most fantasy value is to look at the value trends of their position and their team’s depth chart. Some general rules of thumb for evaluating rookies in fantasy football:
- As a consensus, players at the running back and wide receiver positions typically have the most fantasy value as rookies.
- The value of rookie quarterbacks is completely dependent on the offensive scheme they are coming into and the playing time they are likely to receive from the beginning of the season.
- Tight ends are also completely dependent on the offensive scheme they come into, but generally have less value than comparable wideouts at their position.
To start off our rankings of the top fantasy football rookies for 2011, Mark Ingram of the New Orleans Saints is at the top. He is entering a running back committee that is injury-prone in an offensive scheme that is highly potent. If you believe Reggie Bush will find himself as a change of pace back and specialist over an every down back, then Ingram has a great chance to become the every down back in the Crescent City.
A.J. Green could be the top projected rookie if Carson Palmer sticks around Cincy and a WR2 spot opens up with the departure of either Ochocinco or T.O. Julio Jones seems to be a WR2 in Atlanta, which in that run-heavy offensive scheme could limit his value behind Ingram and Green. Ryan Williams figures to play a part in a muddled committee situation in Arizona with Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower – but injuries to either of those backs could make him a solid value as a handcuff on draft day.
Below are our top 30 rookie rankings for 2011 fantasy football. Think our rankings are great? Think we got something horribly wrong? Email webmaster [at] fantasyfootballsideline [dot] com and let us know how you could rank them better.
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 30 Rookies
- Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans
- A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati
- Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta
- Ryan Williams, RB, Arizona
- Jake Locker, QB, Tennessee
- Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco
- Cam Newton, QB, Carolina
- Greg Little, WR, Cleveland
- Austin Pettis, WR, St. Louis
- Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati
- Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Kansas City
- Blaine Gabbert, QB, Jacksonville
- Leonard Hankerson, WR, Washington
- Cecil Shorts, WR, Jacksonville
- DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas
- Christian Ponder, QB, Minnesota
- Stevan Ridley, RB, New England
- Shane Vereen, RB, New England
- Lance Kendricks, TE, St. Louis
- Robert Housler, TE, Arizona
- Kendall Hunter, RB, San Francisco
- Titus Young, WR, Detroit
- Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota
- Greg Salas, WR, St. Louis
- Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego
- Julius Thomas, TE, Denver
- Daniel Thomas, RB, Miami
- Alex Green, RB, Green Bay
- Baron Batch, RB, Pittsburgh
- Dwayne Harris, WR, Dallas
