ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Now that you've seen almost all of them in action, which rookie do you believe will have the best NFL career?
BRYAN HOUGH
I'm going to say Kelvin Benjamin. The guy is 6-foot-5 240 with good hands. He is a perfect fit for Carolina and big-arm QB Cam Newton. I think he has the most potential of all the rookie class. I said back in early May after the Panthers drafted him that it wouldn't surprise me if he would be Rookie of the Year.
Fantasytitan101.com is in its first year. It is a fantasy football advice site ran by Bryan Hough, a High Stakes player, along with his technical guy Tony Lee. The site offers live draft results from High Stake drafts along with draft strategies, matchups and analysis, real-time cheat sheets, late breaking news, live injury updates, start'em/sit'em, sleepers, busts, breakouts, gut-check picks, best waiver wire options, player projections and rankings and much more!
SCOTT SACHS
This is a really interesting, puzzling, maddening, and tantalizing rookie crop this year. I thought coming into this season, that Sammy Watkins and Bishop Sankey were the 2 most "can't-miss" rookies. Sammy is dinged already, but hopefully he stays healthy. Buffalo doesn't have many weapons and they need him desperately. Watkins notwithstanding, I'm also a huge Cody Latimer fan, and if Peyton plays a few more years, he'll emerge as the heir apparent to D-Thomas. The QBs are interesting, but I do not see any franchisees yet. As a Browns fan, I want to anoint Johnny Football, but I need to see a lot more from him. When analyzing Sankey and the rest of the rookie RBs, West, Freeman, etc., it's hard not to select Carlos Hyde as the top long-term choice, both at RB and overall. I saw him play every game in college and he just looked like an NFL running back should look -- basically a bigger version of Eddie George -- and that wouldn't be too shabby for the 49ers.
With 2 perfect seasons to his credit, Scott Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text consulting, advice, and opinions. Serving as one of the "Experts" for Fantasy Football Index, was 2011 wire-to-wire winner in Mock Auction Draft League. Also, was named winner of the 2012 Fantasy Football Index Expert's Poll! In 2013 Fantasy Index Leagues, finished No. 2 in Mock Auction, No. 3 in Draft.
JAMES SELTZER
The obvious answer here is Jadeveon Clowney. Despite not playing a lot of preseason snaps, Clowney has made his presence felt with some jaw-dropping plays. His speed off the line, and the fact that J.J. Watt plays on the other side of the line, makes me believe that Clowney is a borderline lock for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Clowney is clearly the surest bet, among the rookie class, to be a star. But since we usually talk fantasy here, I will give you a rookie who I think will have the best fantasy career. For me, this choice comes down to one of three WRs taken in the first round: Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, or Brandin Cooks. I actually think all three of these guys will have nice careers. Watkins has already made a name for himself by making some amazing plays in practice. Evans is in a nice situation playing across from Vincent Jackson. And Cooks has been called a "Human Highlight Reel" by people at Saints camp. So this is a tough choice. I could see any of these three players being a star for years to come. However, since I have to make a choice, I will go with Sammy Watkins. Watkins is a rare talent, who has already shown people why the Bills traded their 2015 first round pick to move up five spots to take him. If I were choosing for this season, I may go a different way, because I am not convinced EJ Manuel is ready to be a starting QB in the NFL. But, long-term, I think Watkins has to be the guy.
James Seltzer is a Writer of NFL content for Rotowire.com. Since 1997, RotoWire.com has been one of the leading fantasy sports resources on the web. Seltzer can be found on Twitter @JamesSeltzer975.
MICAH JAMES
I'm going straight chalk on this one, at least from an offensive skill position point of view - Sammy Watkins. The quarterback situation in Buffalo is going to hinder him a bit this season (and perhaps next) but Watkins' hands are amazing and he creates separation from DBs with ease. This is a very talented rookie class, but when its all said and done, Watkins will stand above the rest.
James, the Fantasy Football MagicMan, currently hosts the weekly FFToolbox Fantasy Football Radio Show. In 2012, the FFMagicMan won the Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s Preseason Accuracy Rankings Challenge, and followed that performance with a Runner-Up finish in 2013. James posts his in-season rankings on the FantasyPros Experts’ rankings every week, and you can find his latest musings at ffmagicman.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FFMagicMan.
IAN ALLAN
I like Brandin Cooks, and I like Carlos Hyde. Cooks has a lot more playmaking skills than New Orleans’ other wide receivers. I think he could be really special. And Hyde is just a big, fast dude. Frank Gore is at the end of the road, and when Hyde takes over there (maybe this year) I think he’ll gobble up the yards in that offense.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.
SAM HENDRICKS
Brandin Cooks seems like the heir apparent in New Orleans. Drew Brees wants to play until he is 40. Marques Colston is on the downside of his career as he hit 31 this summer. Cooks has Rookie of the Year potential this year and Pro Bowl tickets for the rest of his career.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.
DAVID DOREY
I have a serious man crush on Brandin Cooks and it’s not enough that he merely looks great in camp and preseason games. He’s playing in one of the most productive passing offenses of all time. Receivers have one of the longest careers of any position and Cooks will be around for a long time.
Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.
ANDY RICHARDSON
I'll vote for the guy I've liked since back in May, Carlos Hyde. The 49ers spent a couple of years wasting draft picks on LaMichael James and Marcus Lattimore, but they definitely got it right with Hyde. He's going to be their franchise back as soon as next season and will probably end up starting some games this season, as well. Next up, I really like what I've seen out of Jacksonville's Blake Bortles. I think he'll finally solve the quarterback issues they've had down there.
Richardson has been a contributor and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.