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: Which 2014 rookie will be a first- or second-round fantasy pick next season?
JAMES SELTZER
This is a tough one, because the rookie class has performed quite well so far this season. Brandin Cooks, Sammy Watkins, and Teddy Bridgewater all look like future stars. In addition, guys like Blake Bortles, Odell Beckham, Jordan Matthews, among others, all look like they are at the beginning of potentially great NFL careers. However, there is one rookie who has shined the brightest this season, and that is Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin leads all rookies with 367 yards receiving, and his three touchdowns are also tops among the rookie class. Benjamin is on pace for 1,174 yards and close to 10 touchdowns, which would put him in the conversation for the best season ever by a rookie wide receiver. While it looks like this rookie class may produce multiple future fantasy standouts, as of now, Kelvin Benjamin has to be at the top of that list.
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.
DAVID DOREY
It is still rather early to assess a career from only four or five games played, but you have to like Sammy Watkins as the real deal already. He’s showed up well in games with nothing more than E.J. Manuel and now Kyle Orton. Have to believe that next season will see the Bills making a new QB priority No. 1.
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.
IAN ALLAN
There’s a lot of depth and quality among the wide receivers — close to 10 that have bright futures. Of that group, I’ll put Sammy Watkins at the top of the first tier, which I think includes Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans, Jordan Matthews and Brandin Cooks. Watkins has the speed, athleticism and ball skills, and now that they have a better, more seasoned quarterback in there, I think he’ll start to put up some really nice numbers. It’s early, but I think Watkins will be one of the top dozen receivers on draft boards next summer.
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.
ALAN SATTERLEE
I could see Carlos Hyde definitely being a second-round pick as quickly as next season - IF Frank Gore is not on the team (and Gore is in the final year of his contract with the 49ers). Hyde could be a bellcow RB1 in fantasy. I think you can make a case that Kelvin Benjamin is in the Top 3 of wide receivers dynasty rankings already. I could see Benjamin going in the second round as early as next season. I don't think any of the rookie quarterbacks or tight ends will ever be first or second round picks.
Satterlee is Co-Owner and Chief Editor/COO of FantasyFootballWarehouse.com. FFW features comprehensive profiles for all the major 2013 skill-position rookies, its Trading Spaces series, the team Deep Dives, the Speed Bump competition plus draft strategies, rankings, projections and more. FFW runs in tandem with its dynasty site DynastyFootballWarehouse.com.
SAM HENDRICKS
Brandin Cooks is a good bet. The youngster makes people miss and that is a trait all great receivers have. Add to this he has basically taken over the No. 1 wide receiver spot in New Orleans with future HOFer Drew Brees throwing to him and you have the potential for a second-round, top 5-8 wide receiver next year. He is a super runner and I expect the Saints to get him even more touches (with reverses etc.) over the next few weeks.
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.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
Sammy Watkins has a tremendous upside, it's just a matter of matching him with a quarterback who can get the most out of him. A lot of athletic wide receivers dominate the collegiate levels on physical gifts alone, but it's easy to see how much work Watkins has put into his craft. This is a dynamite route runner; he's been coached well, somewhere, and taken to that coaching. Watkins should be a Top 10 wideout someday, perhaps Top 5. For now, a very playable WR3, maybe a little better than that if Kyle Orton plays steady football (like he did in the victory at Detroit).
Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 20 years and writing about it for 17. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.
MICAH JAMES
He may not warrant a first-round pick next season, but given his top 10 return so far in 2014 I think Kelvin Benjamin will definitely be a second-rounder in 2015. He'll be Cam Newton's prime target and will continue to be a dominant Red Zone threat. With little competition in Carolina outside of Greg Olsen (who will turn 30 prior to next season) Benjamin is a soon-to-be elite player.
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.
ANDY RICHARDSON
There are a couple of running backs who I think might be there. Surely Frank Gore's solid recent play is just the last gasp of an aging running back. In Week 1 of 2015, Carlos Hyde should be the starter there, and he's showed enough so far to think he'll be pretty good. The other guy is Jerick McKinnon in Minnesota. All indications are that Adrian Peterson won't be with Minnesota next season, and McKinnon, once he gets a better handle on playing running back in the NFL, looks like he has the talent to be a big-time player. Really though, there are a lot of rookie running backs and receivers who could be huge in fantasy leagues for years to come.
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.