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        Early 2013 Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Rankings

        Check out our thoughts and rankings on the long-term fantasy impacts of this year's rookie class.
        By Matt Schauf | Updated on Tue, May 23 2023 5:27 PM UTC
        Early 2013 Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Rankings The NFL Draft is almost here, but we just couldn't wait. 

        That's why we're taking a too-early look at the top fantasy football rookies due to hit the League later this month. Of course, we don't really know any better than you do where each player will land.  And situation can mean a lot to fantasy value, even in dynasty formats. 

        We'll roll out a full update on our 2013 fantasy football dynasty rankings after NFL Draft weekend.  And for redraft purposes, we'll take our annual look at the top 10 fantasy-impact rookies.  (You have to be a Draft Sharks member to access those exclusive features.)

        Much will change in Radio City Music Hall.  But here's how we view the top 50 rookies for your dynasty draft right now ...

        1. Alabama RB Eddie Lacy
        2. West Virginia WR Tavon Austin
        3. UCLA RB Johnathan Franklin
        4. Wisconsin RB Montee Ball
        5. Tennessee WR Cordarrelle Patterson
        6. UNC RB Giovani Bernard
        7. Texas A&M RB Christine Michael
        8. California WR Keenan Allen
        9. Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins
        10. South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore

        Lacy's hamstring trouble and ensuing workout disappointment cloud his redraft fantasy football outlook.  Can he get ready to carry the load by this fall?  Will he get that opportunity?  We'll see.  But Lacy is the best back in this class, and the dynasty format mitigates any short-term concern.

        Austin looks like this year's most exciting fantasy football rookie.  Percy Harvin is his ideal outcome.  But a healthier, less moronic DeSean Jackson would be fine, too. 

        Franklin beats Ball on the strength of greater explosiveness.  Both look like 3-down types. 

        Patterson is a long-term investment.  He flashed plenty of ability in 2012 but ultimately sports just 1 year of decent top-level production. 

        Bernard is a big-play guy who has drawn comparisons to Eagles RB LeSean McCoy and Patriots RB Shane Vereen.  Fantasy football owners would much prefer that he turn into McCoy, but Vereen is really just getting going.

        Michael is a bit of an enigma.  NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock lauds the talent.  Let's hope the motivation is there. 

        Allen and Hopkins look like this draft's safest wideouts.  Situation and upside stand as the only questions. 

        Lattimore, meanwhile, carries plenty of upside.  We'll just have to see if he can come all the way back from the knee trauma.

        11. West Virginia QB Geno Smith
        12. Florida State QB E.J. Manuel
        13. Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert
        14. Baylor WR Terrance Williams
        15. Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell
        16. Tennessee WR Justin Hunter
        17. Clemson RB Andre Ellington
        18. Oklahoma State RB Joseph Randle
        19. USC WR Robert Woods
        20. Oregon State WR Markus Wheaton Smith is the top passer. 

        Manuel is the great upside hope.  Neither should start for your fantasy team in 2012.  Eifert might start for you this season, though, depending on where he lands.  He looks better than Notre Dame predecessor and Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph. 

        We love the downfield ability and fluidity in Williams' game and can't wait to see who picks him.  Bell calls himself the draft's best back.  He might be delusional, but he also should at least be Shonn Greene. 

        NFL Films guru Greg Cosell likes Hunter better than teammate Patterson.  We don't follow Mayock in liking Ellington better than Gio Bernard.  But we do like the big-play ability. 

        Randle has already drawn some fantasy football sleeper love.  He ran for 38 TDs over the past 2 years and caught 108 passes in his 3 college seasons.  Woods has been called an "ideal slot guy" and compared to fellow former Trojans WR Steve Smith.  That former Giant put up a 100-catch season before injury derailed his career.

        Yahoo! Sports' Doug Farrar compares Wheaton to the good side of WR Brandon Lloyd.

        21. Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor
        22. Louisiana Tech WR Quinton Patton
        23. Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson
        24. Arizona QB Matt Scott
        25. Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib
        26. USC QB Matt Barkley
        27. N.C. State QB Mike Glennon
        28. West Virginia WR Stedman Bailey
        29. Florida RB Mike Gillislee
        30. Stanford TE Zach Ertz

        Taylor fits the Ball mold of a dependable 3-down back without the electricity of the speedier guys.  Patton has been building buzz since the Senior Bowl.  He caught 183 passes over his 2 seasons at pass-happy Tech. 

        Wilson looks intriguing.  He struggled through a senior year that proved tough on the whole program.  But he looked like a stud in 2011.  Barkley and Nassib certainly look like safer bets than Scott.  But the Wildcat's dual-threat ability makes him a more interesting fantasy play.  Glennon sits behind Barkley and Nassib because he's more scattershot.  But he brings potential. 

        Bailey led this class of wideouts in "clutch receptions" last season, catches that produced 1st downs or TDs.  He hauled in 72 among 148 targets.  Gillislee ran for 1,152 yards -- including five 100-yard games -- in his 1st regular action as a senior.  He's not a special talent but a guy who could deliver if the opportunity arrives.  

        Many talent evaluators rate Ertz near Eifert.  We might, too, if there weren't so little demand for TEs in fantasy football right now.

        31. Arkansas RB Knile Davis
        32. San Diego State TE Gavin Escobar
        33. Kansas State WR Chris Harper
        34. Tennessee QB Tyler Bray
        35. South Carolina WR Ace Sanders
        36. Oregon RB Kenjon Barner
        37. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones
        38. Cincinnati TE Travis Kelce
        39. Georgia WR Tavarres King
        40. Texas A&M WR Ryan Swope
        41. Miami (Ohio) QB Zac Dysert
        42. Nebraska RB Rex Burkhead
        43. Marshall WR Aaron Dobson
        44. Tennessee Tech WR Da'Rick Rogers
        45. Oklahoma WR Kenny Stills
        46. Utah State RB Kerwynn Williams
        47. Texas WR Marquise Goodwin
        48. Michigan State TE Dion Sims
        49. Rice TE Vance McDonald
        50. Florida TE Jordan Reed

        Prospects become much more of a crapshoot lower down these rankings, obviously.  Situation figures to dictate these values even more than with the top options.  The 1st 5 guys among these final 20 lead the way on upside. Here's how our preliminary top 50 breaks down by position:

        RBs

        1. Eddie Lacy
        2. Johnathan Franklin
        3. Montee Ball
        4. Giovani Bernard
        5. Christine Michael
        6. Marcus Lattimore
        7. Le'Veon Bell
        8. Andre Ellington
        9. Joseph Randle
        10. Stepfan Taylor
        11. Mike Gillislee
        12. Knile Davis \
        13. Kenjon Barner
        14. Rex Burkhead
        15. Kerwynn Williams

        WRs

        1. Tavon Austin
        2. Cordarrelle Patterson
        3. Keenan Allen
        4. DeAndre Hopkins
        5. Terrance Williams
        6. Justin Hunter
        7. Robert Woods
        8. Markus Wheaton
        9. Quinton Patton
        10. Stedman Bailey
        11. Chris Harper
        12. Ace Sanders
        13. Tavarres King
        14. Ryan Swope
        15. Aaron Dobson
        16. Da'Rick Rogers
        17. Kenny Stills
        18. Marquise Goodwin

        QBs

        1. Geno Smith
        2. E.J. Manuel
        3. Tyler Wilson
        4. Matt Scott
        5. Ryan Nassib
        6. Matt Barkley
        7. Mike Glennon
        8. Tyler Bray
        9. Landry Jones
        10. Zac Dysert

        TEs

        1. Tyler Eifert
        2. Zach Ertz
        3. Gavin Escobar
        4. Travis Kelce
        5. Dion Sims
        6. Vance McDonald
        7. Jordan Reed
        Matt Schauf Author Image
        Matt Schauf, Editor
        Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.
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