2017 fantasy football rankings: Overall rookie rankings

The 2017 NFL season can’t get here soon enough, especially now that the NFL draft has come and gone.

As is usually the case, we saw the NFL landscape dramatically shifted with a host of offensive players taken high in the draft, including seven skill-position players within the first 10 picks.

That included a pair of running backs who figure to have major fantasy roles in 2017. It began with LSU’s Leonard Fournette going No. 4 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even with incumbents T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory in place, Fournette figures to have an Ezekiel Elliott-like rookie workload this year, making him a potential fantasy superstar very soon.

While Fournette is the best pure running back in this draft, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey is easily the best dual-threat runner, which makes him a perfect fit for the Carolina Panthers. Assuming Jonathan Stewart gets a nice workload, McCaffrey will still make a big impact on the ground and through the air to remain fantasy relevant as a rookie.

Perhaps the most intriguing rookie this year is Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon. The controversial back landed with the Cincinnati Bengals, who are no strangers to problem children themselves. If Mixon can stay on the straight and narrow, he should eventually take Jeremy Hill’s job and become the featured back in this offense.

The only rookie quarterback who figures to make a major impact as a rookie is Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, who the Houston Texans traded up (with the Cleveland Browns) to take 12th overall. Watson should beat out Tom Savage for the starting spot in an offense that has DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Braxton Miller, making the rookie a viable fantasy option.

We saw three wide receivers taken in the top 10, highlighted by Western Michigan’s Corey Davis landing with the Tennessee Titans. Davis should get the highest usage rate of any fantasy receiver this year for a Titans offense that badly needs more sizzle in its passing game.

Here is a look at our ranking of the top 24 rookies in fantasy football for the 2017 NFL season:

1) Leonard Fournette, RB, Jaguars
2) Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers
3) Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals
4) Corey Davis, WR, Titans
5) Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings

6) Deshaun Watson, QB, Texans
7) Mike Williams, WR, Chargers
8) David Njoku, TE, Browns
9) O.J. Howard, TE, Buccaneers
10) Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs

11) Zay Jones, WR, Bills
12) Samaje Perine, RB, Washington
13) D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texans
14) John Ross, WR, Bengals
15) Evan Engram, TE, Giants

16) James Conner, RB, Steelers
17) Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints
18) Marlon Mack, RB, Colts
19) Joe Williams, RB, 49ers
20) Curtis Samuel, RB/WR, Panthers

21) Josh Reynolds, WR, Rams
22) JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Steelers
23) Dede Westbrook, WR, Jaguars
24) Jordan Leggett, TE, Jets

Jamaal Williams, RB, Packers
DeShone Kizer, QB, Browns
Mitch Trubisky, QB, Bears
Bucky Hodges, TE, Vikings
Donnel Pumphrey, RB, Eagles
Adam Shaheen, TE, Bears
Jeremy McNichols, RB, Buccaneers
Wayne Gallman, RB, Giants
Gerald Everett, TE, Rams
Chad Williams, WR, Cardinals