Fantasy Football Rookie Radar
The 2025 NFL season has officially kicked off, and fans are eager to watch the latest narratives unfold. Several rookies played well in their debut, so we’ll look further into each of their situations before discussing how to bet on them after Week 1. Fantasy football managers can claim the latest Underdog promo code to qualify for a bet-and-get welcome offer. Prioritize these five rookies in fantasy lineups to win contests, plus $50 in site credits, after unlocking this reward as a new customer today.
Week One: 4 rec, 67 yards, 2 TD
Ebguka played 93 percent of snaps and logged a 20 percent target share. These are elite metrics that imply the Ohio State wideout will continue to be a focal point of Tampa Bay’s offense moving forward. In Week 2, Egbuka and the Buccaneers stay on the road for a prime-time matchup against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. With Hall-of-Fame wideout Mike Evans lined up on the opposite side of the field, Egbuka should continue to be highly effective in the slot. Bet on him to go over his total receptions and total receiving yards props.
Week One: 10 att, 82 yards, 1 TD
Seventh-round pick Croskey-Merritt has gained a lot of hype after the team traded Brian Robinson Jr. to the 49ers. On Sunday, he made his NFL debut and looked like a stud despite only seeing 33% of the teams snaps, leading the team in rushing with 82 yards on stellar efficiency and getting into the endzone once. His week-to-week production may be a bit volatile if his workload in the passing game doesn’t increase, but fantasy managers should be ecstatic with his debut game and excited for where his season-long outlook is trending.
Week One: 6 att, 70 yards
Harvey made the most of the limited field time he saw, gaining 70 yards on just six attempts, while seeing just 29% of the team’s snaps. He alternated drives with J.K. Dobbins for most of the first half, though the Broncos relied heavily on Dobbins down the stretch to secure a victory in positive game script. Harvey did enough to show off his explosiveness on a 50-yard run early in the fourth quarter, which ultimately set up a Dobbins score. While Harvey looks to be the second back in Denver for the time being, he still has a clear role in the offense and could see that expand as he continues to prove himself as a pro.
Week One: 6 rec, 33 yards
The second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Travis Hunter, had some quality touches for the Jaguars during their 26-10 win over Carolina in Week 1. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner finished with a 63 percent snap share and a whopping 27 percent target share, hauling in six receptions on eight targets for 33 yards. Jacksonville’s first-year head coach, Liam Coen, stated Hunter will continue to have a primary role on offense heading into Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I think it’ll only continue to evolve and go more,” Coen commented in Jacksonville’s post-game presser. “I thought he played hard on offense. I thought he played fast. He had some good catches, ran the right route. So I can only see it going and expanding from here.”
After going over a 25 percent target share in his debut, it’s a good idea to bet the over on Hunter’s total receptions prop moving forward. He’ll be an integral piece of the Jaguars’ rebuilt offense.
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Week One: 7 rec, 76 yards
The Indianapolis Colts throttled the Miami Dolphins at home in Week 1. Colts’ quarterback, Daniel Jones, looked at rookie tight end Tyler Warren for most of the game, funneling him a 31 percent target share. Warren was highly touted coming out of Penn State this offseason. The hype seems warranted, as the rookie tight end finished with seven receptions for 76 yards on nine targets.
Jones heavily targeted tight ends as a starter for the New York Giants. Playing in a Shane Steichen offense, combined with a high-caliber talent like Warren, means the Colts’ rookie is another prospect to bet the over on total receptions, total receiving yards, and inevitably, any time touchdown scorer.
Week One: 15 att, 48 yards
Hampton struggled to find much running room against a Kansas City defensive front despite leading the team in carries Friday night, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry in the win. However, he did see 80% of the snaps, which is promising. Fantasy managers will need to monitor the backfield workload distribution over the next few weeks for more clarity on whether the rookie running back remains the No. 1 option for head coach Jim Harbaugh ahead of a Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Week One: 5 att, 27 yards | 6 Rec, 24 yards
Second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson wasn’t given plenty of opportunities in his first NFL regular-season game, seeing just 35% of the snaps. However, it’s promising seeing Henderson involved as a receiver in the passing game. Rhamondre Stevenson outpaced Henderson by only two carries, which would appear to bode well for the latter’s prospects in a Week 2 road matchup next Sunday against what seems to be a porous Dolphins defense.
Week One: 19 att, 38 yards, TD
It took Ashton Jeanty one start to solidify his role as a workhorse running back for the Las Vegas Raiders. Drafted sixth overall out of Boise State, the former 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist handled 19 carries during the Raiders’ 20-13 road win against New England. Jeanty only averaged 2.0 YPC, finishing with less than 38 yards, but he did find the end zone to score his first career touchdown. As long as Jeanty’s earning an 85 percent snap share and 79 percent rush share, he’s going to eventually go over his total rushing yards prop, starting in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Week One: 12 att, 29 yards
Dylan Sampson’s usage in Cleveland’s backfield is worth analyzing. The fourth-round rookie running back finished Week 1 with 12 carries and made a huge impact as a receiver, catching all eight passes for 64 receiving yards. Sampson was on the field on 10 percent fewer snaps than Jerome Ford. He wound up with double the number of carries in comparison, with a robust 19 percent target share. Whether it’s Joe Flacco preferring to check it down or the former Tennessee running back proving his versatility within the Browns’ offense, he’s undoubtedly a rookie worth betting on after Week 1. Target Sampson as a receiver during Cleveland’s Week 2 matchup against Baltimore.
Week One: 5 rec, 68 yards
Bryce Young overthrew McMillan, which would have been an easy score against the Jaguars. Overall, it was a promising start to his NFL career, and we should see better chemistry as the season moves along and McMillan gets comfortable with the speed of the game.
Quick Hits
- Matthew Golden – Two receptions for 16 yards. We expected more.
- Jayden Higgins – Just two receptions and 43% snap share. Very disappointing first week.
- Colston Loveland – Two receptions for 12 yards.
- Cam Skattebo – 2 att, -3 yards. 2 receptions for 12 yards.
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