As is often the case, the NFL draft can have a huge impact on the fantasy football fortunes of the rookies who are drafted. In the dynasty leagues it’s all about the rookie draft. Many rookie drafts begin immediately after the NFL draft ends, with some waiting until later in OTAs, training camp, or preseason to provide the most opportunity to assess player situations. For those who draft quickly, it’s important to have opinions on the value of these rookies, so with that in mind, here’s my post-draft ranking of the top 12 rookies. This represents the first round in most rookie drafts. Let’s go straight to it:

1. Todd Gurley (STL) – Gurley was a surprise pick for the Rams, but it makes a lot of sense. Jeff Fisher is a run-minded coach, and Gurley can carry the load much better than Tre Mason in the long run. In the short term, he shouldn’t be surprised to see Tre Mason start the year as the lead dog and still share carries in the second half of the year. As long as he thinks long term, Gurley is his man.

2. Amari Cooper (OAK) – Cooper is in a pretty good spot. Solid young QB in Derek Carr, absolutely no competition for the WR1 gig, though that could also hurt him with a lot of double teaming. There is no reason here to believe that Cooper won’t become the lead in Year 1. In the PPR leagues, you can probably swap Cooper for Gurley and feel pretty good about it.

3. Kevin White (CHI) – Chicago has a lot of transitions, so this pick isn’t without risk. Cutler is a solid quarterback, but obviously he won’t be around for long. John Fox isn’t known as an offensive coach, though he did turn it on with Peyton Manning in Denver. I just don’t think this offense has the same firepower. That said, Alshon Jeffrey will make it difficult for the defenses to focus on White, which will help him. At the end of the day, his talent wins here to put him in this position.

4. Melvin Gordon (SD) – San Diego traded up to get Gordon and I have to say I love where he landed. While there are already decent RBs on the roster, there’s no question that A) Gordon is more talented than all of them and B) San Diego wanted him badly. I think this creates an excellent fantasy football scenario that could put Gordon as the number one producing rookie running back in the 2016 season.

5. DeVante Parker (MIA) – Another perfect fit. The Dolphins have quietly cobbled together one of the best young receiving corps in the NFL. Parker is the perfect X-split end for Kenny Stills’ Z receiver and Jarvis Landry’s Y-slot receiver. He adds Jordan Cameron and you’ll have some weapons. Tannehill is developing into a quality starter that makes this situation even better. The only risk here is that in recent years the Fins receivers really didn’t produce much. That should change in the future.

6. Breshad Perriman (BAL) – Baltimore badly needed an infusion of WR and got it in the first round with Perriman. Perriman was one of those guys who was on the outside edge of the first round and will jump in now that the Ravens have committed. What I don’t like here is that he has a mentor in Steve Smith, very little quality competition and a solid QB situation. Sure you will need some time to grow in this role, it is not a finished product, but the advantage is greater than before the draft.

7. Dorial Green-Beckham (TEN) – I would consider this point in the draft a breaking point. The top five is dynasty money in my opinion, Perriman has a very strong situation here at no. ° 7 begins to be a little according to his tastes and needs. DGB has incredible potential and has put itself in a good position. Marcus Mariota will be his QB and as long as he develops, DGB develops with him. I’ve never been impressed by the other Titans WRs, so if he keeps his head straight, DGB can be an outright steal at this point in the draft. Although that’s a big YES…

8. TJ Yeldon (JAX) – Other guys who, like Perriman, will move up the post-NFL draft rookie rankings, in my opinion. Yeldon, while he’s not the best athlete in the combine, is good enough to be a three-down running back in the NFL and the Jaguars drafted him to be that running back. That’s good enough for me! With very little competition in this backfield and a solid group of young offensive players to build around, Yeldon could be a poor Gordon or Gurley in this draft.

9. Nelson Agholor (PHI) – In the end, Chip Kelley tried but couldn’t trade Marcus Mariota, so he sat out and took Jeremy Maclin’s replacement instead. Virtually identical to Maclin in many ways (height, weight, speed), Agholor should be a perfect fit for Chip’s offense and be a quality fantasy player. Why, you ask, do you rank him lower than two guys who went later in the draft? Good question, one of the reasons is talent, DGB and Yeldon are more talented than Agholor in their respective positions. Second, while being a receiver on Kelly’s offense is coveted, I’m not convinced Agholor is the #1 receiver on this team, which for me limits his advantage. In PPR I’d probably put him ahead of Yeldon, but that’s about it.

10. Jameis Winston (TB) – Winston moves up to the first round on my board thanks to the weapons at his disposal. Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, and now Kenny Bell. Sure, Winston and his immaturity are a risk, but so was Cam Newton, providing fantasy players with four straight seasons in the top 5 in fantasy. I’m not 100% on that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Winston did the same thing.

11. Tevin Coleman (ATL) – Coleman is a warrior. He played half of his senior season with a broken foot and still had a 2,000-yard season. He gets into a situation where his only competition is Devonta Freeman. Now many will tell you that now it is competition but do not believe it. This seems like a committee to me for at least the first year, as Colemen gets used to passing pro and the speed of the game. If he does well just running the ball this year, he’ll look for him to take over in year 2.

12. Devin Funchess (CAR) – This guy just sneaks into my top 12 by being picked by Carolina. Here’s the thing, if they play him at WR, which I think they will, then Cam Newton has the weapons to succeed. I think this offense has more potential than it has shown in the last two years and with a healthy Cam, Kelvin Benjamin on one side, Funchess on the other, Olsen in the middle and Stewart in the backfield, the pie can get a little bigger. . for everyone.