Darren McFadden: Not a sure bet to be the best fantasy rookie
Adrian Peterson’s monster rookie season (1,609 yards from scrimmage, 13 TDs in 14 games) has fantasy owners gushing over this year’s top rookie RB — Oakland Raider Darren McFadden. While the 6′1″, 211-pound explosive runner may ultimately be one of the top players in the draft, far too many fantasy owners are assuming McFadden will be the top fantasy rookie RB.
Let’s take a look at the top rookie RBs from each of the last 10 years:
| NAME | YR | AGE | G | RuYD | YPR | Rec | RecYD | YPC | TDs | FPTs | PPG | POS | RB# | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Peterson | 2007 | 22 | 14 | 1,341 | 5.6 | 19 | 268 | 14.11 | 13 | 238.9 | 17.1 | 1.07 | 1st | |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | 2006 | 21 | 16 | 941 | 5.7 | 46 | 436 | 9.48 | 15 | 227.7 | 14.2 | 2.28 | 6th | |
| Cadillac Williams | 2005 | 23 | 14 | 1,178 | 4.1 | 20 | 81 | 4.05 | 6 | 161.9 | 11.6 | 1.05 | 3rd | |
| Kevin Jones | 2004 | 22 | 15 | 1,133 | 4.7 | 28 | 180 | 6.43 | 6 | 167.3 | 11.2 | 1.30 | 3rd | |
| Domanick Williams | 2003 | 23 | 14 | 1,031 | 4.3 | 47 | 351 | 7.47 | 8 | 186.2 | 13.3 | 4.04 | 8th | |
| Clinton Portis | 2002 | 21 | 16 | 1,508 | 5.5 | 33 | 364 | 11.03 | 17 | 289.2 | 18.1 | 2.19 | 4th | |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 2001 | 22 | 16 | 1,236 | 3.7 | 59 | 367 | 6.22 | 10 | 220.3 | 13.8 | 1.05 | 1st | |
| Mike Anderson | 2000 | 27 | 14 | 1,487 | 5.0 | 23 | 169 | 7.35 | 15 | 255.6 | 18.3 | 6.23 | 21st | |
| Edgerrin James | 1999 | 21 | 16 | 1,553 | 4.2 | 62 | 586 | 9.45 | 17 | 315.9 | 19.7 | 1.04 | 1st | |
| Fred Taylor | 1998 | 22 | 15 | 1,223 | 4.6 | 44 | 421 | 9.57 | 17 | 266.4 | 17.8 | 1.09 | 2nd |
As you can see, only three times in the last 10 years has the 1st RB drafted ended up as the top fantasy producer. So before you race to draft Darren McFadden on draft day, consider for a second whether another rookie may have the more advantageous situation; I know I will.
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