Out of the tens of millions of people who participate in fantasy football leagues, most play in re-draft leagues. That's where you simply select a completely new roster before each season. Many of the diehards (or fantasy nerds like me) also participate in leagues that are more like the actual NFL, where you have one "traditional" draft followed by yearly rookie drafts. That's what we call a "dynasty" league.
To give you an idea of what such a draft will look like for 2019, here are the results of our in-house rookie draft at NFL.com. The league is comprised of 12 teams and uses a PPR scoring system that rewards players for return yards and touchdowns. Each team rosters 24 players (10 starters) along with two reserve spots. Remember, these players were all drafted with the intent of being retained on an unlimited basis. So unlike traditional fantasy drafts, choosing poorly can have serious long-term repercussions ... think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Enjoy!
Round 1
Notes: This round went as expected, at least as far as the players who were picked. Jacobs is going to be the top dynasty pick in plenty of drafts as the new top running back in Oakland. He'll also be the first rookie picked in most re-drafts. The top rookie wideout for fantasy purposes is a big point of contention, as there isn't one player who is clearly ahead of the rest. ... Harry was the top draw in this draft that saw six receivers come off the board in Round 1. He's drawn rave reviews thus far and could see a prominent role in the offense with the status of Josh Gordon up in the air. ... Some might think Murray was picked too high, but I'd disagree. Based on his skill set and the offense in Arizona under new coach Kliff Kingsbury, Murray could be a fantasy star for a long time. ... Hockenson could end up being the best statistical tight end in the history of the Lions franchise if he lives up to his lofty expectations. He's one of several young, up and coming tight ends who could turn the position around after an awful 2018 season. ... I love Montgomery and think he could be a "bargain" at No. 6 overall. The same goes for Sanders, who will be picked ahead of Jordan Howard in most re-drafts. ... Hardman has a boatload of upside in Kansas City, but his value is 100 percent predicated on what happens with Tyreek Hill. ... Marquise Brown and Metcalf should both push for targets right out of the gate, but both also work in run-based offenses that could limit their Year 1 impacts. ... Campbell looks like the new Colts' slot man, and catching passes from Andrew Luck gives him a lot of value. Fantasy owners also have to like that his role could grow as a sophomore, as Devin Funchess is signed to just a one-year deal.
Round 2
Notes: The second round saw another six wide receivers come off the board. Samuel looks like a great bet to start as a rookie opposite Dante Pettis in an offense that has a lot of potential under coach Kyle Shanahan. He projects as a Percy Harvin type of player at the next level. ... Henderson's stock has soared in re-drafts, as more and more fantasy fans are jumping off the Todd Gurley bandwagon due to questions about his knee. At best, Henderson could be a major fantasy player if Gurley's knee is a serious problem. At worst, he's a terrific handcuff. ... Isabella might not make a major fantasy impact as a rookie with Larry Fitzgerald still in the mix, but he could be Arizona's future slot man. ... The Bills backfield is led by LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore, who will be a combined 67 years old in Week 1. That makes Singletary a strong potential long-term sleeper in fantasy land. ... McLaurin could be a big winner in Washington's pass attack, as he has a tremendous rapport with Haskins during their time together at Ohio State. ... Smith Jr. is the future top tight end in Minnesota, though his re-draft value isn't nearly as high with Kyle Rudolph still ahead of him on the depth chart. ... Johnson has some nice long-term value in a Steelers pass attack that will have targets available after the trade that sent Antonio Brown to Oakland. He'll be worth a late rounder in re-drafts.
Round 3
Notes: Another round dominated by wide receivers, as five more come off the board to make 17 of the first 36 picks (47 percent). The round started with a running back, though, as Mattison was picked at No. 25. While we all love Dalvin Cook to have a breakout season, we also know he's missed more games than he's played in his first two NFL campaigns. With Latavius Murray gone, Mattison could be thrust into a big role if Cook can' avoid injuries. ... Renfroe should see some work out of the slot as a rookie, but he went far higher than I would expect him to go in rookie drafts. ... Love was once considered a future fantasy star while at Stanford, but now he's buried on Washington's depth chart with little chance to make an impact in 2019. ... Boykin is in a Ravens offense with a lot of available targets, but he's behind fellow rookie Marquise Brown in the projected pecking order. Still, he's a nice dynasty hold. ... Drew Lock was the third quarterback off the board behind Murray and Haskins, which isn't a huge surprise. However, the fact that Grier went ahead of Jones is odd, to say the least. ... Sternberger doesn't figure to do much as a rookie with Jimmy Graham on the Packers roster, but he's an intriguing long-term prospect in fantasy land.
Round 4
Notes: Welcome to the "dart throw" round in your rookie drafts. Two Chiefs rookie runners (Thompson, Williams) both came off the board, but injuries to Damien Williams and Carlos Hyde would need to falter or go down with injuries for either to have any short-term value. Of course, their long-term appeal comes from the high success rate of backs under coach Andy Reid. ... Knox could see a decent amount of snaps as a rookie and could be a decent long-term deep sleeper. ... Anderson, Williams and Pollard will all need injuries ahead of them on their respective depth charts to make any sort of impact this season or into their future careers.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for the latest fantasy football news and analysis!
