The jury is still out on most of this year's big-name fantasy football rookie running backs: Todd Gurley is yet to make his NFL debut because of injury, Melvin Gordon hasn’t emerged as the feature back in San Diego yet, and Ameer Abdullah and T.J. Yeldon were just adequate in Week 2.
But if you've been looking to stash some rookie sleepers, Week 3 was a big one. David Johnson of Arizona is scoring a touchdown every three times he touches the ball, and Matt Jones is potentially taking over for Alfred Morris as the lead back in Washington. While fantasy owners are rushing to the waiver wire to add those guys, they might be planning to drop Eagles' rookie receiver Nelson Agholor, who's already looking like a bust. Let's break down all three with our latest round of rookie scouting reports.
MORE: Week 3 fantasy football rankings:
Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Defenses | Kickers
Will David Johnson be the starter in Arizona?
In two career NFL games, Johnson has touched the ball just nine times, including kickoff returns. He’s scored on three of those touches, once each as a runner, receiver and returner.
Out of college, Johnson was one of the most refined pass-catching running backs in recent draft history, possessing great length, ball skills, and route definition. He’s only gotten four targets to show thus far, but his role in the passing game should be the first area of an increased workload.
With a similar body type and playing style, Johnson has drawn comparisons to Matt Forte. While he doesn’t offer the same bend and change of direction, he can offer the same type of versatility and open-field ability once he gets free. He’ll likely stay behind Chris Johnson for now, but the two should at least have a 50/50 split in touches until Andre Ellington (knee) comes back.
Matt Jones already a better red-zone option than Alfred Morris
In Week 1, Morris out-carried Jones 25-6. In Week 2, Jones posted more carries (19 to 18), more receptions (3 to 2) and more total yards (146 to 72) in Washington's convincing victory over the Rams.
The Redskins run blocking is far better than expected, with the cohesion on the line remarkably efficient for just two weeks into the season, and receivers and tight ends finishing blocks downfield.
While both runners have had success over the last two weeks, it was Jones who fared far better on red-zone opportunities than Morris. Morris finished with four carries for five yards on rushes inside the 20, while Jones had four carries for 17 yards and a touchdown. A mid-game fumble may frustrate the Redskins and fantasy owners, but his big-play upside and red-zone success should make him a viable fantasy option moving forward.
Should you drop Nelson Agholor?
Through two games, Nelson Agholor has seen just eight targets, catching four for just 36 yards. After a preseason full of big plays, Agholor, like the rest of the Eagles offense, has been unable to get in any sort of rhythm.
The issues for Agholor, as they are with the rest of the offense, are poor interior offensive line play and play-calling predictability. Jordan Matthews continues to be featured as the underneath route target when the Eagles offense is facing off-coverage -- routes that were supposed to set up vertical opportunities for Agholor.
But just because Agholor hasn’t produced yet doesn’t mean he’s worth selling in fantasy leagues. There’s every reason to believe that the Eagles will correct their play-calling and cohesion issues. Once the offensive line can solve their problems, a domino effect will follow, ending with more play-action and vertical opportunities for Agholor to be Jeremy Maclin-lite for fantasy teams in the second half of the year.