Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: QB's & WR's

Now that the entire 2009 NFL Draft has come and passed it's time to take a look at which players will have big and immediate impacts in the fantasy football world this season. Every year there is production from rookies, and sometimes it is expected and other times it's a surprise.

In the first of a two-part series we'll take a look at the top quarterbacks and wide receivers expected to produce this season. Last season we saw two rookie quarterbacks in the Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan and the Baltimore Ravens Joe Flacco have fantasy impacts. While it's unlikely we'll see the same thing this year, we will take a look at the guys that might be able to make it possible.

Be sure to check back later for the second part of our draft recap, featuring discussion about the top running backs and tight ends.

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QUARTERBACKS

Matt Stafford (Detroit Lions)— Heading into the draft the selection by the Detroit Lions of former Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford was the only guarantee as he agreed to a contract with the team before the process started on Saturday. Stafford was ranked as the top quarterback, and one of the top players in the draft, for a good reason in that he's extremely talented and has a great arm.

Stafford may be an early entry quarterback and the NFL is littered with failures of players at the position who tried to do the same thing but there's a good chance this guy can overcome that. He started three years at Georgia where he saw his stats improve each season. He went from a 52.7 completion percentage and a 7/13 TD/INT ratio his first season to a 61.5 completion percentage and a 25/10 ration his third season.

Going to Detroit has not been kind to quarterbacks recently but Stafford does have some weapons around him in wide receiver Calvin Johnson, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, and running back Kevin Smith. The biggest concern for Stafford, who will likely start the season on the bench behind Daunte Culpepper, is a weak offensive line in Detroit. Stafford will play this season but a positive fantasy impact may not come until next year.

Mark Sanchez (New York Jets)— The New York Jets made a bold move on Saturday, trading three players and two draft picks for the chance to move up and select former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez comes the NFL as a player billed as a guy that can do everything. He can make all the throws, can throw well on the run, and has good pocket presence.

The biggest knock on Sanchez, and it is a big one, is that he only started one year in college. In that one year Sanchez had a 65.8 completion percentage, threw for 3,207 yards and had 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. And he's not exactly going to a bad team either.

Behind a good offensive line Sanchez will be able to throw to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery and tight end Dustin Keller and has running backs Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Shonn Greene as well. Sanchez only has Kellen Clemens to beat out, which should not be a tough thing to do, so expect Sanchez to play early as a Jet.

Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)— In what was a weak quarterback class this season, former Kansas State Wildcat Josh Freeman was the third player at the position off the board when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took him with the 17th overall pick. But unlike Stafford and Sanchez, Freeman is considered more of a project.

He was inconsistent and didn't always make good reads at Kansas State. In Tampa Bay, he has a host of other quarterbacks to compete with for the starting job, including Byron Leftwich, Brian Griese, Luke McCown, and Josh Johnson. The Buccaneers have a new head coach in place and didn't get Leftwich at a bargain price so expect Freeman to hold a clipboard for most, if not all, of the 2009 season.

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WIDE RECEIVERS

Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers)— The San Francisco 49ers found themselves in a surprising situation on Saturday when it became their pick and former Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree was still on the board. With little hesitation the 49ers selected Crabtree to help upgrade their receiving corps and he is a guy who can produce right away.

With good size, speed, and incredible hands, Crabtree's biggest obstacle to overcome is moving from the spread offense in college to a more traditional offense in the NFL. The quarterback situation in San Francisco isn't ideal (Shaun Hill or Alex Smith) but the rest of the offense around Crabtree is solid. Expect Crabtree to be a player who puts up decent stats as a rookie, with better production in the second half of the season.

Darius Heyward-Bey (Oakland Raiders)— The Oakland Raiders surprised everybody but themselves when they selected Darius Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall pick instead of Crabtree. However, considering how obsessed the Raiders are with speed, and the fact that Crabtree couldn't run a 40-yard dash before the draft because of a foot injury, it should not be surprising to see Oakland select Heyward-Bey after he posted the top 40 time at the combine.

As a receiver Heyward-Bey has shown excellent potential when he was at Maryland, however he was also inconsistent, even getting shut out in some games. The offensive line in Oakland is still a mess and quarterback JaMarcus Russell has not shown many signs of improving as a quarterback so don't expect much from Heyward-Bey this season.

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Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: QB's & WR's