Fantasy Football 2013: Top Rookies for Keeper Formats

Fantasy football rookies—we love them, we hate them and sometimes we just can't resist the urge to draft them higher than we should. After all, it's nearly impossible to draft your new favorite offensive rookie without believing you're getting the steal of the draft. 

It happens every year, and unfortunately, with varying and unpredictable degrees of success. Many times these rookies fall flat on their faces or take extra time to transition and develop.

Or, better yet, they produce sporadically from one week to the next without any consistency, in effect hampering your lineup from week to week and creating a false sense of security that slowly manifests itself into pure madness by season's end. 

Face it; we've all been there in our fantasy football careers. 

However, fortunately there is always some light at the end of the tunnel—those rare rookies who actually do pay immediate dividends for their risk-taking owners.

Keeper league powerhouses (if you will), players that provide this type of value are the reason why so many who love fantasy football and dynasty mode in Madden have also fallen in love with the world of scouting and the NFL draft. 

I know I have, and what's not to like? It offers up the perfect opportunity to evaluate rookies before they even set foot in the NFL.

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Debating which of the rookie running backs will make the biggest impact is like trying to decide between a chocolate, vanilla or twist ice cream cone. They're all good and all satisfy a unique taste bud, but at the end of the day none of them are great and each fail to completely stand out on their own. 

Obviously, it goes without saying that not every season can be like last year when Doug Martin, Alfred Morris and Trent Richardson all finished in the top 12 amongst running backs in ESPN standard scoring leagues.

However, that's also not to say that at least one or two of them cannot find themselves in this rather unique territory by season's end.

In any event, if you can only choose one player for this year and beyond, may I suggest to you Pittsburgh Steelers rooking running back Le'Veon Bell?

With an ADP of exactly 69.6 as of this writing, Bell currently finds himself behind fellow rookies Montee Ball (43.7) and Eddie Lacy (61.3) in ESPN live online draft results.

Now, this is not to say this might not eventually change, but nabbing a back who is expected to garner the majority of his team's carries in the fifth or sixth round should entice nearly any fantasy football owner. 

Surely, Montee Ball, Eddie Lacy and even Giovani Bernard could earn this title over time, but neither of these backs can claim the starting job is theirs to lose, and quite frankly, none of them has done enough to prove it to this point either.

Bell has—earning the right to work with the first-team offense earlier this training camp, according to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal. 

Granted, this hardly means the starting job is all but his—considering he also missed the team's first preseason game with a sore knee—however, it does seem to me that Bell has the inside track to the starting position. 

He's a rookie running back completely capable of performing like a solid RB2 option and a player whose smashmouth mentality meshes very well with the Steelers' style of ground-and-pound football.

Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

When the Cincinnati Bengals decided to select Tyler Eifert with the 21st overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft they did so with two goals in mind.

One was to select the best player available to them, and the other was to further build around the already staunch offense by providing quarterback Andy Dalton with another reliable target. 

And boy, did they do just that. 

According to a report from Joe Kay of the Associated Press, Eifert has already drawn rave reviews to this point in training camp, even compelling offensive coordinator Jay Gruden to claim that, "he's (Eifert) done everything we thought and more," according to the same report from the Associated Press. 

Granted, this is not to say he is guaranteed to make an instant impact. After all, former first-round pick Jermaine Gresham is still on the roster, and while he may have not lived up to his full potential as of yet, he is still a veteran option who understands the offensive system. 

Because of this, expectations for Eifert need to be somewhat tempered. But then again, maybe they do not.

Recently, Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Eifert had quickly become Dalton's favorite target in A.J. Green's absence. 

Yes, Eifert failed to secure a reception in the Bengals' first preseason game, but the team's commitment to him and his versatility will allow for much more time on the field. The team plans to use both Eifert and Gresham in a lot of two-tight end sets this year, according to the aforementioned article in the Cincinnati Enquirer. 

Meaning, while Eifert's upside for this season probably remains as a TE2 or TE3 option, his long-term value could be much higher. 

After all, teams don't usually spend first-round picks on players they don't intend to use.

For this reason, expect Eifert to receive plenty of looks and snaps this season. Ultimately, however, his value will be immediately tied into his ability to produce in the red zone. 

Tavon Austin, WR, St. Louis Rams

Surely, the start to Tavon Austin's career could have gone smoother. He failed to catch one pass in the Rams' opening preseason loss to the Cleveland Browns. 

Nonetheless, while you can read into this all you want, the fact remains that Austin is one of the most dynamic and most feared playmakers in all of football. He just needs more time to adapt to the game and become more comfortable with quarterback Sam Bradford and the Rams' offense. 

These things take time, but those expecting WR2 production would be wise to temper expectations and realize that drafting a rookie wide receiver as high as the sixth or seventh round comes with its risks.

Currently, Austin's value is much better as a flex starter or WR3, and he obviously has more value in PPR leagues. 

Nevertheless, regardless of where you stand on Austin's immediate value, he should remain a player to target in keeper league formats for both his short and long-term potential. 

Because of this, and because of Austin's reputation as a playmaker, you can expect to pay highly for him on draft day. But also realize players of his caliber don't come around too often. 

After all, isn't that one of the reasons the Rams felt comfortable moving up to take the lightning-quick Austin with the eighth overall pick?

In closing, my best advice when it comes to Austin would be to tread cautiously and plan accordingly. He's not worth breaking the bank and he's surely not a player who will make or break your fantasy football team.

Simply realize where his ultimate value on your team lies and stick to that plan.

If he's there, great. If not, his teammate Chris Givens will probably do just the trick and provide similar (if not better) immediate return on investment. 

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

If you have yet to see DeAndre Hopkins' first touchdown reception in an NFL uniform, please do yourself a quick favor and do so here. Clearly, it is catches like these that have encouraged others to take notice all throughout training camp and into the preseason.

Recently, head coach Gary Kubiak even told the Houston Texans' official website that Hopkins has been "exceptional" and will be a "big part of our football team." 

Or, in other words, someone who will benefit in playing across from one of the game's best in Andre Johnson. He's a receiver with enough natural talent to finally give the Texans the complementary piece they have been seeking.

In fact, it's entirely plausible that Hopkins could exceed 60 catches this season and push upwards of 800 to 1,000 yards receiving, despite the fact that he plays for a team that is run-oriented.  

Nonetheless, with some of the best hands and equally impressive hand-eye coordination skills, Hopkins is poised to provide immediate and long-term gain.  

That makes his current ADP of 127.1 in ESPN live online drafts a real knee-slapper.

Put it this way: There are certainly worse options you could pursue once you get to this point in your draft.

Hopkins is a straight-up stud and certainly not the type of player you'll want to be facing for the next 10-plus years. For that reason, draft him and don't look back. Let your opponents be ones to wallow in self-pity for the next decade.

You'll be glad you did.