The Rookie Movement Is Here

The Giants make the switch ...

Peter Overzet
September 24, 2025

One of the reasons we preach patience with rookies in fantasy is that our interests are mostly aligned with these teams. We want the fantasy points and these teams need to get their best playmakers the ball if they care about winning games.

Of course, sometimes this process takes much longer than we’d like.

After Week 3, however, the rookie tides are quickly changing …

Najee Harris’ unfortunate injury has expedited Omarion Hampton’s ascension to bell cow back in Los Angeles.
Multiple Rhamondre Stevenson fumbles have paved the way for TreVeyon Henderson to have a larger role.
I don’t have any positive usage notes for Ashton Jeanty, but I will point out that he gets the Bears poor run defense in Week 4—they are allowing the fourth-most points per game through three weeks.

But the biggest youth movement taking place right now is in New York:

1) With Tyrone Tracy Jr. expected to be out for 2-4 weeks with a dislocated shoulder injury, it’s blastoff time for Cam Skattebo. Per the Utilization Report, he dominated touches after Tracy’s departure in Week 3 (57% of the rushing attempts and a 27% target share). He’s a locked-and-loaded RB2 for the next month.

2) In addition to the RB shakeup, the Giants also made the smart decision yesterday to bench Russell Wilson for rookie Jaxson Dart. He doesn’t get the easiest first matchup vs. the Chargers, but his skill set is extremely favorable for fantasy. The ceiling for this entire offense is much higher the rest of the way, which should be music to the ears of Malik Nabers managers.

For a full breakdown on the Dart takeover in New York, check out Matthew Freedman’s piece …

🍋 It’s kickoff time. Lineup’s set. Now GO HARD.

You’ve been grinding the waiver wire, dodging injury reports, and swapping flex plays until the last second. This isn’t casual—it’s commitment. And when the games start, you’re all in.

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Fantasy

Editors’ Picks

Week 4 is here. It’s time to get right (or stay right). Start by making sure you catch up on some of the latest and greatest content that you may have missed on FantasyLife.com.

Guillotine Leagues™ Rankings

Whether you’re a three-week survivor or a Week 4 drafter, Guillotine Leagues™ rankings have been updated. Geoff Ulrich highlights the biggest risers, fallers and sleepers in the rankings.

Freedman’s QB Upgrades

Is Jordan Love primed to pop after heading back to Dallas for the first time since GB’s playoff evisceration in 2023? Is Geno Smith a viable high-upside QB2? This and more in Freedman’s favorite QBs for Week 4.

Week 4 Utilization Report

Trey Benson, Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo and more RBs saw their rest-of-season outlook change dramatically after Week 3. Dwain breaks down the biggest utilization takeaways for Week 4.

Fantasy

Freedman’s Favorites: Youth Movement at RB

Life moves pretty fast when it comes to the running back position. One week you’re in a timeshare, and the next you’re a bell cow staring at 20+ touches per week. That’s what has happened for Omarion Hampton, Trey Benson and Cam Skattebo. What’s in store for them in Week 4?

Matthew Freedman breaks down the RB position for the newcomers looking to keep rising, as well as other players who have favorable matchups coming up. And not just this week.

Also, if you’d like to check out the other positions, Freedman has you covered there, too.

Dynasty

A WR1 To Target In The Trade Market

The first three weeks of the NFL season are officially behind us, which means it's time for Sam Wallace’s second edition of this season's Dynasty Notebook. You can expect to find his latest takeaways across the dynasty landscape. These could include trade targets, waiver claims, players to keep an eye on, or trends to watch … to name just a few. Let's dive in.

Tetairoa McMillan - Prime Trade Target

It's been an up-and-down ride this season for everyone (me) who bought into the strong finish Bryce Young posted at the end of last year. It was nice to see the Panthers get their first win as they blew out the Falcons in Week 3. It was so bad that even Michael Penix was benched in favor of Kirk Cousins.

Regardless, despite the turbulent nature of the Panthers' offense, one constant remains: Tetairoa McMillan is dominating the targets.

Through his first three NFL games, McMillan has 9, 10 and 8 targets, respectively. He has yet to find the end zone, but the No. 8 overall pick is doing what he can for fantasy managers.

McMillan came in as the No. 2 prospect in our Rookie WR Model. In fact, since 2017, he's the WR6 in our entire model. That puts him in pretty elite company.

Despite being in his third season, it remains to be seen if Young is truly the QB of the future for Carolina. This season is certainly huge for his development as the team will need to start considering either extending him or making alternative plans for the future.

It would obviously be in McMillan's best interest if Young turns into a high-caliber player, but the wideout's talent isn't going anywhere.

Through Week 3, McMillan is one of my biggest dynasty (and redraft) trade targets. With utilization numbers and a talent profile as strong as his, it's only a matter of time before positive regression starts to hit in a big way.

As long as he continues his TD-less streak and the Panthers' offense looks underwhelming, McMillan will remain an under-the-radar trade candidate for savvy dynasty managers.