Winners

QB Tyler Shough, NO

It's not often that a second-round rookie quarterback makes a splash in Year 1. Frankly, it's not often they make a splash at all. After playing seven full years of college football, Tyler Shough brought optimism to a Saints team that has been searching for a suitable Drew Brees replacement for years.

Shough took the reins on offense after Spencer Rattler played his way to the bench during the Saints' Week 8 loss to the Buccaneers. After only a few weeks under center, Shough emerged as the QB4 in fantasy from Weeks 13-18.

With the eighth pick in this year's draft, New Orleans gifted its young quarterback a viable second option in the passing game. Last year, Chris Olave dominated the team target share with 156 looks. The next-highest target earner was veteran tight end Juwan Johnson with 102. Johnson posted a solid stat line of 77 receptions for just shy of 900 yards, but without another playmaker to throw to, opposing defenses could devote all of their attention to slowing down Olave.

Incoming rookie Jordyn Tyson should provide a much more dynamic secondary target in the offense.

RB Cam Skattebo, NYG

The beginning of rookie running back Cam Skattebo's career started with a bang last season. Unfortunately, just two weeks after a massive three-touchdown breakout performance, disaster struck when he dislocated his right ankle in New York's Week 8 matchup against the Eagles.

The Giants have expressed optimism about Skattebo being available for Week 1. Still, leading up to the draft, rumors of the team's interest in Jeremiyah Love cast fear into the hearts of fantasy managers.

Thankfully for Skattebo believers, the Cardinals snatched up the talented rookie running back with the third pick of Round 1. Instead, New York focused on other positions with its selections. If Skattebo isn't fully healthy for the season opener, it may be a slow burn to start the year, but at least he won't face added competition for touches once he's back to full strength.

WR Davante Adams, LAR

In what was easily the most shocking moment of this year's draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick. The team had been heavily favored in industry mock drafts to take USC receiver Makai Lemon with its first selection.

Davante Adams enjoyed a bounce-back fantasy season last year, but much of his success came from his red-zone usage. While he failed to eclipse 800 receiving yards, Adams hauled in an impressive 14 receiving touchdowns in as many games.

That level of touchdown efficiency is difficult to project year over year, and with only 60 receptions, adding another high-volume target at wide receiver could have been disastrous for his fantasy outlook.

WRs Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, and Jayden Reed, GB

Speaking of Adams, the Green Bay Packers still haven't found a true WR1 since he left for Las Vegas. They've had a litany of talented young pass-catchers splitting receiving duties, but none have sustained consistent success over the course of a full season.

Both Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have flashed at times, but neither has established himself as the clear-cut top target in the offense. If not for an extensive injury history, Watson may have been able to carve out that role for himself, but at this point, it seems doubtful that he'll ever play a full 17-game season.

Aside from Reed and Watson, the Packers broke from tradition and selected Matthew Golden in the first round of last year's draft. Unfortunately, his draft capital didn't translate to fantasy production. He caught only 29 passes and failed to find the end zone all season.

It's far too soon to write off the talented sophomore, but the tape leaves room for concern.

With both Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks departing in free agency, and no rookies added to the fold, the incumbent receivers suddenly find themselves in a far less crowded room. If there was ever an opportunity for one of them to seize control of the top spot, it's now.

Losers

RBs James Conner and Tyler Allgeier, ARI

When a generational talent like Jeremiyah Love enters a crowded backfield, fantasy frustration is inevitable. While Love will almost certainly lead the room in touches, neither James Conner nor Tyler Allgeier is a slouch.

When healthy, Conner has been a productive running back for Arizona over the last five years. In fact, last season was the first year of the two-year extension the team gave him.

In free agency, the Cardinals lured Allgeier away from the Falcons to complement Conner in the backfield. That addition alone made Arizona's decision to draft Love somewhat curious, especially considering the roster had other glaring needs.

Regardless, Conner now finds himself in a backup role, and unless injuries become a factor, Allgeier is borderline undraftable as the third option in a committee.

RB Zach Charbonnet, SEA

Given his ACL injury in mid-January, it feels likely that Charbonnet will miss time this coming season, but his road to fantasy relevance became even murkier when the Seahawks selected running back Jadarian Price in the first round.

As the season approaches, Charbonnet's rehab process will remain a major storyline. Even if he's healthy by Week 1, his opportunity to serve as the team's bell-cow back appears gone.

Given Price's relatively limited production profile, there's still a chance Charbonnet eventually works his way into the lead role at some point this season. Still, barring overwhelmingly positive medical reports, he's best viewed as a late-round fantasy dart throw.

WR Ricky Pearsall, SF

The San Francisco 49ers have never been afraid to draft against the grain at wide receiver. This year, the Niners selected rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling in the second round, a move widely considered a significant reach.

That level of draft investment doesn't bode well for Ricky Pearsall.

Despite flashing at times, Pearsall has missed a significant number of games early in his career. Granted, his absence during his rookie season stemmed from the shocking shooting incident that occurred just before the year began.

It's also worth noting that the addition of Stribling came after the signing of star receiver Mike Evans. There's no guarantee Evans is still at the peak of his powers, but San Francisco investing heavily in another pass-catcher this offseason is discouraging for Pearsall's long-term fantasy outlook.

WR DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert, PHI

There's a bit of projection baked into DeVonta Smith's post-draft fantasy outlook, but all signs point toward an eventual A.J. Brown trade to the Patriots.

In that scenario, Smith would enter the season as the unquestioned WR1 in Philadelphia. To be clear, he'll likely open the year as the team's top option regardless, but first-year pass-catchers Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers complicate that projection over the course of a full season.

Lemon was nearly universally viewed as a top-two receiver prospect in this year's rookie class, with some evaluators ranking him as the WR1 overall. His diverse skill set should allow new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion to deploy him in a variety of ways.

Stowers projects as more of a complementary weapon, but if he develops as expected, he's the type of dynamic player capable of siphoning targets away from the aging Dallas Goedert.