Ray GarvinYahoo Fantasy ContributorWed, December 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM UTC·13 min readAs we wrap Q3 of the fantasy football season and head for the playoff gauntlet, the rookie wall is very real. Some first year players are smashing through it. Others look like they just ran face first into a brick wall. This is the point in the year where your leaguemates finally realize rookie usage matters more than draft capital and name value.
If you are still alive in the fantasy playoff hunt, these rookies can be the difference between a trophy and an early exit. A few are turning into league winners right on schedule. A few are hanging on as volume-based flex plays. A few might drag you under if you keep blindly starting them.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHere is the Q3 rookie report card on who excelled and who let us down from Weeks 10 through 13.
Running backs
Ashton Jeanty, Raiders — Grade C
Back in Q2 I hit Jeanty with a B and talked about him as the volume hog we drafted, glued to our lineups every week. That workload was still outrageous from Weeks 10-13, but the Raiders offense is so bad that we have to cool the grade. Jeanty averaged 12.5 half-PPR points per game in that span, which has him sitting as the RB15 over the last month. He is handling 92% of the rush attempts in the Raiders backfield and 88% of all RB touches. That is bell-cow usage in every sense, yet we are not getting the weekly slate-breaking outcomes we hoped for.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe saving grace is how active he has been in the passing game. Over the four-game stretch, Jeanty racked up 29 targets, the most among all running backs in the NFL. That kind of receiving role is propping up his fantasy value even when the Raiders stall out. As long as he is on the field dominating rush attempts and leading the position in targets, he is a locked in starter for us. The expectations were that he could push into that high-end RB1 tier as a rookie. Instead we are getting more of a steady RB2 who lives on volume, so he takes a C for Q3.
Quinshon Judkins, Browns — Grade C
Judkins opened the year on fire with an A in Q1, and he was playing so well I did not even feel the need to talk about him in the Q2 report card. Now in Q3 we have to land on a C because the volume is elite but the fantasy results are just not matching what he is putting his body through. From Weeks 10-13, Judkins racked up 82 touches, fifth most in the NFL over that stretch, and tied with James Cook for the league lead in rush attempts with 78. This is not a role problem.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe issue is what those touches look like in this Cleveland offense. Judkins is only producing 11.6 half-PPR points per game in the last month, which has him at RB20. He has eight total targets in this quarter, 27th among running backs, so when the Browns fall behind or face obvious passing situations he just is not helping us. With Shedeur Sanders under center and this team cycling through quarterbacks all year, defenses are loading the box and daring Cleveland to throw. Judkins is a phenomenal player and the opportunity is everything we could ask for, but right now it is a lot of empty calories. Much like Jeanty, He grades out as a volume-based RB2 heading into the final quarter of his rookie season.
TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots — Grade A
It has been a rocky season for Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson but over the last month we finally saw why New England spent premium draft capital on him. In Q3 he emerged as a true difference maker. From Weeks 10-13, Henderson was the RB6 in half-PPR, averaging 19.25 points per game across four contests. He ranked 12th in running back touches with 62, tied with Jahmyr Gibbs, and he matched James Cook with 14 targets, 13th among backs in that span. He scored five touchdowns over that stretch and the usage is exactly what we want.
Henderson didn't dip below 11 carries in any of those four games and cleared 62 total yards every week, with a true breakout performance against Tampa Bay in Week 10. The “bust” talk and “he cannot pick up the offense” narratives look silly now. He is fast and explosive, both on the ground and in receiving game, which has always been the path to a top tier fantasy ceiling. Rhamondre Stevenson being back does cap that ceiling a bit. We saw that play out in Week 13 versus the Giants, when Stevenson logged 12 carries to Henderson’s 11, but Henderson still gained almost 3 more yards per attempt. If anything happens to Stevenson you already know Henderson is a league winner. Q3 was exactly the eruption patient managers needed to see.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRJ Harvey, Broncos — Grade C-
In Q2 I had Harvey sitting at a B- with the arrow pointed up. Things looked like they were set up for Harvey to smash, especially after J.K. Dobbins went on IR and it looked like this was going to be the rookie's backfield. In Q3 we have to give him a C- because the production didn't match the opportunity or the quality of this Broncos offense. Over the last month Harvey was RB32 in half-PPR scoring at just 9.7 points per game. If you started him, you are happy about the two scores against Washington, but outside of that it was rough. He had two games with fewer than 10 rushing yards and he didn't clear 35 rushing yards in any of the four contests.
The usage is not what we hoped for either. Over the quarter, Harvey had 28 rush attempts, 40th among running backs, and only 10 targets which was 23rd. He failed to command even 50% of the backfield touches and played around 45% of the offensive snaps. That is committee usage on a team that is 10-2, riding a nine-game win streak. Week 17 brings a road date at Kansas City, a team he already struggled against earlier this season with 30 yards on the ground and 20 through the air. Harvey still gets a C- because there is enough volume to keep him in the flex mix, but this was a disappointing Q3 for a player I was very high on.
Kyle Monangai, Bears — Grade A
Kyle Monangai was one of the very first sleepers I talked about on Yahoo Fantasy Forecast in early September and what we saw in Q3 was exactly why. Over the last month, he was the RB16 in half-PPR at 12.2 points per game, right in line with Ashton Jeanty, while sharing a backfield with D’Andre Swift who had nearly 11 points per game himself. Monangai had only three targets in that span yet he just kept producing because this Bears rushing attack is humming and his physicality pops off the screen every week.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAmong running backs averaging at least 12 half-PPR points per game over the last month, only Devin Singletary and Kenneth Gainwell did it on a smaller snap share and lighter rushing workload. Everyone else in that range was living on 50-90% of the snaps and a massive touch load. Monangai has scored a touchdown in four straight games, capped by his second 100-yard outing of the season in Week 13 at Philadelphia, where he was ripping off close to six yards a carry. The lack of pass-game usage will probably keep him from ever becoming a true megastar, but for a waiver add or lateround dart, this is a home run. Monangai is top 25 in rushing yards while sitting outside the top 20 in attempts. That is big time efficiency from a rookie who looks more locked in every week.
Wide Receivers
Tetairoa McMillan — Grade B+
I gave McMillan a B in Q2 and had to bump that to a B+ after what he did in Q3. Over the last month, he scored four touchdowns and sits as the WR11 in half-PPR at 14.7 points per game. The wild part is he did it while ranking just 17th in receptions with 16 and 19th in target share at 25%. He was 10th in total routes run over the stretch and nobody on the Panthers even comes close to him in usage at wide receiver. This is Bryce Young’s guy when it is time to make a play.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYou see the volatility when you look at the game log. There is a one-catch game, a two-catch game, then an eight for 130 eruption and a five for 60 line. The highs are strong enough to swing matchups and the lows get covered up because he keeps finding the paint. On the season, McMillan has 826 receiving yards which ranks seventh in the league and he is tied for 11th in touchdown grabs despite sitting 23rd in receptions. There is still more ceiling to chase if this Panthers offense levels up. Carolina is in the mix for a division title with dates against the Saints, Bucs (twice) and Seahawks, so there is no reason to think McMillan or this offense is letting off the gas any time soon.
Jayden Higgins — Grade B
Jayden Higgins is the classic slow leak. Most leaks start as a little drip before the pipe bursts and you are standing in a puddle wondering what happened. That was Higgins in Q3. Quiet at first then all of a sudden you look up and he is a rock solid fantasy starter. Over the quarter he was the WR24 in half-PPR at 10.3 points per game. He was only 37th in routes run but 17th in targets and tied with Emeka Egbuka at 18 receptions. He was the only receiver with 15 or more catches over the stretch who had a target share below 20%, which puts him 38th in that category. All he does is win on his looks.
The weekly floor is what stands out. Higgins had four straight games with at least 4 receptions, 5 targets and 38 yards — plus 2 touchdowns with a third score stolen when he got knocked out at the one-yard line versus Tennessee. C.J. Stroud being back under center changes everything. In their first game together again, Higgins saw fewer targets than with Davis Mills but posted his highest yardage total of the season because Stroud pushed it downfield. Houston is live in the AFC South, the fantasy playoff schedule is friendly (Cardinals, Raiders and Chargers) and Higgins looks like my favorite sleeper wideout for the fantasy playoffs. It won’t be a puddle of water you’re standing in when the damn breaks, it will be fantasy points and hopefully a 2025 championship. He earns a B in Q3 with room to climb.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEmeka Egbuka — Grade C
For the first half of the season, Emeka Egbuka looked like a bonafide superstar. It felt like nothing short of an injury was going to slow him down. Then Q3 hit. Outside of a Week 10 blowup versus New England, where he had six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, it was rough. For the quarter, he was the WR28 in half-PPR at 9.48 fantasy points per game. If you strip out that Patriots game, he is limping along at 5.8 per contest. That is not what you signed up for with how hot he started.
What makes it so frustrating is the role is everything we want. Egbuka was third in the league in routes run in Q3 and tied for third with 38 targets. He was 11th in receptions with 18 and owns a 29% target share. The usage screams alpha yet in three straight games since that 100-yard outing he has failed to clear 42 receiving yards. He has one touchdown over his last seven games. Some of this is the Bucs cycling through injuries with Bucky Irving, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. all missing time, while Baker Mayfield playing through injury, but at the end of the day the fantasy results have not been there. The schedule down the stretch is dreamy with the Saints, Falcons, Panthers and Dolphins, so I do expect a bounce back, but on Q3 production alone Egbuka earns a C.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTight Ends
Tyler Warren — Grade B+
In Q1 Tyler Warren was that dude. He opened the season with an A grade and looked like one of the best values in all of fantasy. Q3 was not bad by any stretch, but it was a little more muted which is why he settles at a B+. Warren was the TE7 in half-PPR with 10.2 points per game in Q3. He was only 21st in routes run yet 11th in targets with 21 and his 25.6% target share was second among tight ends over that span. When he is on the field, the Colts are feeding him.
The problem is the week-to-week volatility and some meat left on the bone from this passing game. Warren has just one touchdown in the last four games and only one rushing attempt after being used as a sneaky goal-line runner back in Q1. He had two contests in Q3 where he barely cracked 20 receiving yards and then the Berlin blowup with eight catches for 99 yards. That is Daniel Jones and this Colts offense being inconsistent more than it is a Warren talent issue. For fantasy, he is still a locked-in every-week starter and a premier dynasty asset. I just cannot stamp another A on the quarter, but a B+ with the arrow up feels right.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementColston Loveland — Grade B
Loveland was catching a lot of heat early in the year with people wondering if he was even a stashable tight end. Q3 cooled a lot of that off. The raw fantasy output was not eye popping at 7.6 half-PPR points per game, good for TE15 over the last month, but it was a huge step from when he was barely involved. In that span, he tied with Jake Ferguson in total receptions and he was the only tight end with more than 10 catches while posting a target share under 15%. That tells you how efficient he has been when the ball actually comes his way.
The bigger story was the role. Loveland ran 96 routes in Q3 compared to Tyler Warren’s 80 and Loveland had only three fewer targets. His route participation sits 13th among all tight ends and first among rookies alongside Harold Fannin Jr. The Bears passing game with Caleb Williams has been inconsistent, which has capped the counting stats, but the tape says Loveland is a problem when they feature him. As Chicago pushes for an NFC North crown and a shot at the conference's top seed, I expect the staff to keep leaning into their big rookie tight end. The stock is up going into Q4 and this B could easily turn into an A if the offense stabilizes.
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