Fantasy Football Week 7 Rookie Report: Cam Skattebo making case to be the RB1 among rookie class rest of season

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-week-7-rookie-report-cam-skattebo-making-case-to-be-the-rb1-among-rookie-class-rest-of-season-153954292.html

We’re past the “wait-and-see” stage with the 2025 rookie class. Eight weeks from now you’ll either be in the fantasy playoffs or packing it in getting ready for the 2026 NFL Draft. The moves you make today will decide which side you’re on. Some of these first-year players are earning real trust and volume, while others are trending in the wrong direction fast. Let’s get into which rookie stocks are rising and which ones you should be selling heading into Week 7.

Cam Skattebo the engine behind Giants’ rebuild

Cam Skattebo has been everything the Giants needed and more. He’s not just playing like a rookie, he’s running like a man possessed. His teammates have said it, and the tape backs it up: Skattebo feels like the true engine of this offense. While rookie QB Jaxson Dart gets plenty of spotlight and deservingly so, it’s Skattebo who sets the tone every week. Through six games, he’s averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game (RB11), carrying a 6.1% rush touchdown rate and commanding a 12.7% target share. That’s elite usage for any back, let alone a first-year player behind a reshuffled offensive line.

When Andrew Thomas is healthy, this offense looks entirely different. The lanes are cleaner, the line is better, and Skattebo’s physicality jumps off the screen. He’s getting four targets per game and converting 3.3 receptions per contest, showing a three-down skill set that keeps him game-script proof. And when the Giants get in close, he’s one of the league’s most trusted finishers, ranking fourth among running backs with 1.7 carries per game inside the five.

The schedule looked brutal early in the season, but it’s softening up fast. Denver in Week 7 won’t be easy, but this offense isn’t built to let Dart sling it all over the yard yet. Expect New York to lean on its lead back. Skattebo’s shown he can bounce back from mistakes, just look at how he handled a heavy workload after a Week 5 fumble against the Saints.

Ray’s Rookie Read: The Giants found their identity through Skattebo, and if this usage holds, we might be watching the Rookie RB1 rest of season.

Cam Ward and the false hope of change

I’m not here to pile on Cam Ward. I know what this Titans roster looks like. It’s rough. The offensive line is leaky, the skill group is thin, and outside of Calvin Ridley, who’s been banged up and inconsistent, there’s not a single player on this offense that scares a defense. Ward doesn’t have much to work with, and that’s part of the story. But even knowing that, this still isn’t close to being a fantasy-friendly situation.

After the ugly loss to Las Vegas on Sunday, the Titans pulled the plug on Brian Callahan and handed things over to Mike McCoy. He’s an old-school coach with a safe, conservative track record — 27-37 with the Chargers and a “don’t lose the game” offensive mindset. That’s not what this roster needs, and it’s definitely not what fantasy managers want. Ward ranks 33rd in EPA+CPOE and 34.5% success rate, which paints a clear picture: he’s struggling to sustain drives, the offense is disjointed and the box scores tell the same story. Even when he makes a few big-time throws, it’s immediately followed by protection breakdowns or stalled red-zone trips.

I fully expect Ward to improve. He’s a gamer, he competes, and there are flashes when his arm talent jumps off the screen. But getting better and getting fantasy relevant aren’t the same thing. Tennessee just doesn’t have the juice. Not schematically, not talent-wise, not in scoring volume to turn this around for our purposes.

Ray’s Rookie Read: Things can absolutely get better for Cam Ward, but that doesn’t mean it’ll matter for fantasy. This offense needs an offseason overhaul, not a new play caller. I’m out on pretending a coaching change moves the needle for anyone here.

Luther Burden flashing post-bye juice

Luther Burden looked different in Week 6. He played faster, more decisive, and finally part of the Bears’ real offensive plan. Coming off the bye, the rookie wideout ran a season-high 39% of routes, catching all four of his targets for 51 yards. That might not sound like a breakout yet, but for those paying attention to usage, this is the early sign we wanted.

Burden’s week-to-week route rate tells the story of a player earning trust: 23%, 14%, 31%, 27%, then post-bye 39%. That’s not noise, that’s a rookie trending in the right direction. And it couldn’t come at a better time. DJ Moore stayed overnight in the hospital Monday as a precautionary measure with a groin injury, and while his Week 7 status is unclear, any missed time opens the door for Burden to take a step forward. If he shines against New Orleans on Sunday, that door won’t close again. The schedule that follows — Baltimore, Cincinnati and the Giants — offers opportunities for volume and chunk plays if Burden’s role keeps climbing.

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Film-wise, it’s easy to see why Chicago drafted him. Burden brings a blend of toughness and twitch that the rest of this receiver room doesn’t have. He accelerates through contact, turns short throws into first downs and plays with an edge that makes him hard to take off the field. Meanwhile, Olamide Zaccheaus continues to hang on to a rotational role, but that late-game drop in Week 6 might’ve been the moment the staff reevaluates his snaps.

Chicago’s still finding its identity under Ben Johnson, but Burden looks like a piece worth building around.

Ray’s Rookie Read: Luther Burden’s post-bye bump is legit. If DJ Moore sits, Burden’s got a chance to make it stick and once that happens, there’s no putting that production back in the bottle.

Oronde Gadsden earning real trust with Chargers

Oronde Gadsden got real usage in Week 6. The rookie tight end ran 32 of 39 routes catching seven of eight targets for 68 yards and tying for the team lead in receptions. That came with both Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly active. When a coaching staff keeps feeding a rookie tight end while two veterans are dressed and available, it means something.

This was Gadsden’s second game with seven or more targets in just four career outings, a number that jumps off the page given how crowded this passing tree is. He’s already a matchup headache for linebackers and safeties — the collegiate wideout turned tight end is built like a power forward with receiver fluidity. Justin Herbert clearly trusts him in the middle of the field, especially on third downs and in zone-beater concepts where Gadsden can sit, turn and win with body control. And the beauty of this situation? He’ll never see bracket or double coverage with three talented wideouts stretching the field outside.

The Chargers may not have Omarion Hampton available for a bit, which only pushes the offense toward more passing volume. Don’t expect Kimani Vidal to get another cupcake matchup like he did against one of the league’s worst run defenses — those games are rare. That sets up Gadsden as the kind of player fantasy managers should be early on, not late. He’s tethered to one of the NFL’s most aggressive quarterbacks.

Ray’s Rookie Read: I’m buying this one. Gadsden’s usage just might be sticky, his role is expanding and the connection with Herbert is real. In this offense, you don’t wait, you buy in before everyone else does.

RJ Harvey fading fast in Broncos’ backfield

It’s time to call it what it is, RJ Harvey has slipped out of fantasy relevance. The rookie back came into the year with plenty of hype, but six weeks in, it’s clear the Broncos’ backfield belongs to J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins has 91 carries for 442 yards and four touchdowns, while Harvey has one touchdown all season and has only seen more than six carries in a game once. He’s never topped five targets in a single outing, and the passing-game role many hoped for just isn’t there.

What’s made this sting even more for fantasy managers is the contrast with what Javonte Williams is doing in Dallas. He’s thriving as a volume back in a creative scheme, while Harvey is stuck in a stale offense that can’t stay on schedule. Denver’s run game lacks rhythm, and Sean Payton clearly trusts the veteran over the rookie when it matters. Harvey’s explosiveness shows up in flashes and you can still see the burst and balance that made him a Day 2 pick. But those flashes don’t mean much when you’re seeing five to eight touches a week.

This offense as a whole is sluggish, and there’s no sign that Harvey’s role will grow with Dobbins healthy and running well. Unless an injury opens a lane for opportunity, the usage just doesn’t justify keeping him in your lineup.

Ray’s Rookie Read: This one hurts. Harvey’s talent is legit, but the opportunity isn’t. Bench him and don’t try to guess when or if the breakout’s coming.

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-week-7-rookie-report-cam-skattebo-making-case-to-be-the-rb1-among-rookie-class-rest-of-season-153954292.html