It’s sad to think we are almost halfway into the NFL season and for all the painful reminders we saw this week about how dangerous this game can be there were some performances worth watching. As many players went down with serious injuries it opens the door for young players to prove himself to their team and the world. Plenty of players have stepped up big this year but these 10 rookies have had the biggest impact so far.
10. D.J. Fluker Offensive Tackle, San Diego Chargers
Another offensive lineman is back in the top 10 rookie rankings and it’s the first time there has been a tackle in since Week 2. But Fluker has earned the honor as he has been the best rookie tackle this season and faced an even bigger challenge this past week against the Jaguars.
Fluker was already playing well at right tackle for the Chargers this season and deserves credit for Philip Rivers turnaround season. Fluker and the Chargers offensive line are finally giving Rivers more time in the pocket and he is picking apart the defense. Fluker also has helped the Chargers running game, Ryan Mathews has already rushed for 446 yards this year on 110 carries after rushing for just 707 yards last year on 184 carries. But most impressive from Sunday’s game was Fluker’s ability to flip over to left tackle when the Chargers were in a pinch. But when San Diego’s start left tackle King Dunlap and his backup Mike Remmers went down, Fluker filled in very nicely on the left side. Now the Chargers have a week to get healthy at left tackle and allow Fluker to move back to the right side.
9. Keenan Allen Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers
Allen moves back on this list but he still managed to impress even in a game where the Chargers looked to run out the clock and Allen suffered a shoulder injury. Despite limited snaps Allen was still productive in a winning effort and showed why he has become Rivers favorite target.
Allen was limited in the first half after suffering a shoulder injury but it shouldn’t be a long-term concern as he returned to the field later in the game. San Diego was rolling over the winless Jaguars so they focused on running the ball a lot in the second half as they worked on running down the clock. But despite it all Allen still was tied for the team lead with six targets and hauled in three receptions for 67 yards. One of Allen’s missed targets was an overthrow by Rivers, which would have been a gain of more than 20 yards. Allen now will have the bye week to get his shoulder to 100 percent and spend more time with Rivers continuing to develop chemistry and working on becoming an even better wide receiver. He has become one of the best steals of the 2013 NFL Draft and along with Fluker has built a very strong Chargers draft class. Allen has a bright future and once he comes back from the bye week he gets a friendly matchup against a terrible Washington defense.
8. DeAndre Hopkins Wide Receiver, Houston Texans
So much for a bad situation, it appears the Texans have found their quarterback and that’s big news. Case Keenum made his first career start against the Kansas City Chiefs and in a very tough matchup he showed some real signs of promise. Even with limited passing attempts it was enough to get Hopkins going again and jump back into the rookie conversation.
Hopkins finished the game with just four targets but the Texans wanted to work Keenum in slowly in his first start. Keenum threw it just 25 times completing 15 passes, with four going to Andre Johnson, three to Garrett Graham and three to Hopkins. This was a tough matchup for the Texans passing game as Kansas City leads the league in sacks and is third in passing yards allowed with 194.7 yards per game. But Hopkins still managed to make plays with limited opportunities, he broke free of coverage for a 29-yard touchdown reception that Keenum was able to drop right in his hands for the touchdown. Keenum went back to Hopkins again in the red zone later in the game but great coverage broke up what would have been Hopkins’ second touchdown of the day. He finished the day with 76 receiving yards with his biggest play going for 35 yards. Now Houston can use the bye week to help Keenum work more with the offense and Hopkins, which should only mean good things for the future.
7. Kyle Long Offensive Guard, Chicago Bears
Another week and Long moves one spot further down this list but he continues to play pretty well and has been a tremendous grab for the Bears. But for all the good he has done so far he will need to do even more in the coming weeks if Chicago wants to stay in the NFC North picture.
Long has certainly brought a new brand of toughness to the Bears offense, he has no issue getting very physical with his opponent and isn’t afraid to cross the line when the Bears need a spark. Long has been very successful opening up holes for Matt Forte and is helping Forte get off to a great start this season. Forte already has almost 800 total yards in just seven games with six touchdowns. But now there will be added pressure on Long and the entire Bears offense as they must work without quarterback Jay Cutler who could be out awhile with a groin injury. Chicago will need to give Josh McCown extra time to read the field and throw and now the Bears will rely even more on the running game. Long has been very successful so far this season but will need to do even more with Cutler out.
6. Eddie Lacy Running Back, Green Bay Packers
Every week the Packers have a new injury that hurts their offense and it happened again this week. But as the injuries pile up, Green Bay’s offense keeps on rolling and Lacy is a big reason why.
Any game you have Aaron Rodgers leading your team you have a great chance to win on Sunday and Rodgers was great with limited weapons. But once again the rookie running back stepped up with big, powerful runs and even contributed in the passing game. For the third straight week Lacy received more than 20 carries and while he didn’t crack the 100-yard rushing mark this week he did combine for 108 total yards. Lacy finished with 22 carries for 82 yards and a decent 3.7 yards per carry but when Green Bay needed the short yards Lacy got them. He found the end zone this week but his most interesting contribution was catching passes out of the backfield. He finished with five receptions for 26 yards and helped pick up key first downs to keep drives alive. Green Bay has lacked a real running game for years but they have certainly found it with Lacy. He will continue to produce as they keep feeding him the ball and he is emerging as an offensive rookie of the year candidate.
5. Tyrann Mathieu Free Safety, Arizona Cardinals
Fans had the chance to watch Mathieu on Thursday Night Football and while it may not have been a shining performance but Mathieu was again productive. While the Cardinals rookie safety falls a little further behind in the defensive rookie of the year race he has still been a great draft day value.
Mathieu was limited on the box score to just two tackles but again he showed the flexibility to sit back in coverage or bring pressure off the edge. He finished the game with just two tackles but really made his contribution with the blitz. Facing an athletic quarterback like Russell Wilson the Cardinals needed Mathieu’s speed off the edge to chase him down and that’s exactly what he did. He made some nice plays in coverage as well, but his biggest contribution was when Arizona brought him down in the box. While the Cardinals may have lost in the end, Mathieu has been very impressive for this defense and one of the best players on this team.
4. Giovani Bernard Running Back, Cincinnati Bengals
The situation in Cincinnati has become so frustrating. It’s not often you see a player so talented used so sparingly by his offensive coordinator but that’s exactly the case with Bernard in the Bengals offense.
It’s almost embarrassing that Bernard was limited to just seven carries in this game but the Bengals made the decision to turn to the passing game. It was a bit of an odd move against a Lions defense that was allowing more than 120 rushing yards per game, but the Bengals ran the ball just 18 times for 57 yards. Cincinnati went with the air attack and Andy Dalton was very effective completing 24 of 34 pass attempts for three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Bernard had some looks again in the passing game with six targets in the game and hauling in five of them for 32 yards. It was a disappointing statistical effort from Bernard but he is hardly to blame for being limited to 12 touches the entire game for 61 yards. Bernard is still the favorite to win rookie of the year but if he keeps getting his touches limited he will lose that spot quickly.
3. Sheldon Richardson Defensive Tackle, New York Jets
The Jets continue to pull off surprise wins and once again their defense came up big against a great quarterback. In a battle with Tom Brady and the Patriots the Jets did a great job bringing pressure and limiting Brady, and plenty of credit goes to their defensive line.
There are no longer questions about his consistency, every week you can count on Richardson to have a strong impact on defense. Richardson again did an excellent job helping the Jets stop the run as they held New England to just 90 rushing yards on the day. Many of Stevan Ridley”s runs went away from Richardson as well. New York did an excellent job getting pressure on Brady, he was sacked four times and dealt with pressure all day completing just 22 of his 46 pass attempts. The pressure put on by Richardson and the Jets defensive line forced Brady into some bad throws including a pick six to open the second half. Richardson is off to a great start and has been the Jets best rookie this season.
2. Eric Reid Free Safety, San Francisco 49ers
Reid is making up ground in the rookie of the year race and with a nice schedule ahead the chance is there for him to emerge as the favorite. Reid didn’t play at a Pro Bowl caliber level but it was another strong week from the rookie safety as he continues to make San Francisco look brilliant for taking him.
Reid didn’t get an interception this week but he showed more outstanding ability in coverage as he kept the Titans passing attack quiet for most of the game. He made his first real mistake of his career on the touchdown to Delanie Walker when Reid missed the chance to break up the play but missed and it resulted in a touchdown. It was Reid’s only big mistake of the game and he bounced back helping the 49ers defense prevent a comeback. Reid has become the leader of the 49ers secondary and it’s quite a statement that a game like this is considered a quiet game for his standard. Reid is playing at a Pro Bowl level and with voting kicking off this week he will start getting a lot of votes, including from me.
1. Kiko Alonso MIddle Linebacker, Buffalo Bills
The battle for rookie of the year is drawing closer but Alonso still holds the slight edge over Reid. While both players have been playing at an insanely high level and the biggest steals of the draft.
After a career high 22 tackles against the Bengals last week it was a much quieter day for Alonso on Sunday against the Dolphins. Miami did an excellent job not letting Alonso get into the backfield by making sure the offensive line accounted for him. He did manage to make one stuff in the backfield to give him four on the year, but he only managed four tackles on the day. For the third straight week Alonso hasn’t forced a turnover after a four game stretch with four interceptions and a forced fumble. He is still doing a nice job in coverage, which is something many rookie linebackers struggle with when they enter the NFL but it’s just another area where he has showed experience beyond his years. After seven weeks Alonso is still the favorite to win defensive rookie of the year but Reid has made this a very close race.