Viva Murillo!

Dynasty leaguers can be an arrogant bunch. They look down on redraft leagues like they have training wheels on them. They'll tell you that for a real challenge, you have to keep your roster intact and find the gems in each year's rookie crop. When that pays off you really have something special.

And, you know, they just might be on to something.

It seems like difference-making rookies are more prominent than ever in 2008. I don't know how productive Joe Flacco will be from a fantasy perspective, but he already has more wins this year than Philip Rivers and Matt Hasselbeck combined. Matt Ryan threw a touchdown on his very first pass and looked good in his first game. Even in the loss to the Buccaneers he showed some grit that gives fans in Atlanta hope.

But the quarterbacks aren't even the main story so far. Jonathan Stewart and Chris Johnson look ready to become feature backs after just two weeks, and Matt Forte is already the feature back in Chicago. Darren McFadden even made the Raiders look downright professional in week 2. Even Felix Jones has found ways to contribute behind Marion Barber, as evidenced by his special teams play on Monday night. And that doesn't count Steve Slaton or Ray Rice, who will both get opportunities to make their owners proud.

At receiver you have DeSean Jackson, who (gaffe on Monday notwithstanding) has impressed fans with his play so far. And Eddie Royal has already proven to be a go-to guy in Denver. While Brandon Marshall caught 18 passes, the two most important ones--the TD throw and two-point conversation--both went to Royal. That's a lot of trust to put in a rookie's abilities.

Okay, so rookies can make a big impact even in their first season. So what? Well, the "so what" is that it's not as easy as just picking up rookies. I'm sure plenty of guys selected Rashard Mendenhall over Forte or Johnson. Those guys in Washington (their names are Thomas and Kelly, I guess. I think they each have one catch so far) were taken before a guy like Royal. When you take a rookie, you could get an immediate contributor...or a project. Depending on your team, you might not be able to afford the latter.

But the interesting this about rookies is that, by mid-season, we could be talking about how great Mendenhall is and how Stewart has really slowed down after a nice start. They don't have a track record so you don't know what to expect and the stakes are higher because, in a dynasty league, you have them for several years. They might have the next Adrian Peterson (the good one) or they might have the next Adrian Peterson (the other one). That's part of the fun.

But while dynasty players have been enjoying rookie guessing games for years, redraft leagues are getting in on the action. A redraft team with Felix Jones and Ray Rice might be in very good shape later in the year, and one with Stewart, Forte, Jackson and Royal is tough to beat right now. Guys who have never played in the NFL before are going to help fantasy owners win championships this year. It almost makes you wish you could hang on to them for a few years.

Youtube Clip of the Week: Someday, he'll look back on this and laugh. After all, he's just a rookie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPo4vKoPd8Y. You can reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.

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