Arguably the most dynamic player after the catch, Purdue WR Rondale Moore is one of the highest valued fantasy football players in the 2021 dynasty rookie class. Moore, a possible first-round dynasty selection, has demonstrated incredible upside despite durability concerns.
Rondale Moore’s dynasty value for 2021
If you need a wide receiver on your team, 2021 is the year to get one. It is the deepest position with loads of incredible talent. No matter what you covet in a player, there is one for you.
If you like big-bodied physical receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tamorrion Terry are for you. If you prefer route-running technicians, DeVonta Smith and Rashod Bateman should be at the top of your list. However, if you value your dynasty receivers to have game-breaking after the catch ability, look no further than Moore as a valuable addition to your fantasy team.
You would be hard-pressed to find someone more dynamic than Moore once he has the ball in his hands. While his time on the field was brief, the impact he had was substantial. Thanks to his incredible freshman season, Moore’s dynasty value was set once he decided to leave college.
When examining this rookie class, I believe there is a clear top five. When it comes to fantasy value, it is Smith, Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Bateman, and Moore. The order in which you place them is a personal preference. Every one of these receivers will go inside the first round of dynasty rookie drafts, whether it is 1QB or Superflex.
This group of receivers is the Tier 1 of this draft class, and the goal should be to walk away with at least one from the group.
Rondale Moore heads out West to the Arizona Cardinals
I’ll be honest; this one felts good when the pick was announced. I have been as high on Moore as virtually anyone, and seeing him land in a high-flying Air Raid offense is incredible. Especially with second-round draft capital. Arizona ran 67.6 plays per game and threw on 55.8% of their plays. This is not a fluke. I expect to see this to be in the 56-57% range in 2021 following the addition of A.J. Green, Moore, and the departure of Kenyan Drake. Moore is arguably the most dynamic player after the catch and made living dismantling defenses while at Purdue.
The Air Raid offense is made to get players in space, somewhere Moore thrives. He now comes into the role vacated from Larry Fitzgerald and should be a primary option for Kyler Murray. He is going to be a monster in this offense was an ideal landing spot in my eyes. Moore is a locked-in top-5 wide receiver in dynasty rookie drafts, and once Chase and Smith are off the board, he should quickly follow.
Moore exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 2018
Moore graduated from Trinity High School after transferring from New Albany, where he won a state basketball title. As a senior, Moore posted a Trinity-record 104 receptions for 1,461 yards and 16 touchdowns. A four-star recruit, Moore participated in the Under Armour All-American Game and was ranked the #41 wide receiver by 247 Sports.
In his very first game, Moore lit the field on fire. Moore’s 313 all-purpose yards set the record for most in program history. He also had a 76-yard rush to score a touchdown to go along with his 11 catches for 109 yards. Moore’s fantasy value in dynasty formats started to shoot up from this game alone, especially in devy leagues. He then single-handedly beat Ohio State, catching 12 passes for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Moore appeared in all 13 games, making 10 starts. On the field, he did it all as a true freshman. He caught 114 passes for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns. Additionally, he rushed 21 times for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns. Moore also returned 33 kickoffs for 662 yards and 12 punts for 82 yards. He broke the school record for most all-purpose yards in a season (2,215).
Moore was the third player in Big Ten history with 100 or more receptions and caught 11 passes or more in six games. He also piled up the awards. Moore was a four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team AP Freshman All-America, first-team All-America, and the Paul Hornung Award recipient as the nation’s most versatile player.
Injuries concerns have placed Moore’s dynasty value in question
After an incredible freshman season, the expectations could not be higher for Moore, both on the field and when it came to his fantasy value. Unfortunately, he could never quite capture that same momentum.
In his 2019 season, he was on his way to another stellar season until a hamstring kept him on the sidelines. In his four games, Moore had 387 yards and 2 touchdowns on 29 receptions. He also had 151 yards on 9 kick returns. Moore recorded 11 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown at Nevada. Against Vanderbilt, he had a season-high 13 receptions for a career-high 220 yards and a touchdown.
Then, the mess of the 2020 Big Ten season came, and we didn’t even know if Rondale Moore would play. After initially opting out, Moore made his highly anticipated return against Minnesota, where he hauled in a career-high 15 receptions for 124 yards and added a rushing touchdown.
In his third game back, Moore was injured in the opening minutes against Nebraska. Although he returned from the lower-body injury, this was the last time we saw him on the field. Moore opted out of the remainder of the season and declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.
After a record-breaking freshman season, Moore played in just seven more games at Purdue. He ended his career having played in only 20 games over the course of three seasons. Moore caught 178 passes for 1,915 yards with 14 touchdowns while totaling 3,094 all-purpose yards (154.7 per game).
The question comes down to whether Moore did enough when on the field to warrant the high fantasy value in dynasty leagues, or will his size and injury risk be enough to push drafters and NFL teams away?
Where should you draft Moore in dynasty rookie mock drafts?
If you were to sum up Moore in one word, that word is versatility. Whether it is on special teams, working in the slot, or taking sweeps, there is not much Moore can’t do.
It also is going to require a creative coach to unlock Rondale Moore’s potential. At 5’7″, 180 pounds, it would be too easy for a coach to see his size and 4.32 speed and label him as a returner who can assist in the passing game at times. However, I believe that would be a complete disservice to Moore’s value for both the NFL and dynasty.
Everything he does on the field far exceeds those measurements. His ability to absorb contact is phenomenal and traces back to him squatting 600 pounds as a freshman. While not a contested-catch-style player, Moore has over a 42″ vertical and can go up and get the ball.
In the slot, unless a defense puts their best corner on him, which they won’t, no one is stopping him. He is as savvy as it gets at the line and runs incredibly crisp routes. The knock on Moore is he had a tendency as a freshman to have concentration drops. There are also the injury concerns. That’s about it, honestly.
In 1QB dynasty drafts, Moore is going as a mid-to-late first-round selection. When the format is Superflex, Moore’s fantasy value places him in the late first or top of Round 2. Moore is in the Tier 1 of receivers in this dynasty class and has the value to back it up.
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.