Welcome to the first edition of our weekly rookie rankings, where Oakland’s Darren McFadden and Chicago’s Matt Forte lead a group of 20 fantasy stars and would-be producers.

Just as the NFL Draft in April told us when no wide receivers were taken in the first round, this year’s group of fantasy wideouts is pretty thin. Only two receivers - Denver’s Eddie Royal and Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson - are worthy of starter status, but both have gone well beyond expectations.

As thin as the class of wide receivers has been, the group of running backs has been equally deep, from headliner McFadden to surprise Steve Slaton. Two rookies are starting at quarterback, which could prove to be big payoffs for their franchises, but do little for fantasy teams. Traditionally the hardest position to play in professional sports, it could be a matter of years until Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco are worthy fantasy options.

To touch on one more point about rookie running backs, timeshares are a major problem. Really, this is a league-wide issue, but first-year players are usually the backs on the light end of the work load. Talented backs Felix Jones and Chris Johnson are pleasant surprises for their teams, but are non-factors at the goal-line. Yardage can only take a fantasy owner so far; at some point, we need some touchdown production.

Running backs occupy the top six spots on our first edition of NFL rookie rankings, which are exclusively a measure of fantasy value. Current production is weighted heavily, but potential to contribute also factors into the mix.

The top 20 rookies: