Fantasy Football: 4 guys whose stocks are rising after NFL Draft

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With the NFL Draft come and gone, the entire Fantasy landscape has changed. There are plenty of new rookies who are in great situations (Kevin White included here in Chicago), but there are also some up-and-comers and veterans whose stock is on the rise. 

Carlos Hyde (RB), SF

No more Frank Gore means Carlos Hyde is the No. 1 dude in San Fran. Hyde impressed in his rookie season, averaging 4.0 yards per carry with 12 catches and four rushing TDs in 14 games. He's flashed potential and now is atop the depth chart. Somebody has to replace the 255 carries Gore had last season and Hyde is already a factor in the passing game. The only guy that is truly a threat to Hyde right now is Reggie Bush, who is suddenly 30 years old and put up career-lows in yardage (discluding the 2010 season in which he played just eight games), while only scoring two touchdowns in Detroit. Bush's arrow is trending down and Hyde's is on the way up. Look at Hyde as an upper-tier No. 2 running back, with the potential for more.

[ROTOWORLD: Veteran winners from the NFL Draft]

Eli Manning (QB), New York Giants

After a horrendous start to the 2014 season, Manning rebounded later in the year and posted some great numbers with the help of Odell Beckham Jr., showing the two have developed on-field chemistry. This offseason the front office decided to add to the talent around Manning by bringing in pass-catching running back Shane Vereen and using their first-round pick on Ereck Flowers to help keep the Giants' franchise QB standing up in the pocket. With the potential return of Victor Cruz, Manning is poised for a huge year in 2015. He could be this year's 2014 Big Ben and be that mid-to-late round selection that ends up being a huge steal. Oh, and did I mention he's in a contract year? - John

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Latavius Murray (RB), Oakland Raiders

After missing the entire 2013 season with an ankle injury, the second-year running back out of Central Florida had a semi-breakout season in 2014. He rushed for 424 yards with a sparkling 5.2 yards per carry. And there are plenty of reasons why Murray is on the verge of stardom. The front office cut ties with veterans Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden this offseason, while signing Roy Helu and Trent Richardson. At this stage in his career Helu is viewed as a third-down back, while Richardson doesn't pose as a threat to unseat Murray as Oakland's lead back. Murray will also benefit from new Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, who already mentioned that he wants to "tailor" the running game to Murray. Musgrave used a high-volume running game in the past with Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, Clinton Portis and Fred Taylor. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr now has weapons in his disposal after GM Reggie McKenzie added arguably the best wide receiver in the draft in Amari Cooper and selected Miami tight end Clive Walford in the second round. Teams won't be able to stack the box against Murray now that the Raiders have players that can stretch the field. While Murray isn't necessarily a Top 20 fantasy player as of now, I wouldn't be surprised to see him reach that mark by season's end. - Scott

Jay Cutler (QB), Chicago Bears

With all the holes the Bears needed to fill on either side of the football, general manager Ryan Pace didn't have the luxury of drafting for need last week. Instead, he went for a best-player-available approach, and that meant using three of his first four selections on offensive players. That's good news for Jay Cutler, who got what should be an upgrade at wide receiver in No. 7 overall pick Kevin White, potentially a new center in Hronnis Grasu and a chance-of-pace back in Jeremy Langford who, at the very least, won't be as bad as Michael Bush or Ka'Deem Cary. Cutler still isn't a QB1 guy, but he's a much safer QB2 bet now that he's got White AND Alshon Jeffery, free agent signee Eddie Royal, Forte and Langford as targets. The offensive line will have to hold up - which is didn't do a year ago - but maybe Cutler will flourish in Adam Gase's offense. He's a guy to keep an eye on after the Bears improved their offensive in the draft.

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