When it comes to rookies conventional wisdom no longer applies. With a few notable exceptions, most first-year players, particularly quarterbacks, were once thought to be multi-year projects, the Steve McNair approach – observe, learn and wait.

But in this day and age where instant gratification is constantly sought after, time isn’t of the essence. Several players picked in April are immediately pressed into competitive situations where often times they emerge as the go-to option, evident in the rapid ascension of guys like Robert Griffin III, Doug Martin and Josh Gordon, to name a few, last year. Because nuances from the college game are commonplace in playbooks throughout the league, the transition for some guys is seamless. From level-to-level, system terminology and execution are often not drastically different.

In football’s version of speed-dating, an inexperienced player that excels under fire typically buys at least another 2-3 years of trust. Conversely, those that fail quickly crash the pity party, drinking foamy beer alongside fellow busts JaMarcus Russell, moo cow Mike Williams (Not the Tampa version) and Mark Ingram (Too soon?).

Unfortunately, many commodities from this year's draft may soon pump the keg.

From a talent standpoint, this year’s class pales in comparison to 2012’s, a group that will be deemed ‘legendary’ 10 years from now. Though there is quality depth at wide receiver and running back, other fantasy focused positions lack punch, especially quarterback. However, success is all about opportunity. Any player given a chance to showcase his wares can thrive. Look at what 'The Butler' Alfred Morris, a passed-over sixth-round pick, accomplished a season ago. Displayed in the chart above, he totaled 246.3 fantasy points, the third-best among rookie RBs since 2000. His 1,613 rushing yards ranked third all-time for freshmen backs behind Eric Dickerson and George Rogers. As always, it all boils down to volume and system fit.

After weeks of poking, prodding and Wonderlicking, destinations are now determined. What newcomers will be cornerstones on fantasy rosters next season? Here's seven superb players poised to make an impact (in order of projected contribution):

"Add this player and drop another player"? Yes, please. (Getty)Gamers, this is not a drill. REPEAT: NOT A DRILL.

The Colorado Rockies have called up prospect Nolan Arenado, and he'll immediately take over full-time third base duties. You want this guy. Arenado's promotion is without question an actionable event for fantasy owners.

Go scan your league's free agent pool for this kid, right now. GO. SHOO.

Chris Nelson has been designated for assignment by the Rockies (and he shouldn't have much trouble finding a new major league home. A fair number of teams have a need at third.)

You'll recall that Arenado, 22, had a terrific spring for Colorado — so good, in fact, that he nearly opened the season in the big leagues. He was off to a tremendous start at Triple-A Colorado Springs, batting .364/.392/.667 over his first 18 games, with 11 doubles, three homers and 21 RBIs.

Arenado is a former Arizona Fall League MVP, ranked among the game's better prospects by all sources. He projects as a heart-of-the-order hitter with respectable pop, and his home environment is obviously friendly. He's expected to bat eighth in his MLB debut, which is less than ideal, but he'll eventually find a favorable spot.

Welcome back, Chooch (USAT)It's been a mediocre start for the Phillies offense through three weeks. They've collected 93 runs, tied for 19th in the majors. The slash line comes in at .252/.304/.385. Primary catcher Erik Kratz has been a mess, posting an ugly .191/.222/.309 contribution.

On Sunday, that latter problem is mercifully eliminated. Carlos Ruiz is finally walking through that door.

Ruiz was ineligible for the first 25 games of the year as he served an Adderall suspension. The time has run out and he's back in uniform Sunday, batting fifth against the Mets. Cole Hamels will be happy to see his old running mate.

It's not easy to get a definitive handle on who Ruiz is for fantasy purposes. He provided a solid average and marginal power in 2010-2011 before exploding into last year's career season (.325-56-16-68 over 114 games). He turned 34 in January. If you're satisfied with your current backstop and only need to start one, you can probably watch this story from the sidelines.

Cash is King (USAT)

The mere numbers in the box score might not sound like much. Lots of pitchers work six tidy innings allowing just one run, especially in Petco Park. To get the full perspective of how Andrew Cashner is regarded, we need other elements: a little video, and some post-game comments.

Roll the tape first, have a look at Cashner stepping on the high-90s gas in his Friday victory over San Francisco. Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Belt both struck out twice, and no one managed an extra-base hit against Cashner. The converted reliever allowed five hits and one run over his stint, with one walk and five strikeouts.

"The guy has a great arm and he just shut us down," Giants manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com. "It's that simple."

His secondary pitches don't offer the same visceral reaction, but Cashner also had decent command of his change and curve Friday. The Padres feel he could be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter down the line; that's why they essentially swapped Anthony Rizzo for Cashner back in January 2012 (two non-prospects on each side completed the deal).

[Also: Owner Jeffrey Loria further alienates Marlins, fans with lineup mandate]

"He hasn't reached his ceiling," Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley said. "When he starts rolling, the sky's the limit."

Cashner opened the year in the bullpen and the plan was to slowly stretch out his arm, get him ready for the rotation. A temporary setback for

Nick Franklin (Getty Images)

The Seattle Mariners, as you might have heard, are not exactly a run-scoring juggernaut. They currently rank 13th in the American League in OBP and slugging percentage. They've lost seven of their last 10 games, and the team's run differential is now -31. They just replaced Brendan Ryan with Robert Andino, which is sort of like replacing passionflower tea with chamomile.

The Mariners, in a nutshell, are not good.

But things are going a bit better for Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers.

Jar of Clay (USAT)

We're still in April and the caveats about small-sample size remain. But at some point a fast start turns into a good season. When is it okay to fully buy into Boston right-hander Clay Buchholz

Buccholz won his fifth consecutive start Thursday against the Astros, turning in 7.2 superb innings (6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K). Have a look at the scouting video, see what you make of it. Obviously no one mistakes the 2013 Astros for the 1927 Yankees (and they strike out at a ridiculous clip), but they are 13th in the majors in runs. Houston's crummy record is driven by the awful pitching staff, worst in the majors thus far.

Back in The Hub, take a look at that snappy Buchholz resume. He's worked at least seven innings in every turn, he flirted with a no-hitter against Tampa Bay two weeks ago, and he's striking out better than a batter per inning. His WHIP is a tidy 1.01, the ERA a silly 1.19. Perhaps this is a career year at age 28.

Outlier ERAs are going to come with some outlier stats in the luck categories, that's to be understood. A 3.7 FB/HR clip immediately comes to mind, not to mention a 90.2 strand rate. That said, Buchholz makes a lot of his own luck with a 47.7 ground-ball rate, and the BABIP against him is a reasonable .264 - not too far below his career mark of .281.

Love your Rockies (USAT)Today's Shuffle Up assignment is the middle infielders, everyone who covers the second base or shortstop area for your fake juggernaut. Settle in, settlers, and let's try to figure it all out. (Where's Braun and Miggy? Sorry kids, they're not middle infielders.)

Play to this point matters as an audition, but that's it. The goal is to figure out who will play the best (and collect the juiciest stats) from this point forward, 2013-only. Pretend we're starting from scratch with a fresh draft tonight. Don't worry about the dollar value in a vacuum; they're merely used as tools to compare. And players at the same price tag are considered even.

I'll add extensive comments as the day goes along and I may tweak a ranking here and there. Win the debate below and you may win the rank. Assume a 5x5 scoring format, as per usual, and remember the golden rule: a player doesn't gain 15-20 percent of bonus value simply because you own him.

One change for this week: I adding a brief ranking of some injured players, down at the bottom of the list. Consider it an experiment. The value of injured roto commodities is highly variable, depending on your DL rules and roster space. I'm known for having a more pessimistic view of the average injured played than most people; "live for today" is one of my roto rallying cries.

John Axford, possibly still in the saves game (USAT Images)

For many of you, the act of cutting John Axford from your fantasy roster was probably the high point in your season. Very few events in fantasy are as satisfying as the vengeful drop. I get it. No argument.

Alas, if you're still chasing saves, it sounds like you're just going to have to pick up Axford again. His name remains in the ninth inning conversation for the Brewers, apparently.

This from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt:

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was asked Wednesday what it would take to re-install John Axford as his closer.

"Probably not much," replied Roenicke.

[...]

"That's nothing against [Jim] Henderson. He's done a great job for us pitching there. But I think with Ax, because of his breaking ball, and when he's throwing it well, I think he has a chance to repeat that season he had two years ago."

So it sounds as if Henderson doesn't have much of a leash — odd, because he's off to a fantastic start. Henderson currently ranks as a top-12 fantasy pitcher, thanks to his excellent ratios (0.90 ERA, 0.80 WHIP), his stellar K-rate (14 in 10.0 IP), and his 5-for-5 performance in save opportunities. He's done nothing wrong.