Fantasy Football 2023: Cheatsheet for Sleepers and Busts Heading into Your Draft
Fantasy football championships will be won and lost over the coming weeks.
No, kickoff of the 2023 NFL season isn't here yet, but fantasy drafts are arriving by the busload. With each one comes the chance to uncover some gold mines or stumble into one of many potential pitfalls.
To help increase your odds of success, we've put together a helpful draft guide with our top-30 rankings in point-per-reception leagues, plus a sleeper and bust at each of the three marquee positions.
Top-30 PPR Rankings
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1. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
3. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
4. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
5. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
6. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
7. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
8. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
9. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
10. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
11. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
12. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
13. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
14. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
15. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
16. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
17. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
18. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
19. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
20. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
21. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
22. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
23. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
24. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
25. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
26. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
27. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
28. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
29. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
30. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
Sleepers
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Quarterback: Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts staked their franchise's fortune on Richardson, when they snatched him up with this summer's No. 4 pick. While it's a long-term play, they'll give him every opportunity to make an instant impact, and with his top-notch physical tools, he has a chance to do exactly that.
His burst is electric, particularly for a quarterback, and that alone will help raise his fantasy floor. Elevating his ceiling would require taking a big jump as a passer, but with his rocket arm, he doesn't have to be the most accurate quarterback to hit on some home-run throws.
Running Back: Rashaad Penny, Philadelphia Eagles
When Penny stays healthy—which, admittedly, doesn't happen often—his elite talent almost always comes to the surface. He runs with power and precision, and he has enough juice to turn small windows into big plays.
Philly's backfield is a bit crowded, but Penny has the ability to separate himself if he can just stay on the field. As long as his availability issues (18 games played the past three seasons) are factored into his draft cost, he has a chance to be one of this season's best values.
Wide Receiver: Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
Moore wasn't a fantasy factor last season, but since he was catching passes from Zach Wilson and Mike White, that was always going to be an uphill climb. But Moore has been fantasy-relevant in the past—in Weeks 7 to 13 of the 2021 season, he totaled 34 receptions for 459 yards and five touchdowns in six games—and could be fantasy-relevant again now that he has teamed up with Deshaun Watson.
The Browns traded for Moore this offseason, so clearly they believe in his bounce-back potential. Fantasy managers would be wise to do the same.
Busts
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Quarterback: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Perhaps motivated by Prescott's league-worst 15 interceptions last season, the Cowboys sound ready and willing to dial back their passing offense. That won't make it easy for their quarterback to perform like a capable starter in fantasy.
He has popped a few times (two seasons with 30-plus touchdowns), but his numbers have often underwhelmed. He has seven NFL seasons under his belt, and only two of them featured 4,000 passing yards or 25 touchdowns. To make matters worse, the fantasy value he once added as a rusher is gone. In the past two seasons, he has tallied fewer than 200 rushing yards in each while scoring a combined two touchdowns.
Running Back: Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
Walker was tremendous as a rookie, clearing 1,200 scrimmage yards and finding the end zone nine times. His future as a franchise running back seemed set, until Seattle cast a cloud of uncertainty over his role by spending a second-round pick on Zach Charbonnet.
This could be a by-committee backfield now, particularly with how Charbonnet has impressed in training camp (which Walker has mostly missed due to a groin injury).
Wide Receiver: Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Look, we promise we aren't purposely picking on the Seahawks, but there are real questions regarding how this offense will look this season. That's partly due to Geno Smith's potential regression, but it's also because of the new players added to this attack.
While Walker has to contend with Charbonnet's arrival, Lockett could see even a bigger challenge from rookie first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With DK Metcalf also factoring prominently into the target shares, this could be the year in which Lockett's incredible run of consistency finally snaps.
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