Fantasy Football 2023: First-Round Mock Draft, Projections and Top Team Names

The arrival of the NFL season means it is time for friends, relatives, and coworkers to gather for their fantasy football drafts. Some will carry higher stakes with them while others will be in good fun with little more on the line than bragging rights.

Regardless of the prize, or punishment, the goal is always to assemble the team that will score the most points every week and deliver its fantasy manager the victory.

That makes every selection at every key position that much more important. Do you go with running back first, as has traditionally been the case, or grab a top wide receiver as their value in the game becomes greater?

When do you take a quarterback and who should it be?

Is Travis Kelce worth more than other starting wideouts and backs?

Ahead of your upcoming draft, take a look at this first-round mock, projections for each player, fun team names, and analysis.

Top Team Names

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 21: Attendees fill out a Fantasy Football Draft Board during a pool party at Sapphire Pool & Day Club on August 21, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

Juke Skywalker

Game of Throws

Da Bear Necessities

Dalvin and Chipmunks

Bijan Mustard

Murray Up and Wait

Stafford Exchange

Kupp Runneth Over

Kenneth Walker, Texas Ranger

Prescott's Tots

Wentz Upon A Time in Hollywood

Mahomes Depot

Hurts Donut

Tuafinity and Bijan

First Round Mock Draft

AP Photo/Josie Lepe

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) during an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (Projection: 235 carries, 1100 yards, 12 TDs, 45 rec., 340 yds, 4 TDs)
2. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (Projection: 115 rec., 1600 yds, 10 TDs) 
3. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (Projection: 105 rec., 1100 yds, 9 TDs)
4. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams (Projection: 100 rec., 1700 yds, 11 TDs)
5. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins (Projection: 95 rec., 1200 yds, 7 TDs)
6. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns (Projection: 315 carries, 1600 yds, 10 TDs, 15 rec., 190 yds, TD)
7. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans (Projection: 350 carries, 1450 yds, 11 TDs, 25 rec., 9 TDs)
8. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (Projection: 110 rec., 1275 yds, 11 TDs)
9. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys (Projection: 95 rec., 1200 yds, 7 TDs)
10. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys (Projection: 180 carries, 1000yds, 7 TDs, 28 rec., 275 yds, 3 TDs)
11. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (Projection: 5175 yds, 43 TDs, 14 INTs)
12. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills (Projection: 100 rec., 1300 yds, 10 TDs)

Analysis

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 29: Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks on prior to the AFC Championship NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 29, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

The most intriguing player in the first round is Ja'Marr Chase, mostly because of the uncertainty surrounding quarterback Joe Burrow's availability early in the season and what that might mean for Chase's production.

Burrow is projected to miss "several weeks" according to head coach Zac Taylor, with no target date provided. That may have some worried about taking the LSU export as high as they have in recent years, but it should not affect Chase's draft stock.

If Cincinnati has to rely on backup quarterbacks Jake Browning or Trevor Siemian early in the regular season, they will be looking to get the ball in the hands of their all-world wideout. As one of the best receivers in the world, they are sure to trust his ability to grab a contested catch or to grab a short pass and break out into open space.

Chase should be one of the top two or three receivers taken in any draft. He could realistically be a top-three overall pick, too, given what appears to be a shift at the top of the field.

No longer are running backs the most coveted players in the draft, for a variety of reasons. There is an increased injury risk based on general wear and tear but, more importantly, the trend toward running back-by-committee has diminished overall numbers.

Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry and Tony Pollard should be top targets at that position, but not before sure-fire wideouts like Chase, Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill.

Josh Jacobs, not listed in the first-round mock draft, belongs with those aforementioned backs but uncertainty about his holdout in Las Vegas and what that means for the regular season lowers his value from a fantasy perspective.

Wideouts are taking on greater significance in fantasy, especially as the NFL continues to be a passer's league. As coaches scheme other ways to get the ball in their hands via sweeps or plays out of the backfield, they have more opportunities to pile up stats and become of greater value.

Your eyes should be on the top-tier receivers at the top of the draft before segueing into quality at running back that will be there later.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce should be tops at their position, even if the rushing threat of Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Lamar Jackson is alluring to some. Mahomes and Kelce have proven consistently excellent since 2018 and have earned drafters' trust.