Fantasy Football Draft Strategy 2023: Latest Mock Draft and Cheatsheet Tips

It's time to start finalizing your fantasy football draft plans with the start of the 2023 NFL season bearing down on us.

If you haven't participated in a mock draft (or, ideally, multiple mocks) yet, you're leaving a lot of valuable information on the table. If you haven't crafted your personal set of rankings, you won't know which players to target and when. If you haven't identified sleepers and busts, then you might be missing out on league-winners or setting yourself up to make league-losing mistakes.

Use that ticking clock as motivation to get moving, but also recognize that there's still (a little) time to figure out your strategy. We'll help you get started by running through a three-round mock, laying out our top-50 rankings in point-per-reception leagues and finally identifying a few sleepers and busts that have caught our eye.

3-Round, 12-Team, PPR Mock

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 04: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions looks on against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field on December 04, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Round 1

1. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

3. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

4. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

5. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

6. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

7. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

9. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

11. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

12. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Round 2

13. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

14. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

15. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

16. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

17. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

18. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

19. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

20. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

21. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

22. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

23. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

24. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

Round 3

25. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

26. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

27. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

28. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

29. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

30. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

31. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

32. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

33. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

34. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

35. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

36. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Top-50 PPR Rankings

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BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 18: Miami Dolphins wide receivers Tyreek Hill (10) and Jaylen Waddle (17) line up next to each other on the line of scrimmage during the Miami Dolphins versus Baltimore Ravens NFL game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 18, 2022 in Baltimore, MD (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

1. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

3. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

4. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

5. Cooper Kupp, RB, Los Angeles Rams

6. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

9. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

10. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

11. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

12. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

13. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

14. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

15. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

16. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

17. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

18. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

19. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

20. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

21. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

22. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

23. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

24. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

25. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

26. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

27. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

28. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

29. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

30. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

31. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

32. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

33. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

34. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

35. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

36. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

37. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

38. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

39. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

40. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

41. Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos

42. Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings

43. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings

44. James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

45. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

46. Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

47. Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

48. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

49. Miles Sanders, RB, Carolina Panthers

50. Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears

Sleepers to Target, Busts to Avoid

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 18: Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants in action against the Carolina Panthers during a pre-season football game at MetLife Stadium on August 18, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Sleepers

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

Jones has never been the most dynamic passer, but that's not the only path a quarterback can take to fantasy relevance. Quarterbacks who make plays as a runner instantly raise their fantasy floor, because you don't need as many yards (or, depending on league format, touchdowns) to put up fantasy points.

That's exactly where Jones buttered his bread last season, as he handled 120 carries and converted them into 708 yards and seven scores. If he mirrors that production and perhaps perks up his passing a bit with the addition of dynamic tight end Darren Waller, Jones could make a push for a top-five fantasy finish at the position.

Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

Watson should be the clear-cut top target in Green Bay, and yes, that still matters even in this post-Aaron Rodgers era. Between Jordan Love's arm strength and ability to extend plays with this legs, this is a passing offense that could be a sneaky-good source of big plays.

Watson could be on the receiving end of many of those deep throws. He has the speed to zip past defenders, the size (at 6'4") to catch passes over the top of them and the strength to come down with contested catches. He touched the ball 48 times last season and scored nine times. Assuming his opportunities spike, he could be one of the league's most productive pass-catchers.

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Busts

Deshaun Watson

Watson has been a fantasy star in the past, but he is a full two years removed from fantasy relevance. He didn't play at all in 2021 and suited up just six times in 2022, looking nothing like the fantasy juggernaut he used to be.

He was, objectively speaking, brutal upon his return, completing just 58.2 percent of his passes and nearly throwing as many interceptions (five) as touchdowns (seven). A single offseason is suddenly going to morph him back into QB1 status? Consider us highly skeptical and completely uninterested at his average draft cost at No. 82, per FantasyPros.

D'Andre Swift, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Swift has long tantalized the fantasy community as a dual-threat running back with enough burst to take any touch the distance. But he's always been more exciting in theory than reality, as his workload has been constantly limited by injury issues and shared backfields.

Well, there's no reason other than optimism to imagine his injury problems will go away, and Philly's running back room is among the league's most crowded. Sure, he could become the featured back, but Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell can claim the same. If Swift makes his annual appearance on the injury report early, that could bump him down the depth chart far enough that his fantasy value never really recovers.