Fantasy Football Picks 2023: 2-Round Mock Draft and Strategy Breakdown

Kristopher KnoxAug 26, 2023

Season-long fantasy leagues aren't won in the opening rounds of the draft. However, Rounds 1 and 2 are where managers begin laying the foundation for their starting lineups.

The key to kicking off a successful draft is identifying which players won't last until the middle rounds while avoiding potential busts. There's nothing wrong with landing a dependable weekly starter with the first pick, even if he isn't a bona fide fantasy MVP candidate.

Spending a first-round pick on a player who ends up on the bench can be a disaster.

Here, we'll discuss a few tricks and tips for getting the most out of the opening rounds. We'll provide a Two-Round mock for reference and dive into the latest positional rankings from FantasyPros.

All rankings and picks are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Two-Round PPR Mock

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Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Round 1

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. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

6. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

7. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

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

9. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

10. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

11. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

12. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

Round 2

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

2. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

3. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

4. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

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

6. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

7. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

8. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

9. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

10. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

11. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

12. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

Strategy Breakdown

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Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy

Generally, there are two types of players worth targeting in the first two rounds of PPR drafts—ball-dominant wide receivers and every-down, dual-threat running backs.

Our mock follows this trend with true No. 1 pass-catchers like Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase and Cooper Kupp going in Round 1. Running backs who dominate the carry share and catch passes, like Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler, are first-round worthy as well.

Keep in mind that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce serves as Patrick Mahomes' de facto No. 1 receiver, and he should be valued accordingly.

Backs and receivers continue to be top priority in Round 2, though high-volume backs who don't always catch a lot of passes will start coming off the board here. Backs who regularly vie for the rushing title, like Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb fit into this category.

As the NFL continues to move toward being a pass-dominant league, quarterbacks are beginning to be valued earlier than in previous years. Managers who want one of the truly "safe" signal-callers—like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen—may have to flip the switch as early as Round 2.

Mock drafts can be especially helpful for identifying where to target a quarterback. Breaking down quarterbacks into tiers—with, say, Mahomes, Allen and Jalen Hurts in tier 1—is a good strategy to use in mock drafts. If Tier 1 quarterbacks are consistently going in Round 2, but Tier 2 quarterbacks are still on the board in Round 6, it might be worth focusing on those skill players early and riding with Justin Herbert or Trevor Lawrence.

Round 5 is about where managers should start eyeing boom-or-bust players. The foundation of your starting lineup should be complete by this point, so there's a little room for error.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is a great example of a boom-or-bust player in 2023. There's still no telling how quarterback Russell Wilson will perform this season, and Jeudy recently suffered a hamstring injury.

"Jeudy is expected to miss multiple weeks, but there remains optimism that Jeudy avoided a long-term absence," NFL.com's Kevin Patra wrote, referencing reports from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

If Jeudy recovers quickly and Wilson makes a jump under new head coach Sean Payton, there's a chance that Jeudy becomes a middle-round steal.

The later rounds are where to target backups, handcuffs and rookies with upside. Aside from a few rookies, like Bijan Robinson, most first-year players will be available late—and late-round rookies do emerge as stars, as Dameon Pierce did in 2022.

When filling out the bench, managers should be sure to pay attention to bye weeks. Grabbing Adam Thielen as insurance for CeeDee Lamb is fine, but managers must recognize that both will be on bye in Week 7. A different receiver will be needed as a bye-week fill-in.

Approach the final few rounds with a purpose and don't be afraid to take a few chances. Late-round picks who don't pan out can typically be replaced via the waiver wire.