2023 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Overall Drafting Strategy and Cheat Sheet
The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 7, and with that the 2023 NFL season will be off and running.
It's a magical time of year for casual football fans, what with real, meaningful games set to arrive. However, it can be a stressful time for fantasy enthusiasts cramming for their drafts.
Waiting to draft until the end of preseason is smart, as it allows managers to avoid exhibition injuries, surprise trades and unexpected demotions. It also leaves a lot of information on the proverbial table which can be difficult to sort through.
Regardless of which players you're hoping to land on draft day, the overall draft strategy should remain the same. We'll run through a few tips and tricks here, examine a two-round point-per-reception (PPR) mock draft and provide some positional cheat sheets for easy reference.
Two-Round PPR Mock Draft
1 of 3
Round 1
1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
3. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
4. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
5. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
6. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
7. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
8. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
9. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
10. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
11. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
12. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 2
1. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
2. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
3. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
4. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
5. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
6. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
7. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
8. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
9. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
10. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
11. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
12. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Positional Cheat Sheets
2 of 3
Quarterback
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
6. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
10. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Running Back
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
2. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
3. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
4. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
5. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
7. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
8. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
9. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
10. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Wide Receiver
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Tyreek Hill Miami Dolphins
4. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Chargers
5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
7. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
8. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
9. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
Tight End
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
3. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
4. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
5. Darren Waller, New York Giants
6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
7. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
8. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Draft Strategy
3 of 3
It's always beneficial to go into fantasy drafts with your own tiered list of players. General PPR rankings are a great place to start, but they won't necessarily tell you who to draft if your initial choices suddenly fly off the board.
Conducting a few mock drafts of your own can help set personalized and tiered rankings.
Using our receiver rankings as a guide, let's say that Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp and CeeDee Lamb are the only four wideouts consistently going in Round 1 through a half-dozen mock drafts. If you believe that Amon-Ra St. Brown has just as much value as those aforementioned receivers and aren't willing to trust Kupp following an injury-hampered season, your top tier could consist of Jefferson, Chase, Lamb and St. Brown.
Once tiers are established, the draft becomes an exercise in chasing value and reading positional runs. Don't reach for a fourth-tier running back when a Tier 2 receiver is still available. Don't be afraid to reach just a bit for a Tier 3 receiver if only a handful are left and you have an open WR slot.
Ideally, managers should be looking to land three WRs and/or RBs of Tier 2 or higher within the first five rounds. Tight ends and quarterbacks can generally wait, though Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is in a tier of his own and should be valued as a top receiver.
Inevitably, someone in your league is going to use a second- or third-round pick on a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. Don't be that manager.
If Mahomes is available in the fourth round, go for it. However, it's not worth passing on a Tier 1 skill player when quality starting QBs like Jared Goff and Geno Smith will be available in the middle-to-late rounds.
The late rounds are where to take fliers on boom-or-bust players, unproven rookies and defense/special teams units. Managers should seek insurance for their biggest stars late in drafts, but it's better to grab a player with upside than a "safe" option with a low ceiling.
If, for example, you take a chance on Kupp, grabbing a receiver with potential, like Chiefs rookie Rashee Rice, can make for a win-win scenario.
Don't be afraid to target a defense relatively early because there are only a handful of truly elite units out there. Do wait to draft a kicker until the final two rounds, as most of the top specialists are interchangeable.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
