The Jets selected Pittsburgh RB Isreal Abanikanda in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft. At 20 years old, Abanikanda is one of the youngest prospects in this draft class, with much room to grow. It took a while for him to get going, but he led the ACC in carries (239) and rushing yards (1,431) as a junior in 2022, in addition to an NCAA-leading 21 total TDs. While his vision near the line of scrimmage is lacking at times, Abanikanda is a true home-run hitter at his best, as evidenced by his 61 runs of 10+ yards over his last 2 college seasons at Pitt. With the suitable scheme fit and patience, we may look back on Abanikanda as one of the draft's biggest steals. This, of course, is not a great landing spot for his immediate fantasy value. Abanikanda will compete with RBs Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight for the right to back up feature back Breece Hall.
The Bengals added WR Charlie Jones in the 4th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Jones is coming off a huge 2023 season for Purdue: 110 catches, 1,361 yards, and 12 TDs. So why did he last until Round 4? Because 2023 was Jones' sixth year in college. He did nothing across 2 seasons at Buffalo and then 3 at Iowa. He's already 24 years old and is just 175 pounds. It's a shaky prospect profile. This is a sneaky strong long-term landing spot, though. Jones is tied to QB Joe Burrow. And WRs Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are set to hit free agency next offseason. It makes Jones worth stashing in deeper dynasty leagues.
The Bears selected Cincinnati WR Tyler Scott in Round 4 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Scott played RB in high school – and it shows. He’s excellent with the ball in his hands, combining vision, contact balance, and burst to average 6.6 yards after the catch per reception last year. He also has the speed to win deep, confirmed by a 4.44-second 40 time at the Combine. Scott is a raw prospect with just 1 season of big college production and plenty of work to do in the route-running department. But he has just three years of experience at WR and is only 21, so he should have more room for improvement than your typical rookie receiver. At 5’10 and 177 pounds, he’s likely destined for the slot as a pro. But he can be a dangerous after-catch weapon with seam-stretching ability from the inside. This isn’t a great landing spot for Scott on the run-heavy Bears. He figures to open the season behind at least D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Chase Claypool. Consider Scott more of a dynasty stash than redraft factor.
The Lions are trading RB D'Andre Swift to the Eagles, according to multiple reports. Detroit gets a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a 30-spot move up in Round 7 this year. A move has been expected since Detroit drafted RB Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round. Swift joins a crowded backfield in Philly but is also likely the best player in the group. We'll see exactly what he can command in terms of regular workload, but we're drafting Swift ahead of Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell. The other two remain in play for best ball rosters but should come off the board in double-digit rounds. Check our 2023 fantasy football RB rankings for the initial projection on Swift and adjusted numbers for his new backfield mates.
The Bears added RB Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Living in the shadow of Texas teammate Bijan Robinson, it’s difficult to say precisely how good Johnson is. Not only did he initially commit to Texas as a QB and change positions, but he’s the only prospect in this class we profiled who was never the leader of his college backfield. It’s tough to point to Johnson’s stats because of that, but you’ll like what you see if you dig into his film. At 6’0, 219 pounds, Johnson is a brick house with plenty of versatility. He’s an excellent pass protector, a capable receiver out of the backfield, and even matched Robinson with a 1.52-second 10-yard split. With his quick burst and well-rounded skill set, there’s an outside shot that Johnson could blossom into being a reliable depth piece on fantasy rosters with a tantalizing three-down upside at best. He joins Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman in a relatively up-for-grabs backfield. Johnson is a candidate to carve out a significant role as a rookie.
Asked about whether a RB was worth taking inside the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft, Falcons HC said of new RB Bijan Robinson: "He's a lot more than a running back. He's an impact football player." GM Terry Fontenot added that Atlanta wants to play "positionless football." The Falcons hadn't invested heavily into the position since Smith arrived. Their top signings included Mike Davis, Damien Williams, and Cordarrelle Patterson. Tyler Allgeier (Round 5 of 2022) had been the only RB they drafted. So they clearly believe Robinson to be special. Expect his opportunity count to reflect that. Robinson already leads our dynasty RB rankings.
The Raiders selected Cincinnati WR Tre Tucker in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. A strict slot at 5’9, 182 pounds, Tucker wins with 4.40 speed. The 22-year-old will likely fit in as Vegas’ WR4 or WR5 this season. He’s also a candidate to contribute in the return game.
Titans GM Ran Carthon says RB Tyjae Spears is a three-down RB, according to John Glennon of the Nashville Post. We're not taking this to mean Spears will get workhorse usage. But it does indicate the team can see him fitting any situation. We'll see whether RB Derrick Henry remains on the team when the 2023 season begins. As it is, there's at least 2024 upside to Spears.
The 49ers selected Alabama TE Cameron Latu in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. A five-year college player, Latu totaled 56 catches, 787 yards, and 12 TDs over the past two seasons. He’s not a standout athlete, and he’s modestly sized at 6’4, 242 pounds. It’s tough to see him gaining any fantasy value as long as George Kittle remains a 49er.
The Cardinals made Stanford WR Michael Wilson a Round 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Wilson spent 5 years at Stanford and never reached 700 receiving yards in a season. He posted a 56-672-5 line as a sophomore but then missed 16 games with various injuries over the last 3 years. When healthy, Wilson is a physical receiver with good route-running ability and strong ball skills. There’s some JuJu Smith-Schuster to his game. He enters a Cardinals depth chart that looks wide open for the long-term. DeAndre Hopkins remains a trade candidate, while Marquise Brown is entering a contract year.
The Steelers selected Georgia TE Darnell Washington in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Washington’s college numbers aren’t great; he topped out with 28-454-2 last season. But you have to at least take notice of a TE that averaged 16.2 yards per catch. Of course, playing alongside the best TE in the country — Brock Bowers — didn’t help boost production. Washington also goes a supersized 6’7, 264 pounds, so he was heavily utilized as a blocker. That figures to be a key part of his NFL role, especially alongside Pat Freiermuth. We’ll also have to keep an eye on Washington’s health following reports of knee trouble.
The Jaguars selected Auburn RB Tank Bigbsy in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Bigsby played his college career behind one of the nation’s worst offensive lines. Through four head coaches in three years, he tallied no fewer than 900 scrimmage yards in every season in the Tigers’ offense. In many ways, Bigsby single-handedly carried the Auburn offense throughout his career. Between his creativity and phenomenal center of gravity, Bigsby is among the toughest runners in this rookie class. In Jacksonville, he projects as the long-term compliment to Travis Etienne. Current backfield depth options include Snoop Conner, D'Ernest Johnson, and JaMycal Hasty.
The Dolphins selected Texas A&M RB Devon Achane in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. If you like playing Madden, you’ll love Achane. This 5’9, 188-pound dynamo possesses the best speed of any RB in the 2023 class (4.32-second 40-yard time at the Combine). He makes up for what he lacks in size in elite acceleration, quality pass-catching skills, and an underappreciated ability to slip defenders in close quarters. Achane is unlikely ever to become the leader of an NFL backfield, but remember that he logged 196 carries as a junior at Texas A&M in 2022. If the Dolphins give him enough of a role early on, we could be talking about a 2023 PPR factor. Unfortunately, the risk with Achane is that he could be pigeonholed into a role so specific that it’ll be tough to know when to start him week to week. Note: Miami returns veteran RBs Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert.
The Titans selected Tulane RB Tyjae Spears in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Spears is the small-school darling of this 2023 class. He put up monster numbers over his last two seasons at Tulane, including a total of 1,837 scrimmage yards that ranked 4th in the NCAA in 2022. He wasn’t a highly regarded high school recruit and didn’t do much early in his career due to an ACL tear in 2020. He even considered quitting the team and going home during the rehab process. But Spears persevered. He’s an incredibly flexible athlete with great elusiveness and long speed. One of the dangers with Spears is his frame (5’10, 201 pounds), especially given how skinny his legs are and his injury history. That said, it seems likely his pass-catching skills will get him on the field in Tennessee. That’ll be his main role for 2023, assuming Derrick Henry sticks around. Spears has the talent to emerge as Tennessee’s lead back come 2024.
The Packers selected South Dakota State TE Tucker Kraft in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Kraft missed most of this past season following ankle surgery. In 2021, he tallied 65-773-6 in 15 games, showing the skill set of a future NFL starter. His fantasy outlook isn’t clear in Green Bay, though, as the Packers selected Luke Musgrave earlier in the night. Kraft is off the redraft radar.
The Colts selected North Carolina WR Josh Downs in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Downs’ production profile is as strong as any WR in this year’s class. He broke out with a 100-catch, 1,335-yard sophomore season in 2021 and then racked up another 94 catches, 1,029 yards, and 11 TDs this past year. He accounted for a massive 33.6% of North Carolina’s receptions, 30.9% of the receiving yards, and 29.7% of the receiving TDs over the past two seasons. We were a bit underwhelmed by Downs’ tape, though. He struggles against physical coverage, has a relatively small catch radius, and lacks elite downfield speed (confirmed by his 4.48-second 40 time). On the plus side, Downs has no trouble creating separation on short and intermediate routes and is a weapon after the catch. The 5’9, 171-pounder is destined for the slot as a pro. There's room for him to see early work there for a Colts squad that just let WR Parris Campbell walk in free agency. We remain unexcited about the third-rounder's long-term outlook, though. Check out Downs' initial projections in our 2023 fantasy football WR rankings.
The Browns selected Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Flash back to 2021 and it was Tillman leading the Tennessee WR corps with 64 catches, 1,081 yards, and 12 TDs. He was off to another strong start last year with 230 yards and 1 TD in 2 games before hurting his ankle. Now, Tillman’s breakout didn’t come until his fourth college season; he’ll already be 23 when his rookie season kicks off; and he has a big transition to make coming from Tennessee’s college-style attack. So he’s not a perfect prospect. But Tillman puts a big check in the size and athleticism boxes at 6’3, 213 pounds with 4.5 speed and a 37-inch vertical. And he flashes dominant contested-catch ability and strong YAC skills on tape. The fantasy ceiling here is exciting. Landing in Cleveland puts him in a crowded WR corps. With Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Elijah Moore round, Tillman probably doesn't have a shot at rising above fourth on the 2023 depth chart. The long-term outlook remains intriguing, though. Check out Tillman's initial projections in our 2023 fantasy football WR rankings.
The Giants selected Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Hyatt won the 2022 Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in college football, compiling 1,267 yards and 15 TDs on 67 receptions. That’s a huge 18.9 yards per catch. And this dude can fly. Hyatt clocked a 4.40-second 40 time at the Combine and plays even faster, routinely running by SEC CBs. He also possesses underrated ball skills and a large catch radius. Now, Tennessee’s up-tempo, spread offense regularly put Hyatt in favorable situations. He has a significant transition to make to an NFL-style offense. It’s also worth noting that Hyatt totaled just 502 receiving yards over his first 2 NFL seasons and is slenderly built at 6’0, 176 pounds. We like Hyatt’s chances of emerging as a legit big-play threat for the Giants. But he might lack the size, physicality, and route-running acumen to become the focal point of an NFL passing game. We'll see how the Giants plan to deploy him. The lackluster WR corps presents opportunity as soon as Hyatt's able to prove he's ready. Check out Hyatt's initial projection in our 2023 fantasy football WR rankings.
The Saints selected TCU RB Kendre Miller in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Miller is a tough evaluation. Over his last two seasons at TCU, he checked many of the statistical boxes fantasy managers like to see. Miller ranked first in yards per attempt (7.5), yards after contact (5.06), and PFF elusive rating (181.1) as a sophomore in 2021. Last year, Miller exploded with 1,515 scrimmage yards. Unfortunately, a right MCL sprain prevented Miller from participating in any pre-draft testing. Miller will be buried for 2023 on the Saints' depth chart if RB Alvin Kamara avoids suspension. Could New Orleans selecting Miller in Round 3 mean they expect a suspension? Perhaps. Keep Miller in mind as an end-of-draft option. And going fourth in the draft among RBs certainly helps his dynasty outlook. Check out Miller's initial spot in our 2023 fantasy football RB rankings.
The Texans selected Houston WR Tank Dell in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Dell is a fun watch: lightning-quick with explosive burst and plenty of long speed. He put up massive numbers the past 2 seasons: 1,329 yards and 12 TDs in 2021 and 1,398 yards and 17 TDs this past year. The problem? He’s 5’8 and 165 pounds. DeVonta Smith is the only sub-170-pound WR to reach 700 receiving yards since 2000. Dell can certainly be a useful weapon for the Texans. But we doubt he’ll handle enough volume to be a reliable fantasy option. Don't bet on 2023 fantasy football value either. Houston has Nico Collins, Robert Woods, and 2022 second-round pick John Metchie at the position. That's not a terrific group, which means Dell could compete for a role. But it's enough that the Texans don't need to push him.
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