Early 2023 Fantasy Football Rankings + Sleepers

The NFL season is over, even for the diehards who started new fantasy leagues that ran throughout the NFL Playoffs, which means that it’s officially time to begin looking ahead to the 2023 fantasy football season. Our featured pundits below have ranked their top 10 options for next season and have shared their thoughts on which players have the most sleeper potential.

Several NFL teams have new head coaches, and nearly half of the teams in the league hired a new offensive coordinator this offseason, so the fantasy football landscape will look much different next year. With that in mind, let’s take an early look at some of the players our experts expect to be at the top of the leaderboards when the dust settles on the 2023 fantasy football season a year from now.

• Introduction to Best Ball Leagues
• Underdog Best Ball Strategy
• Erickson’s Best Ball Positional Primers
• Best Ball Roster Construction Strategy

Early 2023 Fantasy Football Rankings & Sleepers

2023 Top-10 Players (Half PPR)

Q1. Who outside of your top five has the best chance of finishing first overall?

Justin Fields (QB – CHI)
“If we want to include quarterbacks, Justin Fields seems like the most logical target outside the top-5 with the No. 1 overall upside. He finished last season as QB6 in points per game (20.6). And in his 11 games played from Weeks 5-17…Fields ranked as the QB5 in points per game (24.1). The Bears are littered with cap space to add playmakers to Fields’ disposal, making him an easy candidate for a significant Year 3 leap as the NFL’s leader in rushing yards at the QB position.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE)
“Rhamondre Stevenson is the dark horse RB1 overall for 2023. Last year the Patriots showed no issues using him in a bell cow role, as he had five games with at least 80% of the snaps. Stevenson was sixth in weighted opportunity, but only 15th in red zone touches, so his touchdown upside is real. With his massive pass game usage, Stevenson could easily sit atop the running back mountain in 2023. Last year he ranked fourth in target share (17.3%), 14th in yards per route run, and fourth in receptions among running backs.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)

Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
“After being the near-consensus No. 1 pick in 2022 redraft leagues, Taylor had a disappointing season. However, injuries and a dysfunctional team led to his struggles. In 2021, Taylor was the RB1, averaging 20.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. As a rookie, he was the RB6, averaging 15.7 fantasy points per game. After the Colts hired Shane Steichen as their new head coach, fantasy players should feel confident in Taylor returning to his elite form in 2023.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

Austin Ekeler (RB – LAC)
“Austin Ekeler. He led all non-quarterbacks in half-point PPR fantasy scoring last season and was third among non-QBs in 2021. He’s entering a phase of his career where age is starting to become a concern, but Ekeler’s nose for the end zone and his heavy usage in the passing game give him a chance to be the premier non-QB fantasy scorer if he stays healthy all season.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

Q2. Who is your top sleeper candidate for drafts next season?

Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT)
“Diontae Johnson seems inevitable to be one of these talented, discounted guys for 2023 drafts. He didn’t score last season – likely a fluke – and second-year WR George Pickens is a darling in the fantasy community. But DJ is still the more proven asset, and it would not surprise me to see him be drafted consistently after Pickens by the time best ball drafts roll around. Johnson’s ability to command targets – 28% target share and 137 targets (7th) in 2022 – suggests he is a prime candidate for positive regression in many facets. His combined downfield targets and red-zone targets were the most of any player not to score in 2022. Those trends don’t tend to carry over from year-to-year. Buy-low on Johnson. He was the WR15 in expected fantasy points per game. And per ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight WR model, no WR was open more than Johnson.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL)
“If Rashod Bateman can stay healthy in 2023, it could be his breakout season. Rashod Bateman looked like a receiver who was on his way to just that before a foot sprain derailed his season in Week 4 and ultimately ended in Week 8 with a LisFranc injury. In Weeks 1-3, he was the WR34 in fantasy points per game with an 18.8% target share, a 30.3% air yard share, and 3.14 yards per route run. Bateman was only a 72.7% route per dropback player in that stretch. With Todd Monken replacing Greg Roman, Baltimore’s passing volume will go up this year. In Monken’s last two seasons as an offensive coordinator, his offenses have ranked tenth and 12th in neutral passing rate. Add on the extra routes weekly with a full-time role, and the recipe for a monster 2023 is present.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)

J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)
“After ending his rookie season as the RB21, averaging 10.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, J.K. Dobbins missed the 2021 season with a severe knee injury and eight games in 2022 recovering from the injury. However, Dobbins was outstanding to close out the regular season. Over his final four games, the former Ohio State star averaged seven yards per rushing attempt and 11.6 fantasy points per game despite playing only 43% of the snaps. Over a 17-game pace, he would have been the RB15 last year with his 11.6 fantasy points per game average. If he can earn more snaps next season, Dobbins could end the year as a top-10 running back.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

Quentin Johnston (WR – TCU)*
“Recent history says our ideal sleeper candidate is a rookie wide receiver with first-round NFL Draft capital. In 2021, Chris Olave had a preseason ADP of WR44, and Garrett Wilson‘s ADP was WR49. They both finished as top-25 PPR scorers at wide receiver. Justin Jefferson‘s preseason ADP in 2020 was WR49. Jefferson finished WR6. Jaylen Waddle‘s 2021 ADP was WR46. Waddle finished WR14 despite missing two games. For 2022, let’s go with TCU rookie Quentin Johnston, who’s 6-foot-4 with 4.3 speed. Enough said.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

*Rookie

Beyond our fantasy football content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Draft Assistant – which optimizes your picks with expert advice – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football draft season.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio