2023 NFL Draft: Best Landing Spots (Fantasy Football)

It’s a tradition unlike any other. At least several times throughout the NFL Draft, I either yelp in excitement or groan in disappointment when I see a quarterback or skill position player land in an ideal, or a lousy landing spot. The 2023 NFL Draft was no different.

In this piece, we’ll discuss the positives — the picks that had me more intrigued in a player’s fantasy value than I was entering Thursday night. Here are the landing spots I liked the most from a fantasy football perspective. Check out those that were the worst for fantasy.

Thor Nystrom’s Best Remaining Day 3 Prospects
NFL Draft Day 2 Winners & Losers
Fitz’s Round 1 NFL Draft Picks: Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook (Day 2)
Dynasty Rookies: Best Remaining Day 3 Picks & Predictions
Dynasty Rookie Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE

Best Fantasy Landing Spots

Here are the best landing spots for fantasy purposes.

Round 1

Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC)

Quentin Johnston landing in Los Angeles was my favorite match among the wide receiver deluge that occurred at the back-end of round 1. He immediately joins one of the league’s most exciting offenses and will get to work with Justin Herbert, who has the arm strength that should complement Johnston’s downfield ability.

While Johnston isn’t exactly a carbon copy of Mike Williams, he’s pretty darn close. In fact, the TCU product is roughly an inch shorter and only a few pounds lighter than Williams. And he could play a similar role as a big field stretcher at the next level.

We know both Keenan Allen and Williams have endured their fair share of injuries over the years. And nobody in the Los Angeles has really run with the opportunity to be the team’s WR3. At the very worst, Johnston will likely plug in as the team’s WR3, with upward mobility for targets should the leading pass catchers get hurt again.

Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)

From a pure opportunity standpoint, there weren’t many better landing spots for Robinson than Atlanta. The Texas product joins an offense headlined by Drake London and Kyle Pitts. And he’ll most likely supplant last year’s leading rusher, Tyler Allgeier atop the depth chart from day one. By the way, did anyone else forget that Allgeier ran for 1,000 yards last season?

I bring that up to segue to my next point: I like this landing spot from a schematic perspective too. Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith hasn’t been afraid to feature a stud running back in his offenses before (just look at Derrick Henry’s usage in 2019 and 2020). And Robinson offers a more diverse skillset and pass catching ability than Henry ever possessed.

Perhaps more important is Robinson should have a good offensive line paving the way for him. The Falcons ranked fifth in adjusted line yards and sixth in second-level yards. Both these stats indicate that Atlanta’s blocking set their running backs up for success, hence how Allgeier scraped past 1,000 yards in 2022.

Now of course, this could all come crashing down if Desmond Ridder is a disaster. And there’s definitely a chance of that occurring. But the Falcons have Taylor Heinicke waiting in the wings should things go wrong, and he’s plenty capable of keeping the Falcons offense fantasy viable. And if Ridder outperforms expectations, that’s even better.

Rounds 2 and 3

Michael Mayer (TE – LV)

After trading Darren Waller to New York, the Raiders were in need of a starting tight end. Enter Mayer, who many deem to be one of the top pass catching tight end prospects in this year’s class. Mayer knows how to get separation in his route running and is excellent at contested catches. It’s important to temper our expectations for rookie tight ends, and the Raiders did sign O.J Howard and Austin Hooper to one-year deals this offseason. However, Mayer has a good chance to supplant both stop-gap options as the season goes on. It wouldn’t stun me if Mayer finished as a low-end TE1 this season, which would be an immense accomplishment for a rookie.

Jonathan Mingo (WR – CAR)

You can’t argue with opportunity, and that’s exactly what Mingo will walk into after being taken by the Panthers. Mingo has a bit of Deebo Samuel to his game but also has chops as a vertical threat. He offers a skillset that neither Adam Thielen nor D.J. Chark can deliver. Mingo could build a fast connection with No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young.

Marvin Mims (WR – DEN)

Mims marked the first pick of the Sean Payton era in Denver, and that’s telling. We’ve heard all offseason about how the Broncos have shopped around both Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. A deal hasn’t gotten done to this point, but clearly Denver’s new head coach doesn’t think too highly of his existing set of weapons. As for Mims, he’s an undersized prospect who offers exciting downfield speed. If Russell Wilson can find his deep ball again, Mims could carve out a nice role as a rookie with more refinement.