Dynasty Fantasy Football Advice: Elijah Moore (2023)

Let’s look at what to expect from Elijah Moore as you prepare for the 2023 fantasy football season.

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Dynasty Fantasy Football Advice: Elijah Moore (2023)

Here is our dynasty fantasy football outlook for Elijah Moore.

Elijah Moore 2022 Production

Team	Player	REC	TGT	YDS	Y/R	LG	TD	G	FPTS	Rank	FPTS/G
NYJ	Elijah Moore	37	65	446	12.1	42	1	16	69.6	83rd	4.4, 100th

Career Contextualization

Elijah Moore was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft (34th overall) after melting faces in the SEC. The Ole Miss wide receiver finished second in receptions per game (10.8), first in receiving yards per game (149.1) and third in YAC (yards after catch)/reception per game (64) among WRs in his 2020 draft class.

Moore drew rave reviews throughout his first training camp and started Week 1 for the Jets. He combined for 14 targets over the next two weeks but was then sidelined with an injury that knocked him out until after the team’s bye week.

He was brought back slowly in a part-time role before a massive breakout game in Week 9 versus the Indianapolis Colts. With career journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson under center, Moore caught seven of eight targets for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

Over the four weeks — despite not having his starting quarterback for three games — Moore was the dominating force in the Jets’ offense. The souped-up slot receiver ranked as the fantasy WR2 over his last stretch of six games played.

His 16.1 fantasy points per game would have ranked fifth had he continued the production for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to injuries and COVID-19 implications.

In limited action, Moore finished with the league’s 13th-highest target rate when on the field in 2021. It was an incredible feat for a first-year player. Equally as impressive, he averaged 12 PPR fantasy points per game as a rookie.

Since 2016, the list of second-round WRs who averaged at least 12 PPR points per game as rookies includes: A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Michael Thomas, Chase Claypool, Tee Higgins, and Elijah Moore.

Borderline elite company to be a part of.

The expectations were sky-high for Moore heading into Year 2, but things unraveled quickly. The Jets drafted Garrett Wilson in the first round, essentially demoting Moore to No. 2 WR duties. It was then rumored that Moore was disgruntled with his role on the offense, and he demanded a trade. Needless to say, the relationship between the player and the team had gone beyond repair, and the two parties needed to go their separate ways.

Moore was essentially a non-factor in his second year with Gang Green, finishing second-to-last in the NFL in yards per route run (0.90) among WRs with at least 50 targets (among 84 qualifiers). Only Quez Watkins was worse. Woof.

As a result, the Jets shipped Moore off the Cleveland Browns this offseason.

Current Situation

Moore is in a brand-new situation with the Cleveland Browns and could easily emerge as the No. 2 WR in the offense. because the talent is THERE. As previously noted, Moore was the WR2 overall during his last stretch of six games during his rookie season, despite catching passes from Mike White, Zach Wilson, and Josh Johnson.

I am buying Moore with the hopes that he recaptures that same fantasy ceiling with an upgraded quarterback and a new situation in 2023. There’s a path where he is easily second on the team in targets and I wouldn’t completely rule out him out-targeting Cooper after we saw Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones (a free agent at the end of the season) post similar production at times in 2022. He should project as the team’s locked-and-loaded starting slot WR, with rookie third-rounder Cedric Tillman pushing DPJ for snaps on the perimeter.

General Prediction for 2023 and Rest of Career

Trade for Moore with him heavily discounted outside the top-55 WRs per FantasyPros Dynasty Trade Value Chart. The former Jet is currently WR40 in my latest dynasty rankings. Peoples-Jones was the WR50 in points per game last season, which could easily be Moore’s floor.

For 2023, I’d feel comfortable ranking Moore anywhere in the WR4 range, but acknowledge his upside as a target hog WR1 should targets open up in the Browns’ receiver room. Cooper’s status as a “fake alpha” always seems to improve the efficiency of the No. 2 WRs he plays alongside, which further bolsters the case for Moore to hit value in 2023.

Names like Michael Crabtree, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, and Donovan Peoples-Jones all thrived with Cooper. I expect Moore to be the latest name to benefit, as Deshaun Watson’s new favorite vertical target from the slot. Watson posted the league’s second-highest passer rating targeting the slot in his final year in Houston (112.4).

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Dynasty NFL Josh Johnson A.J. Brown Deebo Samuel JuJu Smith-Schuster Michael Thomas Chase Claypool Tee Higgins Mike White Zach Wilson Donovan Peoples-Jones