For those of us who have been playing dynasty fantasy football for a few years, we all remember those picks. The late-round flyer with a glimmer of promise who turned into a fantasy stud is the great white whale we’re all chasing.
A few years ago, it was James Robinson when Leonard Fournette was released by the Jaguars. Maybe yours was another Jag, DJ Chark. Perhaps you were desperate for a QB last year and picked up Brock Purdy and fell into a fortunate injury sequence, followed by a windfall of fantasy points down the stretch. All of us are searching for that guy again in 2023.
Where 2022 was mostly filled with disappointment in the later rounds, 2023 has a lot more talent falling deeper in dynasty rookie drafts. Here are the best ones who I’m going as far as trading back into the later rounds to grab.
- Dynasty Trade Value Chart
- Dynasty Rookie Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Latest Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
Dynasty Rookie Draft Late-Round Targets (2023 Fantasy Football)
Eric Gray could not have landed in a more preferential spot for immediate action than with the New York Giants. Yes, Saquon Barkley is still a legit bellcow RB, but he is also still mired in a contract dispute. Should he hold out of game action, only Matt Breida stands in his way for touches in Brian Daboll’s offense.
Gray is super-versatile. He plays with strength above his size and agility to match. He is also a very adept receiver out of the backfield. Gray is falling between the late third and the fourth rounds of rookie drafts and has plenty of potential to pay off at that cost immediately.
The Saints are not exactly settled at the WR position, outside of young star Chris Olave. Nobody knows if Michael Thomas will ever be ready to play in the NFL again. Rashid Shaheed was a nice surprise last season, but has a long way to go to be a consistent option. Wake Forest’s AT Perry slipped all the way to the sixth round, despite projections to go on Day 2. He is long and very explosive on vertical routes, something new QB Derek Carr has excelled at throwing throughout his career. A few big plays in camp and Perry very well could be a rising star available in the fourth round of rookie drafts.
The Rams might not have had any early picks in this year’s draft, but they used the ones they had very wisely and with good intention. Puka Nacua out of BYU is a very similar archetype to longtime Rams WR Robert Woods. He’s a “lunchpail” guy who can line up anywhere and make plays, even as a blocker. Sean McVay has something cooking already for Nacua this season, especially with only Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek competing for targets in Woods’ old role. Like Perry, Nacua is available in the fourth round of rookie drafts.
For a little while, the Sleeper app had this man listed by his government name, Nathaniel Dell, and he was falling to the fourth round of rookie drafts for the simple reason that everyone knows him as “Tank.” Now that Sleeper has corrected this, he is rising into the middle of the third round. I still love the spot for a high-upside weapon like the Houston star. The Texans receiving corps is completely up for grabs around rookie QB CJ Stroud, who is a close friend of Dell’s. I like the camaraderie already, added to Tank’s innate talent for getting open despite his small stature.
The Indianapolis Colts drafted a track team this year. Did they need another tight end? Absolutely not, but they saw something in Miami’s Will Mallory. Mallory is a receiving TE with almost no blocking chops to speak of, something the other Colts’ TEs cannot boast.
He was the fastest at the position at the NFL Combine, running a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5 and 239 pounds. With a thin WR room in Indy, I like Mallory to get an opportunity to run seam routes from the slot and H-back positions and earn his way onto the field in what could be a surprisingly good offense. Even better, if you don’t take Mallory in the fourth round of rookie drafts, he is often sitting on waivers directly afterward.
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